The Importance of How to Recognize, Know, and Navigate Life Transitions
The world’s population is dealing with an ever increasing amount of transition. Over the next four posts as a trained and certified TQ Coach (transitions coach), I will unpack the anatomy of transitions in this edition and in future editions will unpack the triple threat of transitions, the six life pillars of transitions, and the big and little “P’s” of transitions.
Types of transitions include retirement, moving, divorce, new baby, empty nest, job changes, marriage, passing of a loved one, menopause, career changes, aging, promotion, health crisis, and job loss just to name a few. As an example, people typically make 12-13 employer transitions over a lifetime of work.
Significant new transitions occur on average every 12-18 months. Yet, it typically takes 3-5 years to fully complete a transition’s three phases. Those three phases are the emerging ending, the messy middle, and the new beginning.
The first stage of transitions, the emerging ending, is a time of building acceptance and letting go. The work in this phase includes using rituals for reflection and resilience. The second phase, the messy middle, is a time of building self-awareness and pattern interruption. The work during this phase is cultivating purpose and leveraging curiosity. The third and final phase, new beginnings, is the exploration of new roles, identities, and environments. The work in this third phase is clarifying goals and creating a vision for the future.
There is no set timeframe to work through any one phase or the entire transition. Walking through transitions is also not a checklist to be completed. Transitions may not also include forward progress. There may be (and often are) times of stuckness or even retreating in progress. The messy middle stage is by far the most complex and typically takes the longest to navigate.
Transitions in life can certainly be a sad, sorrowful, fearful, and difficult time in life. Transitions also provide an opportunity for growth, re-direction, new discoveries, and gaining life clarity. This quote from David Viscott, well-known psychiatrist & author, sums up how navigating transitions in a healthy method can be enlightening:
“The purpose of life is to discover your gift.
The work of life is to develop it.
The meaning of life is to give your gift away.”
David Viscott
Are you currently in the midst of a life transition? Do you anticipate a transition coming soon?
Having a coach journey alongside a person in transition helps illuminate the pathway forward. Coaching during a transition can provide you with a deeper connection or articulation of your purpose, clarity, confidence, and perspective. Click here to explore the current transition coaching packages available.
