TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND CONTENT

TO HELP YOU DO YOUR WORK

AND LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE

Question time: Are you someone who grabs a new book and flips to the last few pages to see how it ends before diving into chapter one? Or are you someone who just jumps in ready for whatever twists and turns the story brings? Or do you read the same book by different authors over and over so you know how it ends?

What I find about this pattern of being is that often we read books the same way we live. Some of us need to know how the story ends. Others like to drop anchor and stay in place while others jump in head first and lean into whatever life brings. Do you relate?

This time of year often brings transitions. Teachers are wrapping up summer vacation and heading back to the classroom. College kids are headed off to university leaving home for the first time and leaving parents empty nesters. Littles are entering new grades or heading off to kindergarten for the first time. Different sports start to kick off, and people start new hobbies and activities. Others are heading to a new job or starting a whole new life. Add to that the transitions we all face but none of us want – like death, divorce, and moving.

The truth is all of life is a transition. Waking/sleeping, morning/evening, working/playing…I could go on forever. We have to participate in transitions whether we want to or not. Because of this, I think it is time to normalize seasons of transition that involve us telling the truth.

Just as a good book is broken into chapters and a play is broken up into acts, so are our lives. The alternative would be standing still and not moving, which would mean you would become stagnant. And if you have ever seen a stagnant pool of water in nature – or even a vase of flowers after a week or so – let’s just say, there is a stench that is less than pleasant.

Is that the kind of life you would like to live just to avoid moving through a season of transition? To avoid facing the uncomfortable pain and discomfort of feeling the full array of emotions as you move from one chapter to another?

Many people fear transitions which I can understand because change can be scary. But the reality is you are already really great at transition. You do it in a myriad of ways every single day.

And guess what? If you are reading this post, you have a 100% transition survival rate so perhaps it is time to start telling yourself a different story.
Let’s take a big breath, plant our feet on some solid ground, and learn some tips to help all of us navigate seasons of transition.

Often the women I coach come to me because they are about to embark on or are in the middle of a transition. Some are starting small businesses, and some are moving through heartbreaking seasons and trying to find their footing. All my clients are trying to navigate the changing of the identity they have lived so far. They are trying on new ways of being so they can step into a fuller, more aligned version of themself.

Honestly, one of the greatest gifts for me as a coach is to witness their transformation as they move through their transition season. It is a beautiful blossoming as they move through the challenges and come out the other side pure gold. I swear if I could spend all my days on the sidelines of other women’s stories, cheering them on and watching them move to a higher level, my life would be ridiculously lovely.

Truly, I want all of us to be encouraged, empowered and equipped to experience beautiful transformations, so today, let’s walk through the three steps that will help each of us tackle seasons of challenging transformation.

Step one of tackling seasons of transition is rooted in looking back. Acknowledge the past. Look back and acknowledge the many blessings you experienced in the previous season. Soak in the good parts. Soak in the love and beauty of the good parts. Remember the joy. And yes, spend some time examining the bits that cut like sharp glass. Be grateful for the entire experience – even the hard parts – because they were teachers that brought you to today.

Step one is all about celebrating what was by focusing on the past. Now onto step two: be aware of the present

One of the best gifts we can give our current selves is to fall in love with the life we are living – even the spaces where it feels like something is missing. Take the opportunity to chase down joy and celebrate the small, ordinary moments of beauty. Instead of focusing on what may be missing, you direct your energy to what is in this season.

Awareness is key here. Let yourself feel whatever you are feeling without judgment or commentary. It is okay to grieve what you are missing even if you chose to walk into this season.

Now, remember scientifically speaking, your emotions are experienced before your thoughts are created, so stay dialed into your body. Notice those physical signals so you can prepare for the thoughts that pop up and redirect them as needed.

Step one, look back over the past. Step two, address the present. Now step three is to look ahead toward the future.

This step in our tackling transition process is to spend time looking ahead toward the future. Walk through the open door. You know, the one created by the former season closing. Examine the possibilities. Choose one new thing to try. Plan coffee dates with friends you haven’t caught up with for a while. Reach out to someone you’ve met recently you think could be a new friend. Take a college course. Sign up for something that makes you uncomfortable. The possibilities are endless.

The future is a blank canvas waiting for you to paint the picture you want to see. Choose to see it that way. The key here is to fall forward in love with the life that could be. It is a new chapter, and it is one you get to write.

Again, please remember, that it is okay to grieve the past while being fully planted in the present and looking ahead toward the future with hope.

Life is complicated. We as humans are complicated. Transitions, well, they are complicated, too. Let’s learn to be okay with that. Let’s learn to be okay with living in the tension of that truth- past, present, and future and all emotions they bring.

If you will learn to manage this tension by acknowledging the past, being aware of the present, and looking ahead to the future, you will find the path thru seasons of transitions a bit smoother. And who doesn’t want that?!?!

As I said earlier, transitions exist daily. Lucky for us, the more challenging and less desired transitions happen less often. Having some tools in your pocket can help ease those changes, so your emotions have time to catch up to where you find yourself.

I also wanted to introduce another key to easing through transitions. We can’t always control what happens to us in life. Sometimes transitions aren’t choices we willingly made, but are results of the choices of others. For this reason, we have to work with what we can control, and one area we can do this is inside our daily rhythms.

If you have been around for a bit, you know I adore a solid rhythm. whether it is a morning or evening routine, a slow-Saturday practice, or a Sunday afternoon prep routine, routines allow our hearts, minds, and souls to prepare for what is to come, center ourselves in the present, and look to what’s ahead with joy.

In the next few posts, we will do a deep dive into transitioning your daily rhythms because what worked in one season may not work in another. Together we will learn to tackle transitions like a boss and establish guardrails in our lives to keep us on track and moving in the direction of our dreams.

Are you ready? I know I am!

Until next time, remember, I am in it WITH you, always,

Coach Tammy