Ponderings (August 2007) - “TRANSITION”

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary …

Transition is “a passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another; change; a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another”

Sharing my thoughts …

Have you noticed that just as you get comfortable with things something changes and you find yourself in a state of transition?  Life is one transition after another and how you respond to and handle these transitions has a lot to do with your emotional state. Some transitions are anticipated with excitement and others are resisted with trepidation.  When you face a difficult transition it can be unsettling and a bit scary.  What can be done in these situations?  First, acknowledge that you are going through a transition; feeling unsettled is a normal part of the process.  Second, observe yourself and your emotional state during the transition without judgment.  Third, stay open to the learning opportunities that the transition provides.  Fourth, realize that “this too shall pass” and you will eventually get through the transition to the other side.  Try it!  The next time you find yourself in the midst of a difficult change, go through this 4 part process; it just may ease the transition!

Questions to ponder …

1. Do you tend to be open or resistant to transitions?
2. Do you view the major transitions in your life as positive or negative?
3. How can you stay open to the learning possibilities during transitions?
4. What long term transitions have you experienced?  What did you learn?
5. What short term transitions have you experienced?  What did you learn?
6. What can you do to ease the transitions you are currently experiencing?
7. What was an easy transition that you experienced?  What made it easy?
8. What was a difficult transition that you experienced?  What made it difficult?
9. How are you handling the transitions currently taking place in your personal life?
10. How are you handling the transitions currently taking place in your professional life?

Related quotes …

Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.  [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

Disenchantment, whether it is a minor disappointment or a major shock, is the signal that things are moving into transition in our lives.  [William Bridges]

The interval between the decay of the old and the formation and the establishment of the new, constitutes a period of transition which must always necessarily be one of uncertainty, confusion, error, and wild and fierce fanaticism.  [John C Calhoun]

When our first parents were driven out of Paradise, Adam is believed to have remarked to Eve: "My dear, we live in an age of transition”.  [Dean Inge]

Life is pleasant.  Death is peaceful.  It's the transition that's troublesome.  [Isaac Asimov]