Transitions

Transitions

I realized some time ago that I am a creature of habit.  I can drive the exact same route everyday without growing bored of it as long as I know it’s a good way.  I like predicting my basic outcomes, it equates to foundational stability to me.  I can drink the very same thing every single day without fail and not grow weary of it.  Lime Perrier or Pellegrino with lime.  Morning blend coffee, one Splenda, 3 French Vanilla creamers.  Bengal Spice tea with honey.  Not many surprises.  I watch the same things on television, In the Heat of the Night, The Closer, Golden Girls, Cupcake Wars, Scandal, etc.  I am pretty predictable, boring to some people but I’m okay with it.  

Let me be clear though:  I AM NOT this way with food or dessert.  I am so very adventurous; I am the epitome of a chef and food enthusiast.  As a matter of fact, that’s a part of why I went to culinary school.  The utter excitement of tasting something new, whether at a restaurant or making it causes pure elation for me.

One thing for certain is that life is filled with change and transition.  Constant, seemingly non-stop life changes.  Normal things like:

• Birth to childhood to adolescence to adulthood to advanced aging. 
• School attendance to career maintenance to retirement. 
• Living the single life to blending married life to being widowed. 
• Being childless to being a parent to being an adviser of adult(s). 

Why is transitioning sometimes looked at as a negative occurrence?  If life is filled with constant transitions, why are people resistant to modifications and not more fluid about them?  I looked at my own rigidity and realized that change can be hard, especially for people that appreciate comfort.  Changes can be all consuming.  For instance, divorce changes just about everything, life patterns, normalities, thought processes. What helped me do better in this major change was realize that transition does not have to equate to instability.  Even growth and beautiful changes (think about the butterfly transformation) can come with discomfort but they are often celebrated and glorious. 

In corporate environments, transition management sometimes has departments dedicated to controlling change.  These departments are usually put in place to lessen the negative effects of major changes and to help in the flow of implementing company transformations with minimal effects to the bottom line.  That division's primary concern is helping to evolve a company and it’s people while preserving a stable corporate image.  Programs are put in place to preserve employee morale and focus on employee retention and engagement.  There is so much thought and effort put into transitioning that I wondered why we don’t do that with our own lives?

That led me to wonder… What would emotional transition management consist of in our personal lives?  Seems extravagant on the scale of a corporation but for people that hold stability at a high importance level, it might be a great thing to ponder.  While information gathering I came up with some dot points.

Checkpoints of transition:

1. Determine the need for change, or react to an impactful occurrence that is causing the transition – This is not always automatic.  When we are comfortable we often ignore the signs of needing change.
2. Prepare & plan for the transition – Set the parameters, envision the outcomes and imagine the possibilities. Map out the potential best and worst case scenarios... keep a vision board.
3. Implement the transition – Put the movement into ACTION.  Plans without implementation are simply dreams. 
4. Sustain the transition – Watch the after effects.  Re-calibrate if necessary.  Undo what you need to.

Right now, in my current state of life change, I am thinking about transitions in a more critical and in depth way.  None of this is comfortable, but my vision of how it will be in the end is amazing and that is what helps in keeping me focused and moving forward.