Transitions are Tough

Transitions can be challenging, am I right?

Whether moving, changing jobs, or developing new relationships, there is an inevitable hurdle that seems to trip us up. Now that hurdle may look different for each person, but we all face it.

Transitions can cause tremendous amounts of emotional turmoil.
That emotional disturbance often has physical ramifications that many of us attempt to push through.

Recently, my family made a significant transition. We moved geographically, changed jobs, and disconnected (at least physically) from our key relationships. One of the tricky parts about this oncoming turbulence was the excitement of adventure and newness that propelled us.

That’s often where part of the challenges lies. You want to be excited for what is next, but you are also grieving what once was. You feel all the feels.

As my family drove from Spokane, WA, to Chicago, Il, we found many emotions throughout the 26+ hour trip (and beyond). There were tears of joy, laughter, tears of sadness, frustration, and more. However, regardless of our feelings, we were never confused.

My wife and I had a sense of clarity concerning the next step.

One thing that genuinely helps transitions move from complicated and confusing is clarity.

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Clarity keeps the “why” in front of people.
Clarity kept the “why” in front of my family.
We were clear on why we were moving.

It doesn’t mean it was easy. It doesn’t mean there aren’t hurdles, but it does mean that we can keep moving forward.

Clarity allowed us to process emotions in light of a bigger picture.

Whether personal or organizational transitions occur, clarity helps everyone embrace the “why”.

This “why” needs to be understood and embraced. When conflict arises, and conflict will arise amidst transition, people can pause to remember the agreed-upon “why”.

When this “why” is not present, people are left to navigate the transitional turmoil independently. The sense of disconnect and disorientation becomes overwhelming. We start fighting for a feeling of “the norm,” which has been disrupted.

Transitions are tough, but clarity helps alleviate tensions.

I encourage you to feel all the feels next time you are in transition. Process all the emotions in light of the “why”. Allow your clear vision for what is next to guide you through the challenges of change.

P.S. this post assumes that the transition made was within your control. Some transitions people are forced into (if you were fired from a job, or if someone ended your relationship). These shifts can lack a clear why. This will be dealt with in another post. 🙂