This Month’s Free Tips Article

Make Change Work For You

By Sandra Thébaud, Ph.D.

Being in transition can be quite unsettling. Fortunately, there are ways to make change work for you.

If you haven't started the transition process yet, identify the need for the change. What is causing this transition to occur at this time? Is this something you initiated or did something external initiate the change? Is this a welcome change, a beneficial change? Or perhaps this change is being thrust upon you.

Use your imagination.

Visualize the new beginning that this transition will bring into your life. Even if this transition is caused by something external, there is the potential for a new beginning that is initiated by you. The future is a blank slate that you help create. Visualize what you would like to create in your new future.

Let go of the old life.

This may be the hardest step because, no matter how much we might want to get away from it, there is a lot of security in the familiar. Inability to let go of the past is the No. 1 reason behind an inability to fully enjoy the present and therefore, the future. You may need to let go of feelings (such as anger or revenge), possessions (like when moving to another home), or even an identity (i.e., no longer "Captain John Doe" but simply civilian "John Doe") to fully embrace the change in your life.

Make the change.

Once you have let go of the things that could potentially hold you back, make the change. Use your visualization of your new beginning to get you through the anxiety of change. Be open to uncertainty (which is really the anxious twin of potential). Take for granted that mistakes can happen and accept that they are simply learning experiences. We've all had learning experiences that made us successful in the past and your current learning experiences will only make you more successful in the future.

Stabilize your new situation.

Constant change can leave you feeling disoriented and unfocused after a while. Set down roots. For example, if you've just moved to a new city and started a new job, develop a routine such as exercising after work or calling friends on the weekends. Get to know your neighbors so you feel like you're part of a community.

Transition times can seem chaotic and it's easy to forget that transitions are also terrific opportunities for creation. The future does not exist - yet. It is during times of transition that we are most able to break free of the past ties that hold us on a particular path and create a new, more successful, happier future.

Copyright © 2010 Paramount Transitions

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