Beginning at the End

I have a lot of non-fiction books on my shelf.  Some of them are my go-to companions.

Last year, thanks to a colleague, I found another to add to this go-to list.

Transitions by William Bridges PhD, is one of those books that helped me change my perspective on ‘me’. For the better I hasten to add 😁.

Which is quite cool seeing as it’s a book about change. More of that in a moment.

Now in its 40^th anniversary edition, the insights the book shares and the perspectives it presents still hold true in our 21^st century world.

Transitions in a nutshell

In it William Bridges explains that the process of transition has main three elements:

Endings: These can be internal or external and signify the start of the transition process. Endings are the catalyst for the transition to begin.

The neutral zone: This is the space between the ending and new beginnings where growth and re-energising can take place…if you let it.

New beginnings: Genuine new beginnings start from inside.

So why did this book have a particular impact on me?

Breaking the habit

My immediate mental and physical response to ‘endings’ has always been…

…‘Great! Now it’s time for something new. Glad that’s over. Move on; get over it. Be strong and assertive. Get creative. Make new things happen. Achieve. Achieve. Achieve.

The events of 2020/21, however, challenged my usual formula head on. It pushed me to address ‘endings’ from a whole different view point. And Transitions helped me to do this.

It also helped me realise, and acknowledge, my fixation on ‘new beginnings’. And that every time I’ve had one, which is often, I haven’t always properly dealt with the ‘endings’ aspect.

This time it was going to be different. It had to be for many reasons.

So rather than follow my usual formula, I stopped and systematically addressed the ‘endings’ that were staring me in the face and some of the ghosts of ‘endings’ past.

Then I let myself enter the neutral zone…

Better beginnings

Our brilliant Re-energising Your Career Hub, new ways of doing business, seeing myself through a more realistic lens are all part of my ’new beginnings’. And I’m looking forward to what comes next.

Everyone’s experience of career transitions is different and can depend on the ‘ending’ that triggers it. Taking time to think about where you are in the process can help you help yourself. 

And if you’re finding it a challenge to do that I’m here to be your helping hand.

Header image courtesy of Volodymyr Hryshschenko on Unsplash