On Realizing Aspirations

Late Winter Tetons Storm - May, 2010

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Change and Transition: How They Can Affect You

Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably. However, they differ in meaning and how their occurrence can affect you.

My personal experience with change and transition illustrates this point.

My Journey’s Lessons

Years ago, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and then developed other medical problems. Together they created a change that ended my Plastic Surgery career and triggered my end of career transition. Thankfully, years later I’m cured, renewed and fulfilled in my new career. 

My successful transition did not occur spontaneously. It was the result of sustained, focused and deliberate effort over a period of time.  That effort was directed at a particular envisioned outcome: to experience renewal and fulfillment. The means for achieving that outcome was the the transition process itself.

This illustrates the very purpose of a transition: to effectively manage a major life event and create a new, rewarding lifestyle.

Types of Transition and Preparation

Your career may come to an end, perhaps as part of a plan you’ve created. This is a developmental transition. In this case, the key point is that you’re the source of the planned change for whatever personal and/or professional reasons.

In contrast, a sudden and perhaps unexpected change brings about a reactive transition. 

With either type, you’ll find yourself immersed in the process of transition. 

The planning necessary to create a developmental transition can be prolonged, primarily due to the time it takes to adjust to the idea of your anticipated end of career. 

I am sometimes asked: “What if I am faced with a sudden, reactive transition?”

Well, you cannot plan for the unknown.

However, the best way to prepare for the unknown is to prepare for that which is known. That is, plan and prepare for what you can reasonably anticipate, based on the facts at hand. If an unexpected change arises, your can adjust your plans as needed.

When to Begin to Plan?

The transition process really starts when you begin to envision your end of career, often years in advance. There are a myriad of concerns that can preoccupy you, along with the realization that there are many things that you don’t know about yet.  The optimal way to deal with this is to be proactive.

It's best to begin planning when you find yourself thinking about this more and more frequently. For many, this is about five years in advance of your projected end date.

Hope is not a plan, it simply does not work.

The mechanics of dealing with the business side of things is a story onto itself. Here, I focus on common personal matters for you to consider.

The Transition Phases That We Experience

There's a broad spectrum of reactions to the anticipation of the end of career. The experiences range from sheer joy to one that's full of worry and stress. 

The common experience is that it’s a major life event for which thoughtful, deliberate planning is essential in order to create a positive outcome. 

The evolution that most people experience consists of three phases that are common to both types of transition: 

• The first is your acceptance of the change that has taken place…your loss, what has ended.
• The second is a period of personal reflection and reorientation…a time and opportunity for creativity.
• The third is your acceptance of your new beginning…your sense of loss will diminish as you experience success and enjoy your new lifestyle.

These phases vary in duration from person to person. At each step of the transition experience you will benefit, provided that you do evolve through these various phases successfully. Sometimes, however, your progress may be delayed or even halted.

For example, the progression from the first to the second phase may be delayed by feelings of denial, the inability to accept what has ended. It may be accompanied by profound, unresolved grief.

As  you face these challenges, I encourage you to face your true north and believe in yourself, the process and its purpose.

Your Transition and Its Purposes

• To develop an objective understanding of your circumstances. 
• To accept your loss and experience a healthy form of the resulting grief.
• To experience personal and spiritual development.
• To reaffirm your sense of character.
• To dream and be creative.
• To rejoice in your renewal and fulfillment.

Plan Your Course and Summon Your Navigation Skills

It will be essential for you to summon confidence in yourself, to reaffirm that you are still you. By this I mean that your career may end but the essence of your character remains intact…that’s Who you are. 

I encourage you to strive to strengthen your confidence that the same personal qualities of character and skills that brought you to this point in life, will propel you further. 

Consider that most of us that experience a transition will have substantial personal and professional hard-earned skills to draw upon. In addition to what we have learned and the experience we have developed over the years, there is yet another profoundly valuable asset. I encourage you to recognize it, value it and apply it liberally to your new experience: that asset is your unique wisdom.

Your Vision, Your Reality

So it is, that at this point in your life, you are ever more capable of overcoming the challenges associated with your end of career transition. One skill, among others, stands out: your ability to develop a realistic vision for yourself, your family and to summon the courage to create a reality based on that vision.

Plan. Prepare. Prosper. _TM

PS: By the way, do you want to learn more about how to prepare yourself and your practice for a fulfilling end of career transition and life beyond? I would like to help you. I provide consulting/coaching services that are tailored to your specific needs. Click here to request a complimentary introductory conversation.

Aspiring for Spring - 2010

Grand Teton National Park, WY