Have you ever noticed that life gets messy when we are in the middle of change? Maybe it’s moving to a new house, or making decisions about elderly care for our parents, or even something as simple as bringing home a new dog. Times of transition often reveal the chinks in our armor. Why is that? Often, transitions can cause us to revert to behaviors that we relied on when we were younger and more vulnerable. Years ago, I was going through several changes in my life and, out of nowhere, I started getting these feelings of insecurity that I thought I’d already dealt with. The good news is that we can connect the dots more quickly when we recognize that these reverted behaviors are a signal that we are stressed about a transition and that means the dragon in front of us is just a hologram. No need to start sharpening our swords.
I want to encourage everyone to see transitions as a way of moving closer to living the life you were meant to live. Ask yourself this: What is your endgame? When you imagine staying on the current path, what does your life look like in 10 years? 20? Does that align with the life you imagined? If not, that means you should probably jump on a new path. Getting comfortable with making changes will make it a smoother process.
Take a moment and ask yourself these few questions:
- What do I want my life to look like in twenty years?
- What do I want my legacy to be?
- What do I want my marriage to look like when the kids are grown?
- What do I want to be known for?
Your answers to these questions are a few of your end goals. Now, how can you work backward so you land at these places in the future? What changes would you make today…this month…this year…that will direct your aim toward that destination?
In this week’s podcast we talk about this and more with my friend Sharol Josephson, the director of Family Life Canada. Sharol talks about how she’s dealt with life transitions, the need to reinvent herself at various stages of her life, and the value in defining what success looks like. Using the 3C Living process, Sharol shares how having Clarity, Confidence, and Courage have helped her in her work and family life. I hope you check it out.
