Transition times

It seems I’m having more fun digging up photos and editing than writing these days! Check out the photos page or the previous post if you haven’t. Something else that kept me away was going part time with my previously full-time job, so I was sorting out a few things (inner and outer) before moving into new projects/activities and juggle between different hats. I won’t go into details on that for now, but having variety in the type activities already makes me feel more dynamic and empowered to maximize my time and energy.

It was important to have some reflection time to really see the big picture and make choices consciously, something for which mentors are of precious help. Even in the desired change, letting go (while not completely) of the old and going into the new can be challenging for the mind. A healthy move becomes all about stepping back and giving attention to the emotions that arise: uncertainty, doubt, attachment and others. Looking to them as guides really helps inner growth. Ask “What is it I’m anxious about in this new situation? Why? Is there something in me I don’t trust? What does that tell me about my own self-improvement needs if I want to follow my dreams?” Of course a lot of that thinking already happens before you decide to make a significant change in your life, but it’s important to crystallize these insights as you step into the new: it brings confidence and focus on the inner and outer dimensions of what is ahead. 

That said you can also be faced with a myriad of practical implications when the move is made, that you didn’t anticipate, or just couldn’t imagine how it would feel. All these can become worrisome and seem like a lot to manage, and bring more doubt and uncertainty. If you’re doing the inner homework though, you can trust in the future and let the practical implications become just what they are: measures to be taken strategically. 

I leave it to you to project yourself in such a situation (one you’ve been desiring for a while, for example), and imagine that could be for you. Of course transitioning from a “traditional” full-time job to part-time, becoming a volunteer, a professional sportsperson or something else that is radically different has to be realistic, and if not right now, requires sound planning. Either way, take plenty of time out to think your way, but also feel your way, as a mentor would say. It helps a lot to spend time in nature too, where you are in the presence of everything that naturally works and flows into new states of being. I’m lucky and grateful to be able to regularly follow my intuitions, but so can anybody if you allow yourself to dream and not see your current situation and emotions as unmovable walls. If you have trouble with that (like I often do), find the people around you that can support you.

Here is a fitting quote from Howard Thurman to finish: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”