Season of Transition

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. The weather begins to cool down, the grass turns into a taupe color, flowers fade away, and trees start shedding.

While these changes may seem negative, they are all beautiful signs of slowing down, transition, and being still. And even though I actually hate losing an extra hour of sunshine, it’s like autumn is God’s way of giving me official permission to slow down.

In other ways, autumn is a signal that the time to rest and be still is coming: winter. However, that is a topic for another time.

Nearly a decade ago, I wrote an article about embracing transitions of life. And today, I’m here re-reading my own thoughts as I’ve made a big change recently (more to come on this).

And wow, oh wow. Have I struggled on and off with transition.

Speaking of, I’ve been thinking a lot about experiencing a season of transition lately. And even ten years later, a question I’ve pondered still nags at me…

When it comes to our lives, why don’t we embrace transition and change freely?

I think it all boils down to the fear of not knowing. Think about it. It’s scary not knowing where you’re going, what you’re doing, and how you’re going to get there, right?

After much experience, I share with you five steps on how to go through a season of transition with the least amount of bumps. Just think of this article as a sequel to the one I wrote from a decade ago.

Please note, I didn’t say it’s going to be a smooth ride. 

ACKNOWLEDGE TRANSITION IS APPROACHING

Whether you know change is coming in seven days, seven weeks, seven months, or seven years, acknowledge the elephant in the room. Saying it out loud makes it become real to you.

When you’re aware that change is inevitably going to happen, it “cushions the blow” a bit.

CREATE A PLAN

Even if you don’t know what’s going to happen next, create an outline of a plan. You’re already anticipating a transition, right? Control what you can control. And you can control by creating a plan.

This takes care of the fear of not-knowing-what-you’re-doing part. Note that I said outline of a plan — keep your plans loose and give yourself flexibility for unexpected changes that will happen along the way.

HAVE A VISION

I feel like most people don’t have a vision because it has to be super detailed.

To me, having a vision can mean having an idea of what you want.

You can begin here:

What are your top five non-negotiables? What you will not budge on no matter what? What’s on the list of things you will no longer sacrifice your time and money on? Even more fun, make a list of things that are worth your time and money, experiences included.

SEEK GUIDANCE

Stick with me while I share my faith with you on this subject. I call this the ‘research’ stage.

The Bible says in James 1:5-8, “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”

God said, “Seek and you shall find.” so when you don’t know what you’re doing, ask Him for help.

Pay attention because guidance from God can come in any form.

For me, He has put business leaders, podcasts, experts, books, and as of late, Facebook Groups, in my life to help me find wisdom I desperately need.

And if you’re going to someone to ask them for advice, have some discernment and make sure to look at the fruits of their labor first. Mainly, don’t ask for financial advice from someone who’s broke with a low credit score.

EMBRACE THE TRANSITION

The easiest way to embrace the transition is to take baby steps to boost your confidence. While it may not be super clear where you’re going, know exactly what you’re doing, and how you’re going to get there, taking small steps does provide a sense of direction. And when you have a sense of direction, you have peace.

Instead of looking at transition as a negative thing, embrace it by looking at it with wonder. “I know it’s scary, but I wonder who I’ll become in the process?” and “I wonder what good things are coming my way with this transition?” are just a few examples.

If you want to learn how to embrace a season of transition, think of it like buying a house or looking for an apartment.

You need to know when you’re moving so you can give notice to the landlord, right? You also need to know a ballpark timeframe so you can budget, schedule movers, and internet and utilities start dates set up, right?

As you’re taking these baby steps, you can get excited because you’re imaging how you’re going to arrange the furniture and what decor you want to put up, right?

What do you do next? You start to research on where you want to live, ask around for the best movers, internet provider, and safe neighborhoods, right?

I hope it brings you peace knowing these actionable transition tips is the same thing as moving.

How do you handle a season of transition?

Now tell me, have you ever felt excited for change/transition? Leave your story below in the comments!