Words of wisdom for this week.
“He who rushes ahead doesn’t go far.”
~ Lao-tzu
It seems lately that a great number of people are traveling through one of life’s many uncertain and unpredictable life transitions. The uncertainty of the economy is taking its toll on relationships and their stress, stability, communication and outcomes. Money or the lack of it is always a major factor in the health of any relationship and these uncertain times are pushing many people to their emotional limits.
I have read statistics that have indicated that divorce rates will dramatically increase and suicides are on the rise. Why? For starters it’s because people expect life to be smooth from beginning to end. Hasn’t been that way, isn’t now and never will be. So what can you do? Hang on for dear life and do whatever it takes to get through a transition with confidence, faith and courage.
Life is filled with transitions:
- from one career to a different one
- from one position to a new one
- from one relationship to the next one
- from one way of life to a new one
- from the old to the new
- from today to tomorrow
- The list is endless.
No one escapes ANY of the routine transitions of life:
- from one age to the next
- from one year to the next
- from one uncertainty to the next one
Life is about transition. Successful, happy and peaceful life is all about successful transitions. There are three stages in all transitions:
- Declaring endings.
- Spending time in the limbo state of growth (neutral zone) – learning, understanding and resulting change that comes with contemplation and introspection.
- New beginnings.
Here are a few things to consider if you are currently passing through a transition in any area of your life.
- Don’t start a new beginning without spending adequate time in the neutral zone.
- Don’t start a new beginning before you have had closure on the previous life circumstance.
- Don’t rush through the neutral zone.
- Let go of any old emotional baggage before you begin anything new.
- Accept the simple truth that life IS about transitions. You can’t stop them; you can only learn about yourself while in them.
- Transitions are not about what other people think you should do or learn.
- Know that one day your current new beginning will also have an ending.
Remember: expecting different results from repeated behavior is a mild form of insanity.