career & business
transitions bring opportunities
By Michele Foy
Every life has times of transition as whirlpools or eddies in the full flow of life’s currents. These transitional moments can be exciting, leading to new adventures, careers, relationships or vistas. At other times they can be terrifying, bringing on paralysis, confusion and a feeling of being lost, trapped or out of control. Frequently you can feel both states simultaneously.
Now is a very unique time in everyone’s life since we all, every one of us, find ourselves living in a global time of transition. Our country and every industry, marketplace, state, community, organization and individual is caught up in the tides and currents of change. The politicians recently promised change. That was an easy promise to make since change was already taking place. The challenge today is not to make change but to make the most of change. We cannot stop it, but we can take advantage of it. We can manage the change in our own lives so that it is positive and productive.
An example of such a transitional time was when a husband was very ill and had been so for an extended period of time. He passed away after years of illness. The wife was the primary care giver and was devastated by his loss. She was overwhelmed with grief and guilt. It was almost impossible to show her how she had done all that she could to care for him. Finally, I realized that she was experiencing a strong sense of relief with his passing which was the source of the guilt. After years of struggle, anxiety and expense, she was free. Free to do whatever she wished. Free to make new friends. Free to move, if she desired. Free to change careers or go back to school. The excitement and pleasure that she experienced in looking at the possibilities seemed to her to be disloyal. After all, if she really loved him, she should not find any pleasure in his loss. She was trying to bury these good feelings under the sadness that she was also feeling. It took a while for her to realize that what she was feeling was not only normal but desired. It was her aliveness that was showing her the way to a new life. A life that her husband would wish for her and one she would wish for herself. Once this was understood, she got down to business and created a life that would allow her to blossom and grow.
When life is in flux, there is always an abundance of opportunities. Where old markets shut down, new markets are opened. As one industry shrinks, another grows. As giant corporations break apart, the pieces take root growing new businesses and creating new industries. This same principle will work on a personal level in your own private lives. Much depends on how you look at your life and the changes that are taking place. Losing a job in an industry that is shrinking (auto industry) can be devastating. However, at the same time, it can give you the opportunity to develop new skills to work in the alternative energy industry which is beginning to grow - becoming a source of new jobs and will be around for a while.
This is much easier to write then to accomplish but taking advantage of a time of change to grow and develop yourself in new directions is always easier than to collapse in fear, blame or shame. As mentioned earlier, right thinking sets the direction and tone of the journey that change initiates. The first work is always head work. Cleaning up our thought processes and aligning how we think to a positive direction is vital to a successful outcome.
It is most useful to take an inventory of our strengths, weaknesses, skills, time and money resources, material resources (computers, software, cars, etc.) and support systems (friends, family, church and other organizations) that we can call upon to assist us during the transition period. Look at all the components of your life and identify any issues that might exist in each area.
By not getting stuck in the past and what has been lost or changed, you can now look to the future and discover some of the new opportunities that are developing around you. It is at this point that you can create a strategy for your future that will take you where you wish to go with some effort and a minimum of struggle. With commitment to a good strategy and right action anyone can manage the way to their goals.
 Michele Foy has worked as a business consultant and management coach since 1980. In 1995 she began to do personal coaching with individuals who found that their lives were at a crossroads or in transition. She found that many of the same issues that she had been dealing with in business existed for individuals. As demand grew, she decided to offer lifestyle management coaching for both personal and professional lives. She started Get It Together in 2004 and can be contacted at (262) 631-0042 or by email at Michele@dynamic-alt-inc.com
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