walking through that open door making sense of life’s transitions
TRANSCRIPT
Walking Through That Open DoorMaking Sense of Life’s Transitions
Who Are We?
David Riley Carol Nichols
age 32 age 27
What do you hope
to gain from this
workshop?
Our Goals
Understand that transition is a normal process with recognizable phases
Recognize how you have dealt with transition in the past
Formulate some ways to cope with transitions in your life and even to allow it to transform you
View transition from a faith perspective, as a way to new life and growth
Primary Sources
William Bridges Elizabeth Harper Neeld
What is Transition?
Transition is the process of letting go of the way things used to be and then taking hold of the way they have become. Transition is the way that we respond to, and come to terms with change. Transition is the process of making meaning in the changes that happen to us or that we cause.
William Bridges
Bridges’ Phases
Letting go of the old
Neutral Zone
Embracing the New Reality
Why do we resist transition?
It takes longer than change
It sets up resonance between present and painful past.
Overwhelmed
Rules for Understanding
Rule #1:
In transition you find yourself coming back in new ways to old activities
Rule #2
Every transition begins with an ending.
Endings
Sudden unexpected event
“drying up” of a situation or relationship that once felt vital
An activity that always went well goes badly
A person or organization breaks trust
An unforeseen problem crops up at the worst possible time.
Aspects of Endings
Disengagement
Disidentification
Disenchantment
Disorientation
Personal Stories of Transitions
Carol
Dave
Name a transition that you are currently going through, one that you recently went through, or one that you are planning to undertake.
Where are you in the process at this point?
What has changed in you?
Rule #3
Although it is helpful to understand our style of doing endings, there is a part of us that will resist that understanding.
Kinds of Changes
Loss of relationship
Changes in Home Life
Personal Changes
Work and Financial Changes
What is the Purpose of Transition?
Reorientation of the Self
Personal Growth
Authenticity
Creativity
Spirituality
Renewal and Rebirth:
Transformation
Tough Transitions: Navigating Your Way Through Difficult
Times
Navigating Tough Transitions
An orientation
map:
Navigating Tough Transitions
Responding
Navigating Tough Transitions
ReviewingWhat can I know?
What should I do?
What may I hope?
Navigating Tough Transitions
Reviewing
Where is/was God?
Navigating Tough Transitions
Reorganizing
Navigating Tough Transitions
Three strategies for exploring who I need to be:
1. Look at others. What works?
2. Ask, “What would I do differently from the past?
3. For what can I be grateful?
Navigating Tough Transitions
Renewing
Navigating Tough Transitions
Creative and Victorious Outcomes
Ability to feel joy
Capacity for empathy
New Appreciation for people and things
Renewed relationship with God
Freedom to be more authentic
Navigating Tough Transitions
Recovering a sense of humor
Hope as vision, as trust, as absolute
At some point you have to realize that some peoplecan stay in your heart, but not in your life.
Unknown Source
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle
Albert Einstein
We die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder the source of which is beyond all reason.
Dag Hammarskjold