Not a post about watches… I’m not sure who needs to hear this today, but it’s Sunday evening and this seems quite handy as we head into a new week.

Transitions can be some of the most difficult parts of our lives… Childhood into teens; teens into early adulthood; early adulthood into post-grad life. Ending a relationship. Beginning a marriage. Buying a home. Moving home. Leaving a job. Starting a new job. Having your first kid; being done with having kids; becoming an empty-nester…

You’ve begun a transition beyond existing routines and familiar practice… but are yet to feel confident in the altered roles and expectations of a new arrangement. You previously knew the roles and responsibilities in a given situation, but feel like an awkward amateur in the roles and responsibilities you’ve now assumed. You miss the comfort zone you left behind, and are far from grasping the vicissitudes of the new pasture you’ve journeyed into.

In these circumstances it is easy to become overwhelmed. You might feel disoriented, stressed, weighted with a burden that hangs heavy on a back unaccustomed to the load, and it may seem as though you’ll always feel that way. You might even feel you’ve made a grave mistake, and perhaps, you might even feel like you ought to turn back. Worse than this, you might feel it is time to down-tools and simply give up.

Well, the good news is that it will not always be like this. New energy, replenished courage, sturdier footing — the old you — lies just around the corner, over the next mound, merely a few tasks ahead. All you have to do is keep marching on.

It’s also worth recognising that transitions hold a special place in your memory, so give them the respect they deserve as a part of your life. Further, I’d argue that change is simply inherent to life itself. Without change, our lives would be rather dull. You may not be seeking change actively, but when it finds you, take solace in the fact that no one’s life ever stands completely still. People enter your world and leave it, material possessions come and go, and careers invariably involve turning points. No one ever gets through life without undergoing some type of change, so when it happens, don’t fight it.

An old saying (often misattributed to Churchill) advises: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Can’t argue with that!

-F