21 Dec Transitions 

At this time of year we need to remember William Bridges’ rule #2: “Every transition begins with an ending”.

We have to let go of the old – the pain, baggage and disappointments of 2015 – before we can truly benefit from and enjoy the promise and plenty of the New Year.

In the enduring wisdom of Transitions – Making Sense of Life’s Changes Bridges wrote about how to cope with ‘that difficult process of letting go of an old situation, suffering the confusion of nowhere in-betweenness, and launching forth in a new situation’.

He helps us understand the underlying process of personal transition and gives us insights into how it affects us at work and in our personal relationships.

As we each contemplate the past year and anticipate the coming one, let’s recall what T. S. Eliot wrote:

What we call the beginning is often the end.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.  

Life is full of endings 

Life is full of endings that we all need to learn to manage better. What better time to learn than the end of 2015? Endings must be dealt with if you are to move on. Colloquialisms like “Just move on” and “Let bygones be bygones” or “What’s done is done” remind us of this.

We all use these, but do you actually practise them?

During holiday festivities take time to reflect on 2015’s positives, learn from and let go of its negatives, and enter 2016 refreshed and replenished by your self-renewal.

Happy holiday greetings

I take this opportunity of thanking you my readers, clients and colleagues for a fulfilling 2015, enriched by working with you and by your feedback on my posts:

• January Trust your gut and make better decisions
• February You are no longer a person; you are a brand
• March The social contract is dead
• April Why you should design your own career doughnut
• May Being resilient and adaptable by the creator of Mad Max
• June Simplify where you are going
• July To be a top performer, manage your energy not your time
• August Run ‘You & Co’ as a business
• September Managing up
• October Diminishing returns
• November Embrace failure

With my best wishes

Margaret