It’s graduation season! The time for caps, gowns and memorable and inspiring speeches. Perhaps you are celebrating a graduation – a friend, relative or perhaps even your own. I remember my own high school and college graduations and looking forward to my life afterward. Not to say there wasn’t some apprehension, but I had a purpose, a plan, a picture, and a part all of which made me feel confident as I stepped into my new beginning.
If you are excited about it and have started to make plans for your life after business – good for you! If not, then I can help.
Maybe you are not ready to let go. You may find these newsletters helpful.
Or maybe you are stuck in the neutral zone and need help navigating that.
Whatever stage you are in navigating the transition from your business I can help.
Have you started to think about YOUR new beginning? YOUR life after business? What plans are you making? Do you even have a plan? Are you excited about what lies ahead for you or do you just try not to think about it?
The New Beginning
In my last newsletter, we talked about the Second Phase of transition – The Neutral Zone. This is the time when you aren't sure what to do, how to do it, or how you will be impacted.
According to William Bridges, Ph.D., author of Managing Transitions, Making the Most of Change, once you have successfully navigated the Neutral Zone you enter the third and final phase of your transition – The New Beginning.
“Beginnings are a psychological phenomenon. They are marked by a release of new energy in a new direction – they are an expression of a new identity.”
- Dr. William Bridges.
Once I had navigated my own neutral zone and entered into the new beginning phase of my own transition, I too found new energy. I found myself excited about what lied ahead of me (starting my new business, defining and shaping that business, having time to pursue my love of watercolor painting and other hobbies).
It was a liberating feeling.
My new beginning did not happen, however, until I had navigated The Neutral Zone and made the emotional commitment to do things differently and saw a new identity for myself.
As a business owner, you may be struggling with your own new beginning. If so, ask yourself, what is holding you back from your new beginning? There are a number of things that can be holding you back, including:
Reactivation of old anxieties and emotions that were triggered by the ending
Fear of failure, regret, or that you are making a mistake,
Feeling that what you are doing is risky, or
You are stuck in the neutral zone and actually enjoy being there
New beginnings are strange things; we want them but fear them at the same time.
The truth is they will only happen when you navigate through the various stages of transition and make your own emotional commitment. For some this will take more time – it did for me - and for others it will be easy. The magnitude of the change can also influence how quickly we navigate through the various phases of transitions.
Beginnings cannot be forced and they will happen only when the transition process allows them to happen. However, there are some things you can do to help the process along. Dr. Bridges refers to these as the "Four P’s":
Purpose – you need the logic behind the beginning before your mind can work on it.
Picture – you need to dream about it before your heart will commit to it.
Plan – you need a step by step plan that provides a clear idea of how to get to where you are going.
Part – you need to know how you will contribute and participate in the beginning.
Does your new beginning have a purpose? Have you begun to visualize or dream about your new beginning and your part in that beginning? Do you have a step by step plan? Your own path to your new beginning will likely emphasize one of the Four P’s above and will minimize or even omit others.
Which one do you think will play a vital role in your transition? I would love to know which one. Shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts and or questions.
Stay Tuned!
Next month we will discuss the importance of transition planning in your business and why it is important.
Have a great month!
Please visit my website for more information, email me at sheryl@encompasstransitions.com, or give me a call at 970.389.4802.
I welcome your feedback and questions!
ETS Compass is my personal newsletter that provides thought-provoking topics and helpful guidance to business owners looking to navigate change in their businesses. Whether it is value enhancement or transition planning, it is my goal to educate you.
My goal is to provide useful and purposeful information to you that may help you transition from your business.
Author: Sheryl Brake
Sheryl is the CEO and Founder of Encompass Transition Solutions, LLC and former partner of a top 25 national accounting firm. She has been working with business owners in a wide variety of capacities for more than 30 years. Sheryl lives in her home state of Colorado with her husband, Michael.