Transitions happen every day in our lives. They happen when we go from one body position to another, like from sitting to standing. They occur when we change from one mood to another. They happen when we change from one environment to another. and occur when something or someone new comes into our lives, and they happen when someone or something leaves our lives.

What Are Some Ways That Positively Empower Us To Bridge These Changes?

Notice your environment. Take in as many surrounding details as possible. Then notice yourself. Notice your position. Notice your mood. Notice if your mind is going in all different directions. Notice what thoughts you might be saying to yourself. Notice your breath. 

Noticing these areas helps you gain access to your True North. The important part of this is that you don’t need a compass or GPS system to find your True North. You need to know the narrative you are telling yourself at that particular moment. And depending on what your story is, you can change it to help you with that transition at that specific moment.

Let me explain further. True North as defined by Merriam-Webster is “North calculated by using an imaginary line through the Earth rather than by using a compass and the direction that leads to the North Pole.” So for ourselves, we can take it to mean our internal orienting point. Finding our internal orienting point connects us to our narrative of that moment. Those two points connect and provide a bridge and trajectory of best possible outcomes during these times of transitions. An example of this: when I had to drop Xavier off at daycare. It was Monday. He had been home all weekend. He saw the group in the classroom and the teacher reading the story. He held onto my leg for 15 minutes. His two 1/2-year-old inside self-was adjusting. Once he adjusted, acclimated and found the conditions acceptable, he let go of me and my leg and joined the group. Another example, I picked his parents up from then airport having spent six days in Tokyo. They needed a ride in the car and getting back into their own home before beginning to open up and tell me some of their Tokyo stories. After that, they needed coffee and time at home and picking up Xavier. But they also needed another day at home, without work, all by themselves to transition back into their “routine.”

Don’t quite believe me? You don’t have to. Notice your transitions and then see if you want to try this little exercise.

Environment.

Scan it and rate it from 1-10 on safety.  If it’s under 5, you must use a great deal of attention during the transition so you can bridge the gap. How do you do this? Do you call out to someone for help or do you get the hell out of there? Yes, do this first if you are not safe.  Safety is your narrative, and you must connect it to your inner core so you can live to see another day. If you have rated the environment 5 or above, you can move on to the next criteria knowing you are going to pay attention to the situation while continuing to acquire where you are in relationship to your true north.

Position

Scan your position in the environment and rate it from 1-10 on how precarious you are. Balance and stability help the transition and the pathway. Under 5? Your need some assistive devices. What are those assistive devices? Assistive devices are any physical pieces of equipment or support from a person or a group of people. Honesty is imperative in finding the narrative of what you are telling yourself and getting you to be successful in your transition. It is okay if you are rating your position under five because you know that you need to reach out in some way for some tool or for some person or group you trust to help you balance and help you stabilize.

Mood and Emotions

Scan your emotions. Are they providing you the support for accomplishing this transition? Are they supporting you in giving you positive energy or are they taking away from you by being negative? So many times, we tend to block our emotions or suppress them. When we do this, we are lackluster, flat or the feelings are overriding your ability to be safe in the environment, balanced and stable. If you are getting in touch with your mood, your feelings, and emotions, be honest with your connection to them. Because connecting to them is going to be your most significant friend if you can harness what you are feeling and bring it into the storyline and core of who you are. Are you feeling pain? Okay. Can you accept this and let it move you to the next step? Are you feeling anger? Okay. Can you receive this and make it drive you to the next step? Are you feeling surprised? Okay. Can you accept this and let it move you to the next step? Are you feeling shame? Okay, Can you take this and make it drive you to the next step? Are you feeling anger? Okay. Can you accept this and let it move you to the next step? Are you feeling excitement and joy? Can you take this and make it drive you to the next step? Are you feeling trust and love? Can you accept this and let it move you to the next step?

Our emotions and feelings change as we allow them to have an active say in the course of action we take. If we feel, connect and accept our feelings, we give them a voice that can unite all of our emotion into courage. And courage will heighten our sensitivities and give us the focus we need to take it to the next step which brings into focus your mind. Pull your mind into one focus of achieving true north. Bring the distractions into the fold so it has your complete attention on the transition, true north and your trajectory. And as you bring your emotion and mind into partnership, you breathe deeply and consciously. It is natural you are going to take one deep breath or many deep breaths so you can keep the internal momentum or the physical momentum working on the transition and successful outcome of getting from point A to point B.

And this is when you know, you can tell yourself that you are going to make it. You are going to have a successful conclusion in this transition. You are a hero. You are victorious. You are a winner because you accept the conditions of the change. You have found your true north and your internal navigator orients and operates under these changing conditions.