Transitions - Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges
Summary
The book takes you through a step by step guide on the stages of transition.
My key Takeaways (also found at the back of the book - some of which are copied below)
We all go through changes. Change is something we all go through, constantly. Some societies do a better job of preparing people of such changes, through rituals or rights of passages.
All transitions or change begins with endings, we often confuse them with finality but they are the beginning of a new chapter
The Neutral Zone is the next stage, here we are essentially lost and must find our own way. “We are disconnected from people and things in the past and emotionally unconnected to the present…This should be a time of reorientation.” People often assign artificial deadlines to “get over” a transition but that is dangerous. The truth is we don’t know how much time we need, we simply need to trust the process. Take time for yourself here and do your best to help yourself and seek the support of others if needed. No one will tell you what to do nor should you expect that.
The New Beginning: beginnings are the endings of transitions. “ To make a successful new beginning requires more than simply persevering. It requires an understanding of external signs and inner signals that point the way to the future.”
I would recommend this book to
Everyone - we all go through transitions and most of us will not take the time to reorient themselves (in the neutral zone). This results in a layering of transitions and before you know it, something tiny triggers the ending of a transition and we break down…in whatever way. This book is a great guide on how we can manage our own personal transitions