The power of new beginnings

In the afterglow of the eclipse, I’ve been thinking about William Bridges’ transition model, and the applications it has in our careers and lives. In his book Transitions, Bridges talks about the endings, neutral zones, and new beginnings that come with shifts, and those were all a part of Monday’s experience.

The first step in Bridges’ model is endings, where what existed before ceases. As my husband and I stood in the mall parking lot in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska—a location that would deliver the total eclipse opportunity–we watched as the formerly bright sunlight was slowly wiped away. This is what it can be like when something you counted on begins to change:  job duties, the viability of your industry, or even the interest you once had in your work.  It can feel scary, but in the eclipse situation, was exciting.

But the next phase in Bridge’s model can be more challenging. Labeled as the Neutral Zone, it’s the period after something has ended, yet what will come next is still not clear. I’d never viewed an eclipse first hand, and as the moon slid inside the sun’s circle, I lost my sense of reality for a bit. It was magical yet so strange.

When people go through a big transition, the neutral zone is the time of least certainty, yet offers the greatest opportunities; a time when what was is gone, and we can take steps to create a new (ideally improved) reality.

I was almost completely certain that after the 90 seconds of total eclipse was over, the sun would return. But for a brief period, looking around the temporarily-darkened parking lot, I wondered, what would life be like if it didn’t? Bleak thoughts like that are common while in the Neutral Zone.

But then the shining rays of the sun broke through–a new beginning! Life was bright again, and I felt more euphoric than I have in a long, long time. Yes, transitions can be challenging, but like a total eclipse, they also have the power to define life’s most significant moments along the way.

Photo Credit:  © Jesse-lee Lang ID 5208642 | Dreamstime Stock Photos