Cap & Gown, Wedding Gown or Hospital Gown: 5 Tips on Navigating Transitions

May is a season of major milestones and transitions. These transitions touch all of our lives. Whether it’s graduation, an engagement, a move or new babies, transitions are exciting moments in which we know life will never be the same. Here are five tips for navigating transitions.

1. Be present. During the heightened emotion and excitement of transitional periods it’s so easy for it all to become a blur. This is one of my own greatest challenges during a period of transitions–being still and taking it all in. It’s so easy to jump ahead to the wedding day, the moment when you’re holding a baby in your arms, or even to worrying about what life will be like after college. Be intentional about engaging in the present.

2. Take stock. Transitional periods are a great time to evaluate your life. Are you pursuing your goals or are you just kind of going along with the life that seems to happen for you? Are you on the path to the career, relationship, calling that you desire and are meant to pursue? Now is a good time to look around and make necessary bold choices to get to the place you want to be.

3. Talk with supportive friends. Transitions are times of increased stress. Nothing is more therapeutic than letting it out and talking with trusted friends and family. Let your inner circle be there for you.

4. Prioritize. Plan your time based on what is most important. Be intentional. Make time for the people who matter most. What are the most important ways for you to spend your time during this period? What will matter to you looking back? A grade? Quality time with a loved one? How wise you were with your finances?

5. Don’t make decisions out of fear. When forging through times of change it is easy to freeze up and not make decisions at all or worse– make decisions based on fear. Look fear in the face and articulate the “worst case scenario.” When you say it, you can extinguish its power. Move forward with courage.

What has helped you through times of transitions?

3 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Inner World

If you’re like me you haven’t exactly been counting down the days to spring cleaning. It takes hard work to maintain a home but certainly is rewarding once everything is dusted, polished and sparkling.

While spring is a great time of year to get your literal house in order, have you thought about taking stock of your inner world?

March is a great time to have a check point on your life. You’re one-fourth of the way through the year. Did you make goals at the beginning of 2013? Where are you in the process of accomplishing them?

Here are 3 steps for getting your inner house in order.

1. Spend quiet time in reflection. With a journal or laptop review the goals you penned at the turn of the new year. Survey these goals and see what you have accomplished, what you are working on, and where you have fallen off the boat.

2. Articulate what you want to accomplish in the next three months. Taking quarterly stock in the direction of your life is a great way to make sure you are on track with your goals. Write down the changes you want to make. Keep it realistic!

3. Live with intention. To accomplish your goals and ultimately become the person you want to be, you have to take steps to achieve it every day. Keep your eye on the goal.

Andy Andrews said the definition of discipline is to be able to “make yourself do something you don’t want to do to accomplish a result you really want to have.” Are you willing to go for it?