From Change to Transition: How to Move Through Life’s Shifts

From Change to Transition: How to Move Through Life’s Shifts

Change is part of being human. Some changes arrive by choice — a new role, a career move, a relocation. Others arrive uninvited — a corporate restructure, a relationship ending, children leaving home, the turbulence of midlife, or the loss of someone dear.

The change itself is often clear and visible. It is physical, situational, and happens in a moment. A resignation letter. A moving truck. A child packing for college.

But transition is different. Transition is internal, psychological, and rarely visible to others. It is the emotional process of letting go of the old, dwelling in the in-between, and slowly stepping into the new.

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The Three Phases of Transition

1. Endings / Letting Go
Every transition begins with an ending. Endings are often misunderstood — we rush past them or try to avoid them. But endings aren’t just about loss. They’re about clearing. They create space for something new to take root.

“Endings aren’t closures, they’re clearings.”

Here’s the nuance we forget: sometimes a change (an external event) pushes us into transition. And sometimes, a transition (an inner shift) creates the change we need to make.

2. The Neutral Zone
This is the “in-between.” No longer who we were, not yet who we will be. It can feel confusing, lonely, even frightening — like floating mid-air between trapeze bars.

"The neutral zone may feel messy, but it’s fertile ground for renewal.”

And yet, this is the most fertile space. Here, creativity stirs. Identity reshapes. The pause reveals deep longings that daily routines often hide.

3. New Beginnings — and Resistance
Eventually, clarity and energy return. We find ourselves rooted in a new rhythm, with renewed confidence. But beginnings aren’t about speed. They’re about moving forward differently, shaped by what the transition has taught us.

And here too, resistance often appears. The moment we lean into something new, part of us may pull back. That resistance isn’t failure — it’s a code, a signal that something still wants to be acknowledged.

“Resistance is not failure. It’s a code — a signal asking to be decoded.”

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Resistance

We resist because the familiar feels safe, even when it no longer serves us. Resistance can show up as clinging to old routines, longing for “how things were,” or doubting the path ahead.

But resistance is also meaningful. It tells us what mattered, what we valued, what we may still need to hold before we let go.

“Before you let go, you hold.”

When we listen to it, resistance becomes a teacher — not a barrier.

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Transition as a Human Journey

Transitions are not just career shifts or corporate moves. They are the milestones of life: separations and reunions, parenting and letting go, midlife questions, and the courage to live differently after loss.

Each transition is a journey. We leave the harbor of the known, drift through uncertain waters, and eventually find a new shore. And the voyage changes us — we never arrive the same as when we set sail.

“Transitions aren’t problems to be solved. They’re journeys to be lived.”

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Gentle Questions for Your Own Transition

If you’re in the middle of change right now, pause with these questions:

• Am I honoring the ending, or rushing past it?
• Am I allowing myself to be in the neutral zone, even if it feels uncertain?
• Am I noticing resistance — and asking what it’s trying to tell me?
• Am I already identifying myself with the new beginning — embodying it in small, authentic ways?

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Final Reflection

Change happens in an instant — a resignation, a relocation, a separation, a goodbye. Transition is slower, deeper, and profoundly human.

The next time you find yourself between the old and the new, I suggest you pause. Endings, pauses, resistance — they all belong to the same journey.

💡 Curious to know where you are right now — in endings, the pause, or a new beginning? Take the TransitionSelf-Check (free, 2 minutes).

“Even though we are all likely to view an ending as the conclusion of the situation it terminates, it is also the initiation of a process. We have it backward. Endings are the first, not the last, act of the play.” — William Bridges

You may check this Youtube Video on Change & Transition Series :

Change vs Transition (Part 1): Why Leaders Struggle to Make Change Stick