Those times when I felt like everything I knew for sure in my career changed or was gone led to frustration and even fear. While still not happy about it I recognize that there is a trend with the universe where we let things go to make room for what is to come. I began to picture this like the monkey bars I would move through on the playground as a child and I notice some things when you skip a bar and are in flow:
I have to let go of one bar to reach for the next
The better I am at embracing this, the more I maintain momentum
The most challenging part for clients I work with involves letting go and knowing what to hold on to amidst all the change.
Letting Go
The key thing about letting go, I find, is that it is easier if this is not a solo act. For example, letting go on its own brings up a sense of lack or loss. When I coach people on how to talk about layoffs, we address both why they’re available and what they want in the next role. When the talk is focused on the job that they left it turns into awkward silence or it feels a bit like therapy.
If the feelings surrounding the role you are letting go of are so strong that it infuses all your answers and what you want to explain, I recommend coming up with a ritual or physical ceremony to represent letting go. My wilderness quest mentor had me waving my arm through the air to bring back the parts of myself that had been lost. I have even walked labyrinths and poured out libations as a release of all that is holding me back based on what I learned in writing my book, Rooted in Water.
Reach for What’s Next
To make it easier to know what to reach for when everything’s influx I use the seasons as a metaphor for change and transformation. Once you identify how you would define each season, you have a greater chance of identifying which season you are in, and what you can likely expect in the season to come.
Whether you lean on these metaphors or you come up with your own, the key is to find a way to visualize what is happening from a bigger-picture point of view so that it is easier to put everything into perspective.
