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Articles by Lisa Taylor
Huff
Top 10 Steps to Prepare
Yourself for a Major Life or Career Transition
July 19,
1999
So many people are now tapping into their true Life Purpose, their
true passion in life. Often, in order to follow your dream and fulfill your
Life's Purpose, you might need to make some big changes: a major career
transition, move to a new home or city, or scale back your lifestyle. Sometimes
you end up doing all three -- as I did! Change on any level is usually
stressful and a bit traumatic for all of us, and your transition might take a
year, two years or more. Therefore, a little advance preparation can help you
feel more in control of the situation and will assist you in smoothing the path
ahead.
In 1996-1997, I began major life and career transition. I
discovered my own life's purpose -- coaching others to tap into their Life
Purpose and design a great life -- and decided to leave a lucrative corporate
job in the high-tech industry to create my coaching practice. In order to make
that happen, I had some really tough choices to make, and I had to create a
transition plan to help me deal with the choices in a systematic way so that I
could maintain some level of control over my life. I ended up selling my home
and moving to a smaller apartment, giving away or selling many of my personal
possessions I was no longer using, and almost completely changing my entire
life-style, scaling back in many ways. These were not easy decisions to make,
but I was fully committed to redesigning my life and was willing to make some
big changes in order to make it happen. Before I really dove in, I took some
time and created a game plan to keep myself on track. Based on my own personal
transition, as well as my experiences in coaching my clients through
transition, I'd like to share with you my Top Ten strategies for preparing for
a "big leap" in your life, to make it as effortless and stress-free as
possible.
1. Ask yourself: Am I ready to do whatever it takes to make
my dreams happen?
In order to make your dreams become reality, you
may need to simply your lifestyle and scale back to some degree, and in some
cases you might need to make some radical changes in your life. So the big
question you need to address, right off the bat, is "Am I ready to do whatever
it takes? How badly do I want this?" Assess your true level of commitment, and
be honest with yourself. Are you willing to live with less money? Can you do
without some of the "luxuries" like a dishwasher and an expensive car? These
are the types of questions to start asking yourself now.
2. Next
question: To what DEGREE am I willing to make changes in my
lifestyle?
Once you've established that you ARE ready to make
changes, you need to assess what changes might be necessary and to what extent
you really need to change things in your life. Do you need to move to a new
city or a less expensive home or apartment? Are others (spouse, children) going
to be impacted by this transition, and how specifically will this impact them
-- will THEY be able/willing to make changes as well? Do you have enough money
set aside to finance this major change, and if not what do you need to do to
create the necessary reserves? Do you need to spend some time doing more
research before you can even make some of these decisions? Be as specific as
you can be at this stage -- you are trying to take a realistic view of what
would need to happen, what needs to be different, in order for your dream to
become reality. A word of caution: don't be put off by the very fact that major
changes are necessary. Yes, you are likely to feel a bit anxious and scared by
the reality of what you might need to do in order to achieve your dream. Rest
assured that if it feels right in your heart, it will work out, and don't be
deterred by your fears. Just acknowledge them and keep on going. A recommended
book to give you lots of ideas: 'Simplify Your Life' by Elaine St.
James.
3. Create your transition action plan.
Now that
you've faced the tough questions and you have a high-level idea of what steps
might be necessary, it's time create your action plan. Take a good look at the
steps you think you'll need to take in order to have a solid action plan and
write them all down, then try and organize them into a proposed timeline and
schedule, or a checklist. This will give you more of a feeling of control over
your transition period. For example, when I decided to quit my corporate job to
create my coaching practice, one of the radical decisions I made was to sell my
home and move to a smaller, less expensive apartment, and I wanted to use some
of the profit from the sale to fund my cash reserve. Before I could take any
other actions, such as actually resigning from my job, I first had to consult
with a real estate agent and then actually sell the property, as many of the
subsequent actions and decisions had to hinge on this first one, so this became
Step One of my action plan.
4. Get organized and clear out the
clutter.
One of the things that will really help you simply your
life in preparation for your "big leap" is to get your physical environment
well organized. This means looking at all your material belongings and deciding
which you will keep and which you can toss out -- chances are, you don't really
need or use all that stuff you've accumulated in your life. In particular, if
you're moving to a smaller home or apartment, you won't want to pay for storage
for all those unnecessary items, so do your best to get rid of what you really
won't use anymore. A great book recommendation is "Organizing From the Inside
Out" by Julie Morgenstern -- she'll really help you organize your life and
clean out those closets! Be willing to "clear out the old to make room for the
new"!
5. Pay off any debts and consult with your financial
professionals.
One of the greatest challenges, when considering a
major life transition and simplifying your life, is how to survive on less
money. One way to reduce your fears is to have a solid understanding of your
current financial situation and to take steps, as part of your transition plan,
to pay off debts and have a good financial plan. Know exactly how much you will
need to live comfortably in your new simplified lifestyle. In particular, if
you are starting a business or changing to a career that pays less than you're
used to, you need to have a cash reserve of at least 6 month's living expenses,
preferably much more. A life transition can be stressful enough all by itself,
and you can reduce your stress level considerably if you know you have enough
financial reserve available. Get your financial professionals involved --
banker, CPA, financial planner -- in reviewing your income, assets, investments
and liabilities, so you feel confident you know exactly where you stand and how
much you have to work with.
6. Make sure you (and your possessions)
are protected and in good health.
If you are leaving a job that supplies
you with medical and dental benefits, make arrangements to have a complete
physical and dental checkup, and take care of any health concerns before you
make the leap (this goes for family members, too, if they are covered by your
insurance plan). Make sure you have some other form of health insurance lined
up for yourself before you actually leave your job. On a related note, don't
neglect your major personal belongings either... make sure your homeowners and
car insurance is in order, and your car and major household appliances are
running smoothly and won't require major service for some time -- get them
serviced now if necessary. A little preventative maintenance for you and your
possessions now will go a long way toward preventing costly problems later.
7. Set up your support system.
Major life transitions
come with a certain amount of stress already built in. Change is stressful for
everyone, and you're only human. As you work through your transition, create a
support system for yourself. Rally trusted friends and family members around
you for moral support; let them know you will need their support and tell them
how they can best support you -- don't expect others to be mind-readers! Hire a
coach who is experienced in working with people in transition -- your coach
will be a valuable asset and will keep you focused and on track with your
action plan. Last but not least, as you move through your transition period, if
you find you are suffering from the effects of stress (such as developing
chronic physical illness or depression), please consult immediately with your
doctor or with a therapist. You WILL need support during this time, so be aware
of this and be willing to ask others for help! A word of advice though -- when
you are first planning your big leap, in your excitement and enthusiasm, it
will be tempting to share your happy plans with others. Be selective in whom
you confide your plans… share them only with people you trust and who will
provide you with the right support. Confiding in your co-workers too soon can
backfire on you later, and telling friends and family who aren't able or
willing to fully support you can cause you to doubt yourself and can put your
plans in jeopardy. Eventually, the time will be right to share your decisions
with the world, but until then, keep it to yourself.
8. Be
flexible.
Allow for some flexibility and "unknowns" in your
transition plan. Things can and will come up that you did not anticipate and
over which you have little or no control. Family members get sick, your car
breaks down, other major or minor disasters can happen, and some days you might
suffer a crisis of faith in yourself. Expect the unexpected! When I decided to
move to a smaller apartment, I never expected that within the first month of
living in there, some serious problems would come up with the building that
would cause me to decide to move a second time within a 6-month period. That
caused me some additional stress, as well as costing me some extra money, and
although it was obvious I needed to move to a healthier environment, I resisted
for several months. I finally had to be willing to alter the plan and accept
that this was all just part of the process, and in the long run it was for the
best. Resistance and denial will only cause you to suffer and will create more
stress, and can even de-rail your plan altogether. Acceptance and surrender to
what IS will help you move forward more quickly. Once I stopped resisting and
accepted that moving again would be the best solution, my stress level dropped
and things fell into place again, and after the short-term inconvenience
passed, my plan was back on target.
9. Take time out to take care of
you!
For people whose transitions involve starting in a new job or
starting a new business, this might mean putting in a lot of extra hours. You
love what you're doing and you're passionate about it, so at first it's fun and
exciting and doesn't feel like extra work at all! It's all too easy though, in
the initial months of a transition, to neglect your self-care and lose that
all-important life-balance. You need to plan ahead and schedule regular
time-outs for yourself -- to exercise, rest, play and socialize with the people
you care about. Maintaining the right balance in your life will be critical to
your success long-term, not to mention your health!
10. Celebrate
your courage and commitment -- you did it!
Making the decision to
pursue your dreams and life purpose is, let's face it, HUGE. Many people never
get there. As you move forward in your own transition, take time out
periodically to celebrate your successes, big and small, and your commitment to
creating a better life for yourself -- you are a courageous person and you
deserve to be proud of yourself! Kudos to YOU!
Copyright © 1999 Lisa
Taylor Huff. May be forwarded or reprinted in its entirety, without
alterations, including this copyright statement, with written permission from
the author.
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