The Top 10 Ways to Cool Our Toes While in the Midst of Transition

Facing, and then moving with and through big changes in our lives may leave us feeling as if we stand on shifting sands, never to land our feet back upon solid ground again. Simple strategies can give us a firmer footing and help to pave a solid path toward future possibilities.

1. Masterfully design one day at a time.
What elements would you love to be a part of each day? A bit of sunshine and fresh air, one small chocolate kiss, an "I love you" spoken to someone dear, fifteen minutes set aside with a cup of java and a good book, one great piece of music played at full volume on the stereo...? In the midst of swirling transition simple daily rituals that feed our souls will nurture and help to settle your soul.

2. Be an alchemist!
Gather together the different facets of your life in change. Explore them. Turn them over to reveal all the elements. Hold them lightly. Then begin. Mix a little of this with a little of that. Stir slightly. Let it bubble. Then Poof! Allow this new magical creation to turn to gold. Be a possibility seeker and the sparkle and magic in your life will reveal itself.

3. Firewalk.
You may feel "in the heat" while in transition. Here’s a question for you - Are you going to dance around frantically in the flames crying out for help, or are you going to muster up all your courage, grace and style and FIREWALK? Two very different ways to experience the moment.

4. Let go.
The greater our fear, the tighter our grip. Do a reality check. Is it time to move into the experience? Simply acknowledge that you will have to dive in while still flushed with fear not waiting for the fear to pass.

5. Find a mentor, an advocate, a coach and ask for their support.
Ask for a safe space to rave if need be. Ask for acceptance to be the perfectly flawed person that you are. During times of change it is ever so easy to be steered by self-doubt and shadow. Someone who stands for you can help to keep the path up ahead clear of the fog banks.

6. Experience gratitude.
Upon awakening each day and then again when you put your head upon your pillow at night, spend one or two minutes revisiting all you have to be grateful for. Focus on the light and joyfilled moments. These frequent visits will help to sustain you during times when the darkness settles in. Better still: Create a journal by your bed – a Gratitude Journal! Write at least five items each day in it. You will be amazed!

7. Capture your dis-empowering words for a day.
Here is the game - for one entire day be acutely aware of the words you use (everyone's words are a bit different) that enable you to be less than your fantastic self. Write them down throughout the day. At the day's end settle down and see just what you can learn from your choice of words and then set out to rephrase those captured words so that they support you rather than drain you. Write down the opposite and see what a difference your best words can make during your transition.

8. Take a risk a week.
Change requires us to bump up to the edges of our comfort zone. Sometimes it is more like being propelled over the side of a cliff and into a void. During more settled times get in the habit of building that risk muscle. Do things large and small that help you to feel the stretch and growth. Ask yourself each week, "What risk have I taken?" Being a masterfully risk taker will serve you well when the tide of change rolls in.

9. Step back and view your whole life.
Look at the entire mosaic and then separate each facet. There is your life in relationships, in family, in work, in spiritual pursuits, in play, etc. Often we can find ourselves too heavily focused on just one part of our lives. Remember to balance, to bring intentional focus to all areas of your life so that you have a life so
rich and so broad in foundation that challenges in one area do not bring you to your knees.

10. Create a ritual to honor the change.
Perhaps it is a symbolic hike to a mountain top, a gathering of friends, listing all the things that have been holding you back upon little strips of paper and casting them to the wind, etc. Take physical action in your life to acknowledge the path you are moving along and to open up to new possibilities that wait you just around the corner.



Based upon words & thoughts by Corrie Woods Gillespie and Bill Johnson