Transitions are emotional

I read a great article in Medium where they referenced Obama, Oprah and Brene Brown. 

Here’s a summary of the story. 

Most of us have been through big transitions.

A career change. A move. A divorce. Retirement.An empty nest. A health scare. A new identity we didn’t quite see coming.

Transitions are emotional and similar regardless of whether you are leaving the White House or ending a national television show.

The KEY message here is… DON’T RUSH IT

When Oprah ended The Oprah Winfrey Show, she moved immediately into launching OWN. She later called it one of her biggest regrets — not because the opportunity was wrong, but because she didn’t give herself time to pause.

Barack Obama took a different approach after leaving office. He rested. Read books. Travelled with Michelle. Slept in. Took time to reflect before deciding what his “next highest and best use” would be.

Brené Brown uses a beautiful soccer metaphor for this.

When little kids play soccer, they often kick the ball the second it comes toward them. But skilled players settle the ball first. They pause. Look up. Read the field. Then decide where to send it next.

That is such a powerful image for life transitions.

When life changes, we often feel pressure to act immediately. If there is financial pressure as well, we act even faster.

Find the next job.Start the next business.Fill the empty space.Prove we’re still relevant.Avoid the discomfort of not knowing.

But sometimes the wisest thing we can do is pause.

There is value in what author William Bridges called “the neutral zone” — that in-between space after one chapter ends and before the next one begins.

It can feel uncomfortable. Unproductive. Even scary. But it is also where clarity begins.

Before rushing into the next version of your life, give yourself permission to breathe.

Settle the ball.Look down the pitch.Ask better questions.

Who am I becoming?What matters now?What do I want more of?What am I finally ready to release?What is my next best use of energy, wisdom, and experience?

Not every transition requires an immediate answer.

Sometimes the pause is the work.

And sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is not rush the next chapter — but create enough space to choose it consciously.