Befriending Uncertainty in Major Life Transitions
Strategies for Becoming Comfortable with the Unknown As You Navigate Transitions
Street sign that reads Time for Change - 📸 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Major life transitions are filled with uncertainty and stressful moments of all things unknown. As a professional woman of color, you’re likely no stranger to navigating times of uncertainty or stressful situations to get to where you’re at today. Whether it's in your personal life, corporate leadership role, career transitions along the way or running your own business, you’ve been through your share of changes.
But every life-changing event comes with its own set of challenges. Life transitions can be hard, and understanding why can be crucial. Major life transitions are part of our human journey. What's essential is understanding how to navigate the uncharted waters with confidence and resilience.
As a professional woman of color, the experience can be uniquely challenging due to various external and internal factors. While periods of change often trigger fear and anxiousness, it also brings opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
In this article, you’ll explore strategies to help you welcome change and befriend uncertainty in a way that will help you along every new transition that life has in store for you.
Understanding the Ins and Outs of Major Life Transitions
Learning to welcome and accept uncertainty is underestimated. This foundation will help you set the stage to take on major life transitions without overwhelm or burnout.
While major life transitions affect us all in similar ways, addressing the needs of professional women of color takes recognizing the intersectionality of their unique experiences in both work and life.
I think it is important to note that the “transition” itself is not the external changes we’re going through but rather the internal process you experience during times of change.
When a life-changing event presents itself, you can choose to adapt to the change or transition through it. When you choose to transition, it is an internal psychological process. This process involves three phases: letting go, being in a neutral zone, experiencing a new beginning.
When you focus solely on the changes rather than the transition being experienced it can lead to feelings of emptiness and even an unproductive change. That’s one reason it’s important to pay close attention to the internal process of transitioning.
Different life events will trigger this transition process. While your experiences are unique to your past experiences, development, identities and current circumstances, we all go through the same internal process of the three stages of transition. Working with a coach can help you move through and embody this transition with more ease and confidence.
Major Life Events Can Trigger A Transition
A career move, a significant location change, a need for personal growth, family changes and unexpected events can pull you into a transition.
Even when changes are sought after, it can elicit triggers that make it harder to cope with the transition.
These transition triggers stem from past experiences, instilled family values or religion, your own perception of the unknown, loss of familiarity or comfort, among others. When you allow a trigger to take hold of you during times of change, it can derail your progress. Recognizing these triggers is the first step in preparing for the journey ahead.
Specific Challenges Faced by Professional Women of Color
It’s no secret that as a professional woman and especially a woman of color you’re bound to encounter unique challenges, like biases, glass ceilings and added expectations. Learning to recognize these barriers will help you navigate changes and manage your responses to transitions more effectively.
The Role of Uncertainty in Change
Uncertainty is an inherent part of change. Any significant transition is accompanied by a myriad of emotions. Knowing that uncertainty is expected as a natural occurrence of big transitions will help you shift perspective from fear to opportunity. Uncertainty is your friend, the friend that will present you with new possibilities and even excitement for what’s to come.
Why it’s time to normalize uncertainty during transitions
Your ability to embrace and befriend uncertainty as “normal” requires a mindset shift.
Rather than perceiving uncertainty as an enemy, you want to regard it as a companion on our journey. Welcoming the unknown can open doors to creativity, adaptability, and personal growth.
By definition, a confident mindset is one “that sets the tone for developing and improving all other attitudes you demonstrate”.
A confident mindset allows you to be open to improving all abilities with learning and persistence. This will help you increase your self-confidence allowing you to trust in your skills while also helping you understand your strengths and weaknesses.
What does this mean for you?
This level of self-confidence opens you up to taking on new opportunities. You’re open to continuing to acknowledge your resiliency and able to cultivate your confidence in your abilities and wisdom. Adopting this mindset can empower you to take on new challenges and opportunities as they come your way.
Why Welcome the Power of Unknown?
The unknown is a fertile ground for innovation and resilience. For professional women of color, getting comfortable with the unknown is a valuable skill that can be leveraged to achieve success. Being able to confidently navigate ambiguity, will give you an edge in both professional and life settings.
Strategies for Befriending Uncertainty
In my work with clients we always start with an in-depth session to understand your specific needs, circumstances, goals and aspirations for a highly customized experience.
Fortunately there are specific strategies that apply to most situations involving life-changing events, the transitioning process and that help you become more comfortable with uncertainty.
I call these foundational strategies the 3 A’s of welcoming the unknown, championing change and befriending uncertainty.
The 3 A’s of Transitions Well Done
Awareness
Clarity & Goal Setting - Gaining insight and clarity into what you want your future to look like will help you define specific and measurable goals to achieve your desired outcomes.
Values Exploration - identifying your core values will help you align your goals with your most important values. This is crucial to maintain motivation and provide fulfillment throughout your life journey.
Self-Assessment - using self-assessment tools will help you understand your personality, communication style and behaviors. Self-assessment not only increases self-awareness but helps you interact more efficiently with the outside world both in life and work.
Reflection - A regular reflection practice focusing on your thoughts, feelings and experiences is important to promote insights and self-discovery, especially through any life transitioning period.
Action
Action Plan - this is all about creating a step-by-step action plan to achieve your goals. We do this by breaking down big goals into smaller and measurable tasks.
Positive Habits and Routines - as trivial as this may sound, positive habits and routines are key to ensuring you’re aligning your goals with your values. These will also help you stay on track with your Action Plan.
Role Play, Skill Building Visualization- implementing role-playing exercises will help you develop effective communication and problem-solving skills needed to make any life-changing event and transition a success. Visualization is a great way to reinforce your commitment to your goals
Strategies to Build Your Transition Hub - we apply all the insights and action plan to create a specific road map you can rely on through your current or upcoming transitions.
Pro Tip: A tool you can use to help you with Awareness and Action is my “Journal Your Way Through Transitions” workbook.
Accountability
Support Network - establishing a network of support you can check-in with to review progress, celebrate achievements and address challenges will make the process easier and reinforce your confidence.
Accountability System - Whether you’re working with a coach or with your personal support network, you want to put in place a system that keeps you accountable, motivated and on track.
Self Assessment & Feedback - No one knows your internal transition process better than yourself. Learning to assess your own progress honestly and being able to give yourself constructive feedback is an invaluable skill that you can come back to anytime you face changes and transitions.
Goal Revision and Refinement - Your needs and desires may evolve through the process. Knowing how to be flexible and open will help you adjust both goals and strategies as needed.
Navigating Periods of Change, Uncertainty and Transitions for Specific Scenarios
Leadership Roles - balancing work and leadership responsibilities with personal transitions is a demanding task. This is where your leadership skills come in as a valuable asset. Leveraging and applying your existing leadership skills outside of work can be a source of action and awareness throughout any significant transition
Career Transition - a career pivot can be both exciting and challenging. As a professional woman, you have the ability and confidence to leverage your lessons and past experiences to make this change successful and with more ease.
Business Owners - running a business is a continuous journey filled with uncertainties. As a business owner, you have an advantage in dealing with a constant revolving door of adapting to change.
This is true for women entrepreneurs regardless of color, race or any other societal imposed differentiation. Implementing the strategies I shared above is the best way to efficiently manage your business and teams without burnout during times of massive changes.
While as a woman of color getting access to things like additional capital to deal with uncertainty may prove harder, dedicated resources like Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership exist to help during your transitioning and with your business growth.
Key Takeaways
Befriending uncertainty and managing stress during major life transitions is a skill that can be developed and honed. In the face of uncertainty, your experiences and abilities are your greatest assets.
By adopting the strategies discussed in this article, you can be better prepared to tackle major life transitions with more ease, confidence, and the knowledge that you have the power to shape your own future.
Are you facing a significant transition in life, career, location? Or you know you’re ready for a big change, but you need more clarity before moving forward?
This free workbook will help you gain the clarity you need and provide you with inner guidance for your next steps. Click here to download your “Journal Your Way through Life Transitions” Workbook
