“How can you know what you’re capable of if you don’t embrace the unknown?” – Emeralda Santiago

This week we had a big transition in my household.  We took my son off to college, moved him into his dorm, and he started summer school.  Mentally I have known for the last 18 years this was coming, so you would have thought I was ready.  However sometimes thinking you are ready for something and actually being ready are two very different things.  Some things you just have to do, and as much as you want to. you can’t really prepare for them.  You don’t have a choice.  You don’t get to pick the timing.  A transition may happen if you like it or not, so then the only question is how do you deal with it?  What courage do you need to have to go through the transition?

Do you have a plan?

My recommendation is don’t miss the opportunity.  Change is going to happen anyway; for me, I can’t keep my son at home.  I can only control how I think about the situation and how a respond to the situation.

So when change is forced on you, how do you react? Do you fight it? Waste time complaining? Or do you look for the opportunity?

Transitions = Opportunities

This is how my husband and I are viewing this transition. We have a list of things we have wanted to do and for one reason or another have not made the time to focus on them.  What better time than now to make them a priority.  Before we settle into a new routine, this is the best time to make some changes, to try new things, and to be intentional with the changes we decide to make.  The alternative is to let life fill up with random things and a year from today we look back and say, wow we have been so busy, however we didn’t make any progress toward our dreams.

Instead:

  1. Embrace the change
  2. Make a list of 5 things you desire to do and have been putting off
  3. Pick one from your list and do something today to get it started

So yes, emotionally it was hard to leave Jakob at college, and yes, our home seems much emptier without him here.  However, I am so proud of the young man he has become and I am excited for the opportunity to watch him continue to grow and develop as he takes this next step in his life.  And I am excited for my own opportunity to start something new.

When you find yourself going through some stage of transition in your life make sure your actions are intentional and view it as an incredible opportunity.

Sherrie