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Transition and Change
- Transition is a process or series of life changing events that can happen at many points in life but that is often especially challenging for Older Workers.
- Change - anything that changes how we see the world and our lives in it.
- Change that is significant sets off a process of transition that will take us to previously unexplored places in life, such as new jobs or careers.
What this means for the Older Worker
- Knowing what transition is and why it is happening makes it much easier to navigate the changes in your life.
- There is creative energy in change and transition-energy we all need to tap into to have satisfying lives.
- A time of transition and change can be a refreshing, exciting adventure, filled with discovery and delight.
- The better you understand yourself the easier it will be to decide your next step.
Change
The world of work has changed a lot in the last 40 years. If you are an Older Worker in a traditional occupation you might feel uncomfortable with technology that requires you to change constantly to keep pace with the jobs that are available.
Older Workers will arrive at a stage in their lives where they will need to decide how how to cope with changes in the workplace: changes in their lives due to job loss and changes in their expectations. The situation may be further complicated by the "meaning crisis" and health related issues many adults experience at this time.
We all have constants in our lives: family, community, values and spiritual beliefs. These things can keep us grounded during changes and transition.
Life Transition
A life transition is any big change in your life. It could be a move to a new house or community, a new job or relationship, the need to care for elderly parents-anything big that upsets the usual routines and assumptions of your life.
Transition is a process that can be a very chaotic, bumpy ride with lots of twists and turns. If you know a little about what's happening to you, and why, you won't make the mistake of thinking you're 'losing it'. Life transitions are often a time of low energy and more than usual pessimism.
Life transitions are due to changes in work, lifestyle and worldview. They are a time to explore new interests and opportunities and to take on new challenges. Life transitions are never convenient and always require hard work. The results of that hard work are a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in life and work as well as plenty of energy to live happily and well.
Don't ignore that 'small voice' that urges you to try something new or very different-you never know where that might take you.
Things to think about:
- Transition happens all the time, but there are major transitions we experience that are especially unsettling and challenging.
- Knowing something about the experience makes it easier to accept what's going on and see it as an opportunity.
- This transition may feel different because of your age and time of life, but you have all the skills and life experience you need to get through it successfully.
- Your work life isn't over: it is changing, maybe even dramatically.
- You have control over how you live your life-you just need time to think this through.
Things to do:
- Stay calm. A great way to deal with upheaval is one step, one day at a time.
- Do something positive each and every day-things you've been putting off-you'll feel better.
- Ask for help at Career and Job Resource Centres.
- Reconnect with your hobbies or interests-give them some time-that's good for relaxation and will give you space to think about your next step.
- Remember, you don't have to plan the rest of your life, just the next thing you're going to try.
- Be adventurous! Give yourself permission to explore and be open to discovery and new direction.
Additional information
Martha Beck. Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. New York: Crown Publishers, 2001.
William Bridges. Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2001.
Cohen, Gene. The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life. Toronto: HarperCollins, 2001
Helen Harkness. Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century. Palo Alto: Davies-Black Publishing, 1999.
Nicholas Lore. The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998
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