Last fall, the exterior of our house underwent a major renovation, which also included landscaping.  This meant most of the existing plants had to be moved to a ‘holding garden’ at the side of the house until the work was complete.

Now that the weather has warmed and the plants are small enough to move, I spent three days digging up and positioning them in their new space.  I observed various reactions during the process.  Some plants did okay having to wait a few hours while I figured out placement while others showed signs of stress relatively quickly.

This exercise had me thinking about people experiencing transition and being transplanted to a new location or role.  As a military family, we experienced this for decades on a relatively regular basis and some transitions were more difficult than others, for a variety of reasons: culture, educational system, expectations, geographical distance to family, deployments, health scares, and natural disasters to name a few.

Transitions are inevitable, so do your best to prepare.  Sure, there’ll likely be curveballs to navigate (crystal ball not included 😞); this is where you can pull in any one of the techniques you’ve learned to calm yourself.  I know stepping away and doing something else for a while has helped me gain composure and perspective.  Remember, this isn’t the first time you’ve experienced change, so it’s an opportunity to look back and reflect on what you did or even didn’t do that supported the change.  And above all, asking for assistance is a sign of courage.

Questions for reflection:

1. Is it the right move for the right reasons?
2. How does it align with your values and strengths?
3. How will you best mitigate stress caused by the transition?
4. What do you need as nourishment to create roots, flourish, and grow?
5. Who do you need to be surrounded by to best ensure the right environment?
6. What signs (internal and external) are present and what are they saying?
7. If you’ve been in a place for a while, what needs to be pruned to ensure continued health and growth?
8. Are there any current or potential gaps where you could use support?
9. What are you doing well that you want to keep hold of?
10. What other considerations need further thought or action?