I know that we have all heard the phrase that “change is the only constant in life.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t really know how to react to that saying. While it may be true, it just seems a bit contrite. It seems a bit like throwing your hands up in the air and just giving up to our respective fates, with no control or any free-will attached to it. Because of that, I prefer to use the terminology that “one is in transition.” It sounds so dignified and respectable, doesn’t it?
But what does that really mean?
For me, the last two years has been about transition, not only in my professional life, but in my private life as well. I have watched my oldest son, Justin, transition from high school to college and now to living and working in the NY/NJ area. I saw my middle son, Dillon, go away to college, only to be forced to come home for 18 months due to the pandemic and then transition back to a college campus over the past 9 months. I’ve seen him struggle to reorient himself into being on his own and not reliant on Mom and Dad for every aspect of his life. I have watched my youngest son, Owen, finish out his high school years and audition and be accepted to some of the best music schools in the country.
As you know, I have purchased Chichester Financial Group LLC back from the trust company that I sold it to and have launched into this new realm of working remotely from home and figuring out how to navigate this new digital world that we all find ourselves in. To top it off, I also went back to get a master’s degree and will be graduating in a few weeks with a Master of Arts in Political Economy of Money and Development from Franklin University Switzerland. And, yes, I will be flying over there to attend the graduation ceremony. 😊 Michelle will be coming with me and we will also be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Technically, it was last June, but we were not able to do much, again, due to the pandemic.
What have I learned through all of this is that transition is inevitable. But, just because it is inevitable, it does not mean that we just have to accept our fate along the way. Yes, much of what we experience in life is beyond our control. But what we often forget is that we get to control how we react to what happens to us in life. We can choose to react poorly, rationally, emotionally, maturely, childishly, etc. I’m not saying that this is easy, but it is a fact. With that said, though, what is transition? A dictionary definition is “ the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” This sounds a lot like life to me. Isn’t that what we do each day; change from one state or condition to another?
Regardless, while we may not be changing from a liquid into a solid, we are having to navigate the conditions of our lives on a continual basis. Because of that, this idea that change or transition as being the only constant certainly has some merits to it. I, for one, though, look at it this way. Life is too short, but we don’t want to believe it. It is easier and more comfortable to think that we can control all aspects of our lives. We can’t. And, deep down, we know it. So, if that is the case, then we should simply embrace this idea of transition and have as much fun with it as possible. I know…not all transitions are fun. The good news? We don’t have to do this all on our own. Through each transition, different members of our community have rallied around me, my family, and my business with a helping hand, a word of advice, or occasionally a swift kick in the…well, you get the idea!
As you work through the inevitable transitions in life, know that I am in your corner cheering you on or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you facing down adversity. With age comes the wisdom that life will never be perfect, and I’m thankful for that. Without transitions there would be no growth for me or the meaningful relationships that are a product of this shared experience we call life.