Ah, the time has come to publish again.  I’ve been doing a considerable amount of thinking lately about the idea of “transition.” It’s a word I rather like, something akin to “transformation,” although the latter has a more universally positive connotation (ask anyone who has given birth recently).  The point is, of course, that “transformation” sounds like something that happens to us, whereas “transition” implies something that we have more of a part in.  Take “career transitions,” for example.  The idea is to move from one career to another, but neither effortlessly nor without pain. 

I had a client recently tell me that, after three months of coaching, he felt a though he had been “reborn.”  I asked if we should give him to the nurses to be cleaned up, but I knew what he meant.  He had, indeed, transitioned from a worn out “never was” to someone vital, vibrant, and joyous.  It was, more than a makeover, a “transformation.”