How to Re-evaluate a 2020 Transformation Gone Wrong

It’s nothing less than mind-blowing, this massive course-redirect life has taken – a 2020 transformation none of us could have predicted 6 months ago.

In January I hosted a 2020 Transformation event designed to help people initiate big change. I talked about how approaching goals using the right change management strategies was the key to transformation.

Now here we are. Unplanned change co-mingled with fear and uncertainty, and it sucks. It’s my job to coach people who are thrust into transition without a backup plan. Suddenly after a corporate re-org these professionals need to find a new job fast.

One day you’re a manager, next day you’re unemployed. Unexpected change sucks.

But only while you’re going through it.

When I teach workshops to a career transition audience, I always ask, “who here loved their job?” Most hands stay down.

When I ask, “which of you would have left voluntarily?” Not a single hand goes up. The truth is, most people don’t love their jobs, but they stay anyway because taking a risk, starting over, putting yourself out there usually takes a major catalyst – either a move, another job offer or a termination.

Yet it’s from that place of taking a risk, starting over and putting yourself out there the growth happens.

Because when you come out on the other side, and no matter how dire things can seem, you will, you’ll be that much stronger for it.

The reality is, no one knows the right way to respond to any of what’s happening right now. For those of us in transition, we can feel like we need to revisit everything.

The work you’ve been doing, the things you’ve been focused on, may suddenly feel less meaningful. You may feel moved to do more, to live more fully in our purpose, but how?

These are the questions so many of us are asking.

And for some of my clients they’re leading to transformation.

Maura, for one, was less than 10 years away from retirement. When her high-tech career was abruptly cut short 3 months ago, she spent the first month spiraling through the stages of grief, not surprisingly.

When we started working together in April, she decided to the opportunity to move more fully into her purpose. She took a carefully calculated risk she would not otherwise have had the motivation for, and launched her own businesses.

Another client was so immersed in her job, her health had taken a backseat for years. This former healthcare executive was at a loss when life suddenly shifted and she was forced to make changes, including to her eating habits.

Her commute had been so time-consuming she rarely ate at home. It took some adjusting, but she made time to learn some simple home-cooking strategies and is so excited to have lost 5 pounds in the process.

One friend is taking this time to relocate cross country to be closer to her family, and start over in a place more aligned with her priorities.

Personally, I’ve used this time to do some deep soul searching. I realized that as much as I love the developing job search strategies, worksheets and workshops, it’s not feeding my soul the way wellness coaching did.

I gave up on my dream of building a wellness coaching practice after years spent trying to grow my business led to burnout. When I was offered my job at LHH, it was a way to focus solely on coaching and I jumped at the chance.

I’ve always incorporated the wellness strategies I know lead to energy, optimism and focus into my coaching practice, so I never dropped the ball entirely, but I convinced myself this was the right path. And it was.

And then Covid happened, and I could see that my clients needed more than a transition plan. I realized my wellness background positioned me to offer the right anxiety reduction, focus and motivation support and resources. I was more effective in and more excited about helping people use wellness strategies to connect with their best selves.

In the months since my Transformation event I’ve come face to face with ‘The Beautiful Destruction’ thought leader Vishen Lakhiani describes- a period of rebirth where we face the dissolution of everything that is certain in our life.
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The curious thing about these destructions ( healer told Vishen many years ago) is that sometimes the universe has to destroy a part of your life to allow the next great thing enter.

Transition is happening. It’s scary and unpredictable. But by taking this time to reconnect with your priorities, those things that truly matter, you can use this dissolution of the certain as a vehicle for transformation.

Check out my newly updated website: Tonic & Bloom, where I’ll be sharing more resources and programs for finding your path forward to living your best life!