Transitions - The New Beginning

Bridges poses two important questions in the transitions process:

·      “How do I know when the ending is complete and when I’ve been in the neutral zone long enough?”

·      How do I know which path before me represents a genuinely new beginning or which footprints represent a real path – or even which marks in the dust represent real footprints?”

He says that we look for external signs that point us in the right direction, but in reality it’s the “inner signals” that let us know of the new beginning. There is a sort of an inner realignment that seems to motivate one to the new reality. The quote from Eleanor Roosevelt will help students to understand this transition from endings to the neutral zone to the new beginning:

“Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are, and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else’s life, not even your own child’s.”

Another important point is to be aware what undermines one’s decisions and make one doubt his/her decisions. These can come from people you know well; do they see you on an actual new beginning or just reliving an old pattern. A second consideration is inner: are you doing something just to avoid the actual new beginning.

Bridges has advice for the last phase of a transition:

·      “Very simply, to stop getting ready and to act.”

·      “Begin to identify yourself with the final result of the new beginning.”

·      “Take things step by step and resist the siren song that sings about some other route where everything goes smoothly and events are always exciting and meaningful.”

·      “Shift your purpose from the goal to the process of reaching the goal.”

“Endings and beginnings, emptiness and germination in between: That is the shape of the transition periods in our lives, and these times come fare more frequently in adulthood and cut far more deeply into it than most of us imagined they would.”

As site coordinators and participant coaches it’s important to listen to your students and help them through the transitional periods, to help them understand where they are, what they might be feeling and thinking, and offer support and guidance.

Transitions – Neutral Zone

William Bridges compares the neutral zone to swinging on a trapeze. You have let go of one bar and yet have not grasp the next bar. You are in “limbo” and it can be a scary and lonely time. Students may have let go of the old job or their old way of life and are now in the midst of classes; they may not quite see what their new life could be, or if they are even capable of achieving the certificate or the new job. Bridges has a series of suggestions for handling this transitional time; these suggestions might provide insights as site coordinator or participant coach for you to help students through this unsettling time.

1.     “Accept your need for this time in the neutral zone.” Let your students know that this change process will take time and that things might seem to be dragging.

2.     “Find a regular time and place to be alone.” You might suggest they find a place where, when they need to, they can sit and “be” and think.

3.     “Begin a log of neutral zone experiences.” They might begin a digital journal or even a blog about working their way through their coursework.

4.     “Take this pause in the action of your life to write an autobiography.” The students might use this to reflect on their lives and see how they were successful in the past and could use that as motivation to continue on their journey.

5.     “Take this opportunity to discover what you really want.” The coursework and the coaching sessions might help them to clarify and solidify their career and life goals. Talking with you as the coach could be a great benefit for them.

6.     “Think of what would be unlived in your life if it ended today.” You can help them imagine what will lie ahead for them when they complete the certificate and move into a skilled 

position, with higher income.

7.     “Take a few days to go on your own version of a passage journey.” Encourage students to maybe take a day to just think about what their future could be if they completed their coursework and found that position they have always wanted. 

Transitions by William Bridges (2004) 

Helping Students with Transitions - Endings

      As your students complete their Diversified Manufacturing Technology certification or otherwise decide to leave the world of education for the world of employment, they are undergoing a transition. Transitions, as we all know, are difficult, and for your students shifting from being a student to a full-time worker in manufacturing, or shifting from a temporary job to a full-time position, this change may be especially hard. It's scary; it's complicated; and it may overwhelm them if they don't know what's going on. They feel that everyone else is handling change so smoothly and they are encountering so much turbulence. These ill feelings may lead them to remain where they are, job-wise and career-wise, because it's "safe." It's easy to say: "life is either a daring adventure or it's nothing," but without knowing what lies ahead, "nothing" may be what happens. 
     William Bridges in this book Transitions (2004) explores the world of life changes. Knowing what to expect is the first step in successfully navigating the myriad of challenges and opportunities that lie before students. Bridges puts the change process into three seemingly simple steps: endings, a neutral zone and new beginning. It is deceptively simple.
   With endings, the student may have completed his/her coursework and feels a sense of accomplishment and at the same time a sense of trepidation. What happens next and why am I feeling all of these uncomfortable feelings? Bridges writes about five such natural ending processes: disengagement, dismantling, disidentification, disenchantment, and disorientation.

• Disengagement - he/she is no longer a student with the day-to-day tasks of studying, working in a lab setting, taking assessments and completing homework. That work is over and he/she is thrust out into the "real world."
• Dismantling - in a sense, the student is "unpacking" the identity of being a student and all the attributes associated with college work and life.
• Disidentification - the student is losing the old ways of defining him/herself. He/She is no longer in the world in which he/she can identify. There is a quote in a Western town that sums it up: "I ain't what I ought to be and I ain't what I'm going to be. But I ain't what I was!"
• Disenchantment: this may be the first feeling to emerge. "I thought employers would be beating down my door to hire me, but they're not!" However this feeling is a signal that the transition is moving ahead. 
• Disorientation - this feeling is really an opportunity to "re-orient" oneself into a new frame of mind. It's not enjoyable; the student must deal with a sense of emptiness and seek healthy, positive ways to fill the void created by the lack of classes, studying, and testing. 

     The role of the participant coach, site coordinator and instructor is to help students navigate students through these tough times by letting them know what emotions they might encounter and that it is normal and natural to feel this flow of uncomfortable feelings. They need to listen to their students and talk with them about what's going on, without jumping into "advice-giving" or into platitudes. Just Listen.