“If you don’t know where you are going, you will end someplace else!” – Yogi Berra
In life, there are these natural moments of transition. They don’t sneak up on us or come at us out of nowhere. Often they are scheduled, like a new year, or the date may not be fully known, but you have a rough estimate of when it will be, like the end of a season.
Knowing the transition is coming actually creates a significant opportunity for you to leverage the moment and change of pace, schedule, location, or whatever the natural transition creates for you.
Growing up in Michigan, we would go camping often throughout the year. At night, even though the stars were bright, usually what was directly around you couldn’t be seen. But what was a little scary is that you could hear things, animals around! There is nothing like getting your heart rate up when you hear an animal circle your campsite, but you can’t see what it is!
In those moments, using a flashlight helped to get a visual of what was out there. Sometimes it was a deer or a rabbit or a raccoon. Interestingly the only thing we could see was what we shined the flashlight at. You could hear something out there, but it was only when the flashlight shined directly on it could we actually see what it was.
Life is filled with unknowns and things completely out of our control, much like those animals around our campsite. What I learned those dark nights was that the more I camped out, the more confident I became with the unknowns. I acknowledged what I had control over and what I knew, but also didn’t allow fear to prevent me from taking risks or experiencing new adventures.
2022 brings all of us a new adventure, it wasn’t a surprise, it didn’t sneak up on you or come out of nowhere. It is a natural transition that gives us all an opportunity for impact, growth, increases, and success.
How will you make the most of this opportunity?
While camping if I moved the flashlight all over the place will no direct focus, it would difficult to navigate through the forest or see what was circling our campsite. The same principle is true in life, slow down and focus on a single or few things. Being intentional is illuminating what you are aiming at and not allowing distractions to keep you from what you are going after.
4 Keys to leveraging known transitions:
- Slow down – natural transitions give us the chance to take a deep breath and slow down, even if only for a moment. Make the most of this transition and slow down!
- Identify a few key targets – activity doesn’t always produce impact. Just because you are busy doesn’t equal productivity and success. Make sure to know what you are aiming for, clarify your targets.
- Limit distractions – Love what Winston Churchill had to say about distractions: “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” You have a choice on how you respond to distractions, limit them or they will limit you!
- Obstacles will appear – Obstacles are a normal part of life, keep going and work to overcome them. Include others in the process to help, encourage, and potentially show you the way. As Ryan Holiday shares, “the obstacle is the way!“
Knowing what you are aiming at, your destination gives guidance as you journey throughout this year. Knowing your destination also allows you to be present along the journey.
Make the most of the transition into 2022, even though you knew it was coming, it is great for creating opportunities as you navigate through this life!
Your transitions are opportunities, seize them!
Jonathan