Illustration by Ty Dale.
“Transition is always a relief. Destination means death to me. If I could figure out a way to remain forever in transition, in the disconnected and unfamiliar, I could remain in a state of perpetual freedom.”
—David Wojnarowizc, Close to the Knives
Like the wonderful artist cited above, I too am obsessed with transitions and transformations. But unfortunately our “on-demand” culture is lulling us into the expectation that we can effect real change — in ourselves, in the world — almost overnight.
In this episode, I talk about why transformation is far from instant — why it’s messy and awkward and hard. And why that’s a good thing. Because once we recognize the slow burn of real change, we can approach it with more realistic expectations and treat ourselves more gently.
Key takeaways from this meditation:
- Why we expect transformation to happen so quickly
- Notes on my funny/messy transformation from startup employee to podcast host who works for herself
- Three ideas for navigating transitions (e.g. job, relationship, etc) and transformation
Go Deeper
RESET, a cosmic tune-up for your workday. RESET is a new course from Hurry Slowly host Jocelyn K. Glei that shows you how to take a “heart-centered” approach to productivity that’s intentional, energizing, and inspiring. Watch the 30-second trailer at reset-course.com.
Get Jocelyn’s brainwaves in your inbox. If you like Hurry Slowly, you’ll love this twice-monthly email highlighting new ideas about how to be more creative, productive, and resilient. Sign up at hurryslowly.co/newsletter.
Favorite Quotes
“Expecting major transformation to happen easily and speedily is a recipe for impatience, stress, and self-criticism.”
“All transformations begin with a question: What if? What if I left my job? What if I started a company? What if I wrote a book? What if I reconnected with my spirituality?”
“We will spend a substantive portion of our lives in the process of transforming, which is why I think it’s important to have a realistic understanding of how these transformations unfold — and at what pace. And part of coming to terms with that involves letting go of this idea of a magical, alchemical instant easy transformation.”
Resources
References and additional reading for those who want to go deeper:
- My interview w/ Jason Fried of Basecamp
- How does a caterpillar transform into a butterfly?
- The life cycle of a Monarch butterfly
- My system for letting ideas percolate
- Tips from Brian Eno on developing your creative practice
- Details on Jocelyn’s new course: RESET
Call to Action
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