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:

Call to Action

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