Transitions. Ugh. Even the word itself sounds a little scary.
It’s the word you hear around the office before the boss makes a big announcement that you just know isn’t going to mean good news for you. It’s the word your mom used to use to describe to her friends what you were experiencing when you were still sleeping on her couch a year after college graduation because your job prospects didn’t pan out. It’s the word you use to reassure yourself that the icky feelings you’re managing after the end of a relationship will probably pass. “This is just a transition.” Yeah, OK.
It is possible to turn this idea of transitions on its head, though — and it’s to our advantage to do just that, because they’re basically unavoidable for us mere mortals (and if you’ve somehow managed to eliminate them in your own life, have your people call our people). Transitions are a fact of life for all of us, and by definition, they’re pretty much always rocky. The trick is, then, to change up our own response to them. And while taking responsibility for our reaction to things always seems less ideal than just having those things fixed for us, it’s on us to look at unexpected changes as fun curveballs waiting to be caught instead of fast pitches bound to knock us out. This approach builds more character anyway, right? Chin up, solider!
In our first Mat Chat, bulldog’s Top Dog Katy talks about how she’s experienced —and learned to embrace — the rocky transitions she’s faced in her own life. (Gracie, who’s snoozing beside her, has admittedly had to overcome fewer challenges.)
Katy’s open-minded attitude toward change doesn’t make her totally superhuman. Need proof? Look no further than her “what the eff?” moment. Unexpected developments still prove surprising to our rockin’ Top Dog (did you see that shrug?), but she’s learned to move beyond the WTF and find peace in the greater plan. We can’t help but make plans — it’s just what we do — but that doesn’t mean those plans are always the right ones. There is, in fact, room for any of us to be wrong about what’s really best for us. It’s the rocky moments that can often help us become a little more right.
So, while you don’t have to love the transitional periods — because we certainly don’t — you can make like Katy and learn to accept them with arms that are slightly less closed. Field those curveballs, bulldoggers!
How do you deal with tough transitions? Tell us more on Facebook + Twitter!
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