“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change.” Elizabeth Lesser
With the recent death of my mother, my life as I knew it has been completely upended. I feel slightly adrift and a bit unsettled as I negotiate an awkward emotional space and navigate the unfamiliar gray zone that comes with any transition.
I’m dealing with:
- a sizeable dose of uncertainty about new responsibilities and new choices;
- a little bit of overwhelm about the multitude of decisions to be made and actions to be taken;
- some identity adjustments that are afoot.
Talk about having my comfort zone interrupted!
But let’s face it, the “symptoms” of my life change aren’t unique to me or to circumstances of death. They accompany almost any major transition whether it’s been willfully initiated or unwilling imposed – whether it’s of a sad or happy nature.
In truth, the symptoms I’ve described could equally apply to you. So, the question isn’t so much if you’ll experience a major change over the course of your life. It’s not even really a matter of “when.” It is…
How will you manage the impact of the life change on your emotions and your finances – especially when your comfort zone has been dramatically altered?
To begin to answer this question, the definition of what triggers a transition needs to be expanded beyond the usual culprits of death, birth, divorce, and marriage to encompass a multitude of life-stage and life-style changes. Similarly, you need to acknowledge what’s really happening when a life change event occurs: you’re recalibrating your journey. That means you need to adjust your life + financial road and role maps.
Editing these maps will help you (and me) manage the questions that arise during the temporary state between what was, what is and what will be. It’ll help us address the anxiety, indecision, and fear that bubbles up. It’ll provide some structure and guidance to help us re-boot.
In March of this year, I asked Valerie Coleman Morris (former business anchor for CNN) to be my guest for this month’s Financial Intimacy Hour and we agreed that we’d focus on the theme of transitions. At the time, I had no idea the topic would hit so close to home. There’s a part of me that would rather stay in my cocoon and skip this topic. But that wouldn’t be honoring my mother and how she lived and faced disappointments and challenges.
So, on Wednesday, September 17th at 8pm EDT, the Financial Intimacy Hour is coming off of summer break. And I hope you’ll join me and my guest for, “Comfort Zone, Interrupted! How to Thrive In and Through Your Next Major Life Change.”
You’ll learn how to:
- re-gain your focus even as things remain unsettled. A cloudy mind makes poor choices.
- re-prioritize the decisions you make and the actions you take. When you’re in the throes of a transition, managing your energy becomes critically important!
- redesign your road + role maps so that your money supports you as you shift from where you are to where you want to be.
Life doesn’t come with a nicely-bound operating manual. Which is primarily why the problem with change is how change disrupts your comfort zone. Transitions prompt a realignment of expectations, emotions and personal finances. This is true whether your life change causes you to celebrate – like a new job, new client, new relationship, marriage, birth/adoption – or it’s something that causes you to mourn – like death, divorce, lost client, lost friendship, failed business.
I’m excited for the big-picture conversation we’ll have next week about how to manage your money as your life evolves and flows from stage to stage. Likewise, I’m looking forward to sharing with you practical resources aimed at helping you move into your next phase with as much grace and ease as possible.
I want for you what I desire for myself: to feel more sure-footed, confident and clear-headed, and to be more at peace with the unknown.
Even if you’re not in the midst of a major life change, I invite you to join us…you’ll learn how to survive and thrive the next one when it comes.
