Transitions are tough.
Most of us dislike change, particularly when it’s thrust upon us unexpectedly. But even when we know it’s coming, we dread its arrival.
Recently, a good friend of mine was speaking about her daughter leaving soon for college. My friend had been struggling for months with the idea of her only child going away to school, until she made a simple but powerful mindset shift.
She said, “It’s not a loss, it’s a change.”
In that moment it dawned on me that if my friend could come around from a place of sadness, anxiety, and worry to acceptance, then perhaps we could adopt her mindset for other transitions in life and career.
Change isn’t necessarily negative. Reframing a situation as a change rather than a loss means that you accept that things will be different (and possibly even okay or better).
The one thing we know is constant is change. And the only thing we can control is how we respond to it.
So the next time you’re faced with a transition, remind yourself that “it’s not a loss, it’s a change.”
And that that change may be just what’s needed to move your life forward.
This post first appeared on LinkedIn.