| Living With Change Transitions Life is a continuum—an accumulation of experiences that makes us who we are and influences how we view ourselves and the world around us. As we review these experiences, we realize that our lives have been permeated with change. In fact, we interact with change on a moment by moment basis. As ironic as it may seem, change is the only constant in our lives. Certain changes are barely perceptible to our consciousness, while other changes can overtake our lives suddenly and alter them forever. Some changes are welcome, and others are not. Two people can experience the same change and respond in completely different ways. Change is with us all the time, yet often allusive and difficult to understand. We can’t stop change nor would we want to. But we could often do a better job of anticipating and preparing for change. Virginia Satir wrote, “Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” How we respond to change can have a profound affect on the decisions we make, the opportunities we seek, and the quality of life we experience. So too can our willingness to initiate change improve our lives and those of others. William Bridges, preeminent authority on change and managing change, defines transition as the psychological process people go through to come to terms with a new situation. In the world of music, the “passing note” is a note that is not part of a particular chord, but is placed between two chords to provide a smooth melodic transition from one to the other. How can we become “passing notes” in our own lives? The ways we respond to and initiate change can have everything to do with how well we manage our lives and the success we experience.
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