There’s been a lot of talk about transitions lately. And I’m not talking about THOSE transitions. The truth is, we’re all in some state of transition. There’s rarely a time in life when something is not in transition.

We transition from one location to another.

We transition from being hungry to being full to being hungry again (some more than others!).

We transition from one stage of life to the next.

We transition from our home to our workplace and back again.

We transition from job to job or even transition to different careers.

Kids multiply this experience exponentially. They transition from infants to toddlers to kids to pre teens to teenagers to young adults to adults. And if your daughter is like mine, she is transitioning from a kid to a teenager and already knows more than me, apparently.

During these transitions there is a lot of life that happens.

It’s sort of like the trips we’ve taken. Yes, we’ve gotten to see some incredible things and learned a lot about our country, and ourselves. But what if we didn’t pay attention or take advantage of all the times we are “in transition?” Google recapped what my travel looked like last year. Here’s what it says:

Driving – 900 hours (21,900 miles)

Bus/Train – 3 hours (58 miles)

Flying – 52 hours (14,073 miles)

That’s a lot of time “in transition” with opportunities for what could be some meaningful conversation. Often times, its in the transition where we can pay most attention to what’s really going on around us….and in us.

We, as parents, are tasked with not only navigating our own transitions, but we are responsible for leading our kids through their many transitions too. Often, the best way to teach them how to navigate transitions is by showing them as we navigate our own transitions. Scary thought, I know.

Are you anxious?

Are you impatient?

Are you nervous?

Are you uncertain?

If you answered yes to any of those questions about the transition you are navigating, then you are just like 99.9% of the humans who have experienced transitions throughout history.

It’s been said, it’s more about the journey than it is the destination. This has certainly been true for our family as we’ve set out on our crazy family goal. The picture of the signs is just a blip on the radar of all we experience on each journey. Another way it’s been said is that the process is the product. What these catchphrases are doing are helping us reframe and embrace the transitions we face throughout our lives.

So, as we transition into a new year, take a moment to pause and really pay attention to what’s happening around you and in you. Here are some questions that might help:

Are you getting closer to your goals or not?

What were your goals last year?

What are your goals this year?

What other transitions are you facing?

What transitions should you be facing? (asked another way, is there anything you need to start doing or perhaps stop doing?)

What transitions are your kids facing and how can you prepare them to walk through them successfully?

Taking some time to look out the window and reflect on these and other questions that might arise. Pausing to find the right answers will help ensure you stay on the right path or get on the right path in the midst of your transition.

Godspeed.

#daddylessons