Riding the Roller Coaster of Unexpected Change - Part One

The Transitions Curve Model is commonly used to illustrate the different phases –and emotions- we experience as we move through the transition process that is triggered by change.

Change is an event.  Transition is the process of adapting to what is different because of the change.

Transition is triggered by an ending.  Something we once had we no longer do. A way of living, thinking and/or feeling has changed - and changed us in the process.

This may or may not be a change for the better. If we didn’t choose to make the change, we aren’t likely to believe it is a good change. But, even when we choose change, there is still no guarantee that the choice we’ve made will bring us what we expected. Either way, we still experience a time of transition until we accept what has ended and embrace what is new.

The Circle of Confusion is symbolic of how we often get stuck at the lowest point of the curve. We miss certain aspects of the past and don’t yet feel comfortable in the new world change has created. It’s an in-between time where we often have more questions than answers. “Why did this happen?  Why did we do this? What do we do if we find ourselves miserable in the new world? What if we fail? Was this a mistake?

If you’ve recently experienced a change, think about where you are on the curve at the moment. Or, how this applies to a change you experienced at another point in your life and how long it took you to let go of the old and embrace the new.

If other people are affected by the same change, think about how they’re moving through the transition process.  Individuals have different reactions to the same event and adapt to change at different speeds. This difference can cause problems in organizations and in personal relationships.

In Riding the Roller Coaster of UnexpectedChange Part Two, we’ll discuss what you can do to avoid getting stuck in the Circle of Confusion and increase the probability that your change will be a change for the better.


Copyright © 2019* Rita Burgett-Martell; Organizational Change Consultant, Keynote Speaker, Personal Coach — Strategic Transformations Consulting Inc; — Author of Change Ready! And Defining Moments — Available at Amazon


Rita Burgett-Martell is the author of two books: Change Ready! How to Turn Change Resistance into Change Readiness and Defining Moments: Seizing the Power of Second Chances to Create the Life You Want.