When my daughter, Katy, graduated from college last May, she came to live with me for 8 weeks. We had dinner together every night, we went shopping together, and we watched extensive seasons of Yellowstone. We ate a ton of sushi, explored new restaurants, and hit the frozen yogurt place more than my pants liked!
Then she left. I was bereft, because this was the last time that she would spend that kind of time in my house. She left for Dallas in the middle of July, and she is thriving in her new job and her new life. I am SO happy for her.
A client of mine called a few weeks ago and told me that his right-hand person was leaving him after many, many years. She was the one he bounced ideas off of, collaborated with and relied on for new processes. He depended on her for so much! She was completely changing her life and going back to school. She was SO excited about her new life! She gave my client a month’s notice. And, he was not completely surprised by this: she had indicated that she might go this route. He is bereft. He is also very happy for her, but so, so sad for himself.
Then, I realized that I had all this time on my hands, and I got to completely redefine my life. My client realized that this was an opportunity to re-define his operations.
I got excited! I still missed my baby girl, but I was excited. My client got excited! He was really going to miss working with his right-hand, but he is looking forward to this opportunity to transform everything for the better.
Change is never easy for us human beings and it has taken time to figure out what I want to do, just like it has taken my client some time to figure out how to transform his operations. In times of uncertainty and shifting, anything is possible. It is perfectly okay to honor the sadness, just like it is perfectly okay to feel excited about new opportunities. Human emotions are nuanced, and embracing both of these feelings is important to our growth.
POWER THOUGHT: In every ending there is a new beginning.