When you get stuck and are short (9 …) insight, take time to step back from the fray to reflect (10 …) how and why you are changing. Even as short a break as a day’s hike in the country can remove the blinders of habit. But don’t stay gone too long, or it will be hard to reel yourself back in. Only through interaction and active engagement in the real world do we discover ourselves.
Change happens in bursts and starts. There are times when you are open(11 …)big change and times when you are not. Seize opportunities.
Windows of opportunity open and close back up again. We go through periods when we are highly receptive (12 …) major change and periods when even incremental deviations from “the plan” are hard to tolerate. Take advantage of any natural windows (e.g., the period just after an educational program or assuming a new position; a milestone birthday) to start off (13 …) the right foot. Communicate to others that you have changed (and will be making more changes). Watch out (14 …) the insidious effect of old routines. Progress can be served (15 …) hanging in limbo, asking questions, allowing time and space to linger between identities. But don’t let unanswered questions bog you down; move on, even if to an interim commitment.