This is a time of the year often marked by personal and professional transitions, a time of graduations, weddings, first-days-at-the-new-job, and strategic planning for the next fiscal year. These transitions often bring a mix of anticipation and excitement — a sense of not knowing exactly what lies ahead but an eagerness to get there, nonetheless.

This year, we are all poised on a massive professional threshold, waiting to see what a “return to work” actually looks like. Our daily habits and routines have all gone out the window. We’re left in a sort of limbo, fretting over how long it will last and what will come next. All we really know, at the end of the day, is that work has been fundamentally changed.

These liminal periods — at the boundary of a new state or experience — are complex spaces to occupy. They can make us feel untethered and disoriented. But at the same time, they have great potential. The gift of transition is the opportunity for self-reflection, growth, and change. If we approach work and life transitions with the right mindset, they can be hugely rewarding.

Gaining greater clarity of mind on how we maneuver the new territory will help us all. 

By: Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter
Published On: Harvard Business Review