In #75, I wrote about the three stages of transition as described by William Bridges (the ending, the interval/limbo stage, and then the beginning). I recently received a copy of the obituary from his passing last month.
What I didn't know about his work was that Bridges began his career as a literature professor, but found himself questioning this choice of profession. He then taught a class called "Being in Transition", but found little written about the topic or language to describe the feelings he was personally experiencing. So he decided to write about it.
He feared that his work was "slight" and would soon go out of print. Instead, what was an attempt to give words to a personal journey became a national bestseller (Managing Transitions) which sold more than a half-million copies. Bridges also went on to write other bestsellers and continued to link his scholarly work with the experiences he was living throughout the other transitions in his life.
Many years ago, I talked to a speaker on the college circuit who advocated recording lectures and sharing the tapes, "otherwise you are just talking to air." Jayne Lybrand believed that what she said had value, and made the effort to pass her messages on beyond who heard her in person, even though at the time the reproduction process required significant effort and expense.
Do you have experiences that you should document and share, but feel that they are "slight" and not worthy of publication? Are there lessons from your life that could benefit others? Today's technology makes it so easy to share your knowledge and insights. Take a lesson from Mr. Bridges and give language to what you are living. Your words may live on far longer than you do.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
* William Bridges obituary in ASTD newsletter, February 28, 2013
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