Navigating Transitions: Insights From Real Life
Transitions disappoint inflated expectations.
Running faster doesn’t solve disappointment. Wisdom unplugs the treadmill.
Fools speed up the treadmill after setbacks. Wisdom sells the treadmill.
Transitions teach wisdom, if you pause.
Burger King
My wife and I bought two BK Whoppers for a buck while we were in college. It was a thrill. We didn’t buy drinks or fries. We ate them at home.
I’m not happy with Whoppers today. We go to 5 Guys! It gets worse. I’m grilling a steak for lunch.
The hedonic treadmill is exhausting. A burger excites you until you can afford a filet mignon.
Transitions: Zeros Aren’t the Main Thing
I worked with two leaders who recapitalized their business with a private equity firm.
One said, “I felt no different; maybe even a little underwhelmed—in spite of more zeros and commas in bank accounts. I went through some serious soul searching to understand where I find joy. It took almost six months to fully process and feel the fire and realize that I did, in fact, enjoy the journey.”
Achievement isn’t always like Pharrell’s “Happy.”
Wisdom from Pausing During Transitions
My friend shared these nuggets.
- It starts and ends with people, you can’t ever forget that.
- You have to be a lifelong learner.
- Leaving a legacy is more ingrained in us than I thought. If you start by being a good person and that is your legacy, anything beyond that is icing on the cake!
- Spend your time and money making memories with loved ones. It’s more meaningful than leaving money and you get to experience the joy together (and maybe even build a legacy along the way)!
He added, “I’ll take my ‘real world MBA’ over a Business School MBA every day – life experiences are not taught in school or in spreadsheets.”
What lesson from transitions speaks to you?
What have you learned from transitions?
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We raised our now-adult daughters in the 1980s and 1990s, when home entertainment systems were evolving rapidly. “You’re always a VCR away from happiness” was my fatherly expression for the frustration of keeping up with the latest technology. Looking backward, my camera was a better tool for divining the important… the places/events,/people captured with it became the memories we celebrate today.
“You’re always a VCR away from happiness.” That’s father-wisdom. Thanks for sharing it. The challenge is being content and having aspiration at the same time. Content with what we have and aspiration to be a better person.