Smoothing Our Transitions, Maximizing Growth

When facing major transitions, maximize your growth by following four simple steps.

Few things can be as exciting and intimidating as big transitions. In the 1996 BYU devotional address “Transitions,” Janette Hales Beckham, then serving as Young Women general president, shares four tips to smooth transitions when we’re experiencing the major changes that come with moves, missions, and marriages.

1. Hold on to the familiar. Sometimes the security of something familiar is enough to give us the courage to adapt to new circumstances. Whether your familiar connection comes through a journal, a blanket, or some photos, feeling a connection to what we are leaving can give us a sense of belonging and the confidence to move forward.
2. Find a mentor. Talking to someone who loves us can make a world of difference when we’re transitioning. Parents, bishops, friends, teachers, and many others are often more accessible than we think.
3. Make a plan. Periods of change are opportunities to forge new habits and make positive changes. Beckham shares, “Good habits can become a part of ourselves that give a feeling of permanence and security no matter where we are.” By making plans and developing the discipline to stick with them, we can maximize our growth.
4. Don’t forget to pray. While everything else changes, we can know that our Heavenly Father will not. He perfectly understands our circumstances, even when we don’t. More importantly, he can help us catch the vision of our ultimate destiny.

While these four practices will not eliminate every challenge from our transitions, they can help us maximize our growth and reach our full potential as children of God.

For more advice and personal experiences, read Janette Hales Beckham’s full talk “Transitions.”

Source: BYU Speeches

—Shelby Gardner, Mormon Insights

feature image by kelly sikkema

Find more insights

Check out the Mormon Channel’s blog post “Adjusting to Change: How to Tackle Life Transitions.”

Read Elder Cecil O. Samuelson’s “A Time of Transitions” for more advice on adjusting to major life changes.

For tips from young adults on how to stay steady when leaving home, read the Ensign article “Holding to the Rod after High School.”