Calling on the P10!

I belong to a mastermind group called the P10 (The Power of 10). Last month our group made up of club industry professionals was asked to be interviewed by Kyle Jennings on CMAA’s Let’s Talk Club Management podcast. We were thrilled to be asked to talk about what a mastermind is, how ours works, what it does for us, what we have experienced and how we have changed or grown because of it. Listen to it if you are interested.

I am always inspired by listening to the others in our mastermind, and this month I was inspired to not just talk about the concept or the group itself, but rather show you what it does when you put it into action. I thought I would give them a topic to consider and share with you the wisdom that came from this extraordinary group of people.

I decided to ask them for their wisdom for people who are presently going through a transition. I thought this might be relatable to most readers are either going through a transition or have someone in their world who is.

Our lives are full of times of transition, and they can be times that are difficult. It is my hope that something that comes from my group that can help you navigate the transition you are going through.

My inspiration for this came after I attended my granddaughter’s graduation. Kevin how old are you? My granddaughter was graduating from her daycare on Friday and starting kindergarten on Tuesday. For the teachers who had her in their care for more than four years it seemed to be a very sad day. My granddaughter on the other hand was excited and full of joy.

That is the thing about transition. The emotions that accompany the transition can be high or low, happy or sad, scary or exciting and everything in between. Regardless, we get to go through them.

There are so many transitions in life that it is unlikely that you are not in one or close to one. Between the 10 of us we have had successes and failures, triumphs and tragedies, health and illness, marriage and divorce, employment and unemployment, shattered dreams and the loss of loved ones. On the day we had our discussion on this topic we had the news that someone that we all knew had made a transition from life to what is next.

Here are some thoughts for you if you are going through a transition.

You Get to Choose How You View It

You can be happy or sad, and in most transitions, there is lot of room for both. The challenge is when you get stuck and can only focus on what you have lost. You can view it from a place of scarcity or abundance. You can view it from a place of loss or opportunity. Having awareness that how you view it can impact how quickly or successfully you move through it.

Go Through It in Your Time

If you think there is a correct amount of time you should be done grieving or being upset about what was before you are ready to grow into what can be, there is not. Be patient with yourself, be kind, be forgiving, and be gentle. Have self-compassion and take the time you need.

Make Connection

In some transitions people feel like they are alone or the only person that has ever experienced this. In both cases it is helpful to find out that those beliefs are not true. In some cases, it feels good to isolate or disconnect in a transition, but please don’t do it for long. There is a lot of support available.

Professional Support

You can go through it alone, but there are people who can get you through it quicker.

Work on You

You don’t have to be the same person on one side of the transition that you were on the other side. How will you choose to be? How would you like to be seen? What did you learn about yourself? What role did you play, positive or negative that resulted in the transition? What do you need to be at your best? How does what you are transitioning into align with your values. What is your vision? How will you choose to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?

Like driving a car, we can look in the rearview mirror to see where we have been, we can look through the windshield to see what is ahead of us and we can look at the GPS System to map out where we want to go.

Reflect

Take some time to see where you have been and what you have learned.

Be Curious

Get ready to discover what is ahead of you and how you will adapt and grow in the process.

Dream

Create a vision of how you would like it to be and how you will be to make that happen.

Transition is growth! Change is growth!

Establish New Goals and Routines

You don’t have to have the same habits or actions you had before.

Put Things in Perspective

The more you experience, the more perspective you have. The more you travel, the more perspective you have. The more you learn, the more perspective you have. The transition you are in may seem a lot easier when you consider it in context with transitions you have already navigated or the transitions that others are facing.

Celebrate the Transition

Congratulations, you are here, we can hardly wait to see what you do with it.

When we in the P10 are going through some kind or change in our lives, it is a comfort to know that we have a family that care about us and will not let us go through it alone.

The P10 is made up of Dick Kopplin, Jill Philmon, Rick Coyne, Andrea Curthoys, Skip Avery, Kim Pasquale, Todd Marsh, Steve Tyink, Three Carpenter, and Kevin MacDonald.