This is a solo episode where I share a new take on an old thought.
For many of us, the end of something feels final. The very definition is “the final part of something”. So, when we have this thought and we live with this definition, it can be challenging to decide to ‘end’ something.
Let’s look at our relationship with alcohol. Many people are reluctant to say ‘forever’ and make a permanent decision about alcohol. The idea feels daunting and ‘too’ final. Instead, we hear phrases such as ‘one day at a time’, or ‘never say never’. It’s become popular to say ‘you don’t have to say forever, just say for right now’. And, while I understand the reasoning, I believe this can keep us stuck. So many people I coach express that they want to learn to moderate, to drink occasionally. The idea of ‘making a clean break’ feels impossible.
But, what if we changed our thought around endings? What if we saw it not as an ending but as a new beginning? The definition of begin is ‘to start or initiate something’. I have realized on this journey of self-exploration, which started after I stopped drinking, that every ending is really a new beginning, and that what used to feel like an ending now feels like a transition. I have found that shifting my mind just slightly, to embrace the end of something as the beginning of something else has helped with any transition in my life.
This thought process works whether you are the one who chooses the transition or if it is forced upon you - a job loss, a relationship change, a death.
In this episode I share my personal ending and what it has meant to me to be at the new beginning.
I also share 5 steps to move through your own transition from ending to beginning.
