Beginning Your Life’s Work

With a shell, new members of Transition Central were invited into the group.

It can be quite a challenge to initiate a new project, especially when that project is part of your life’s work. Starting Transition Central – definitely part of my life’s work – hasn’t been any different. Before we know it, everything in us says the very thing we want to create is the most stupid idea we’ve ever come up with. As a result, we don’t start at all.

Here are some tips that will make it easier for you to begin doing your life’s work.

In what way can it be easy?
The first step doesn’t need to be fancy or grandiose. The first meeting of Transition Central took place in my living room. My husband cooked lunch.

After the promising pre-session, I invited other members into the group. Early September, eight of us came together as a group for the first time. We used my husband’s studio as a meeting place. Nothing big, nothing huge. Just easy and doable, so that we could start our collaboration.

I see many people who feel inspired to or have already found a way of doing their life’s work. Fabulous! However, it can be a lonely exercise. It can become hard to wake in the morning and be courageous enough to make the next move. There might be other parts in you that are longing to get back to a more secure track.

When you decide to commit to your life’s work and stick to the plan, it does ask something from you. It requires determination, courage and persistence. You need to learn how to deal with your own inner resistance that will always come up, whatever you do.

I initiated Transition Central to support and encourage a small, dedicated and high-trust group of people who want to walk the path together.

What have been the most important lessons?
First, trust the process. I trust that preparing myself for a meeting by going for a walk in the forest and by reflecting on my ideas with one or two people is enough. Instead of planning it all out from A to Z, I just had a few notes. I allowed myself to experiment and to respond at the spur of the moment.

Second, take on the role as the leader. Before Transition Central, I already knew that I wanted to make the shift from solely working one-on-one towards also working with groups. I hadn’t figured out in what shape or form though. With Transition Central, the form was there, ready to be explored and further developed.

As a result of starting Transition Central, I have learnt that facilitating groups is also an important part of my work. I love to hold space for a group and to encourage all members to learn what they can learn right there and then.