The Fog of Transition

Across America there are likely thousands of people leaving their jobs in pursuit of new opportunities every day of the week. Indeed, there are likely nearly as many who are leaving one career in which they’ve been heavily invested in pursuit of a new challenge. Certainly, any change can be difficult for people and there are added stressors involved when those changes involve one’s career. What will I do? Where will we live? What salary do I need to earn? Am I worth that? There seem to be myriad questions but few answers, and the additive stressors that most people encounter, create a cloud that obscures the answers even more. In the Army, we often speak of a phenomenon called the “fog of war,” that is the cloud of uncertainty, lack of clarity of what is taking place, and incomplete if not erroneous information related to the current situation. I never knew that the fog of transition also existed.

My story is a bit different than most leaving the Army. Although I had planned on transitioning this year, my timeline was unclear due to medical and normal administrative processes involved with retiring. Since the implementation of new automation systems, many retirement packets had experienced delays and I anticipated the same for mine. In short, my retirement was approved in fairly short order and due to terminal leave and my timeline I received my retirement orders and completed out-processing about a week after receiving my approval. What was once simply the thought of retirement was suddenly a reality and one with an underestimated sense of finality.

After all of the congratulatory expressions pass, the focus shifts to seeking out “what next?” Do I follow my passion? Do I continue to ride the same horse that I’ve been riding for the past 30 years? Do I combine my experiences and my passion with my interests? Do I venture into something complete different with less demands and more free time? Friends reach out offering advice and relaying their experiences. The LinkedIn mailbox fills with offers of job finding support from complete strangers all with secret insights to sell. Family begins to ask, “what are your plans, have you submitted any applications, do you have any offers?” The fog gets thicker, the sun begins to set, and what lies ahead becomes less and less clear.

No matter how unclear the journey becomes, the power of the human spirit ensures that the destination can always remain clear. I’ve always been very goal oriented. I’ve pursued and achieved objectives that took years and decades to conquer. To be sure, I’ve fallen short of a few as well along the way, but my successes far outpace the few misses. I’m finding great clarity in returning to my aspirational mindset – the ability to see the potential in places few realize possible and others summarily dismiss. By formulating a vision of what could exist in the future, the journey is becoming clearer. The sun is rising. The fog of transition is beginning to lift.

The destination. The plan to get there. The journey. The unexpected obstacles. The joy and euphoria of arriving.

The fog is lifting. Now the journey begins…

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