What Works: Loss? It’s Time to Shift!

know it’s weird. But every Fall, I don’t rush for the pumpkin spice lattes and the sweaters. It takes me awhile to embrace what some would call their favorite season. It usually takes until about now, a few days before Nevada Day, to notice that the loss of my beloved summer is turning into something new — the holiday season.

Nevada Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s pile up the festivities and create a shift into 2020. There’s a message in my pre-holiday resistance though. As summer slips way, I must remember that loss (of any kind) is a time to shift.

The trees lose their leaves every Fall, changing into beautiful hues of orange, yellow, and even purple before they drop. Businesses can lose accounts, but free up resources to focus in on ideal clients and possibly different services.

We lose beloved friends, but the friends who come in close tell a tale that may not have been told without the loss. We may lose a job. In that time between employment and unemployment, we are reeling from the loss. But we can take comfort in this constant.

When we lose, newness comes.

So how can we leverage loss to help us move into our next season?

Honor what was lost. Whether it’s a client, a friend, or a romantic relationship, it feels like a loss because it is. What (or who) was lost brought money, joy, happiness, and connection in the past. Honoring that and lovingly releasing the current presence of it is a start to a new beginning.

Lean into what is now open. Loss brings out the best and worst in all of us. We run the full spectrum of emotions. By recognizing there is an opening, we can now lean into that – admiring the expanse of possibility.

Open up to change. Are you being called to shift? Remaining open and aware of opportunity and inspiration, you can make a new choice. Realize what you can control within the change.

Gather positive support. Celebration and support is one of the three elements of creating momentum. (The others are action and consistency.) Gather positive support that will encourage your healing and growth.

Continue! This is the consistency part. Consistent effort = consistent results. Remain consistent with your shift and you will create change. It takes

Encourage your own momentum. Healing from loss takes time. Being gentle with yourself and encouraging your momentum along this path of a different, possibly not chosen, way will empower you.

Understand it takes time. Phillippa Lally published a study which determined the duration of time for habit change. The findings should give you some peace if you aren’t “snapping to it” quickly. Two months is the time it takes to form an automatic new behavior. The span of time is anywhere from 18 to as many as 254 days. So be gentle with yourself!

The trees are experiencing loss right now, ushering in a new season. What is your new season? How can unexpected loss be a springboard to honor what was and move into a version of self, business, career, or relationships that would not have existed without it? The floor is yours, Carson City.

ABOUT DIANE DYE HANSEN
Diane Dye Hansen has more than 20 years of experience in communication and change management gained in the sectors of government, non-profit, healthcare, publishing, advertising, entertainment, and technology. Her Critical Opportunity Theory helps organizations and leaders turn challenge into opportunity through proper leadership and team communication.
She is the president and founder of What Works Consultants, Inc., a consulting firm which helps business leaders communicate when communication is hard. This is done through research, strategic communication planning, change management consulting, human resources recruitment and training. She is a columnist on CarsonNow.org. To meet her and learn how she and her team can help your company, visit What Works Consultants, Inc. online at www.whatworksconsultants.com.