In this article, we'll explore two very different transitions: the sudden ones that throw us off course, and the long-overdue ones we delay for years.

You'll find strategies for navigating both — including how to reclaim confidence after a layoff, and how to focus your energy on building a future, potentially a portfolio career.

Every client I worked with was going through some form of change. But this year, I noticed a trend. Not only are external changes, economic, political, organizational, happening more and more often, but internal changes initiated by individuals are also becoming more prominent.

This is good news, not only for the coaching industry but because it shows that people are actively preparing themselves for change. In a way, that points to increased TQ, “Transitional Quotient,” or “Transitional Intelligence.”

Change is always messy. Change can be miserable. Change can be difficult. And most importantly, not all changes are equal. Let’s take a look at two extremes:

Scenario 1: The Change That Comes Too Suddenly

Sometimes, it’s the sudden change that hijacks our life — a re-org, a layoff, the passing of a loved one, or an unexpected promotion. We are caught off guard. Options seem limited. We want time to think things through, but time is in short supply. We must move fast.

You feel like a helicopter searching for an emergency landing pad. As you circle around, you have an urge to just drop onto any patch of open space. Yet you hope it will be a green patch of grass. Better still, next to a hotel — with a swimming pool.

Scenario 2: The Change That’s Long Overdue

Other times, it’s about the change that never seems to happen. The desire has been brewing inside you, sometimes for years. But the nagging is getting louder and harder to ignore. It warns, “Get moving now, or you’ll find yourself in Scenario 1.”

You sit in your warm and cozy lounge, looking out to the snowy mountain. That warning becomes a quiet torture. You worry this comfort will one day kill you — like warm water does to the frog. Yet you don’t know what to do, where to go, how to counter your inertia. Your hand hesitates on the door handle to the cold, unknown world.

Scenario 1 calls for acceptance, adaptability, and pragmatism.

Scenario 2 calls for activation, imagination, and courage.

Neither should be so hard. We humans are famously adaptable, imaginative, and capable of creating new options. And you, with a successful career behind, have plenty of these traits.

So when things become difficult, you are not stuck, you are in transition.

If change is what happens on the outside, transition is the internal process we go through. It typically includes an ending, a messy middle, and a new beginning. Understanding how transition works raises your TQ and helps you to become more resilient and agile in taking actions.

For Scenario 1: A Good Ending Is a Great Start 

When sudden changes happen, we often have no time to fully process what’s occurred. We switch into survival mode. But there are consequences. Most people who’ve been laid off, for instance, carry a mix of shame, anger, hurt, or fear long after the event. It shows up differently for different people — but a loss of confidence is common.

Many also develop a cynical view of certain companies, industries, or the corporate world in general. Don’t underestimate the shock. It can make us feel unsafe. One of my clients described it as “having the carpet pulled out from under her feet.” Our usual brave self disappears, fear takes over, and optimism gets thrown under the bus.

Some grieve the golden times, the once-promising career, the dream team, the perfect relationship with a boss. Others carry anger from the chaos in their ex-employer organization. Sleepless nights are haunted by people and events that won't let go.

The change happened. But we are likely still in transition. It doesn’t end the moment we leave the company. All our unresolved emotions keep our energy trapped in the past.

Pay attention to the emotions. Work on them. Learn from them. As soon as you can. Then, you can truly end it well. A good ending is a great start.

For Scenario 2: Focus on Starting, Not Ending

Our need for ceremonial actions is intriguing. Want to become healthier? Subscribe to a calorie-tracking app. Craving progress? Get a more senior job. Preparing for the future? Sign up for a course. Building a new life? Quit the job. Leave the country.

Such actions signal change, mostly to oneself. But a premature resignation often leads to going back to the previous track within a year — driven by the same old inertia. With an inadequate ending, we carry old patterns into new places and end up creating similar scenarios.

And for many, deciding whether or not to quit is harder than actually designing your next chapter. Then we spend days debating whether to quit, and in the activity become less and less engaged or invested in our job. In fighting this artificial bottleneck we invented ourselves, our creative energy for designing and building our future gets drained and lost.

Ending the current situation is not a good way to end inertia. In fact, it’s missing the point. There is a very good reason why the current situation wants to perpetuate itself - you are benefiting from it in many ways: usually it’s stability, status, and resources. There is future potential too, which you invested to build up to this day. You don’t want to trash them so easily. And so you shouldn’t.

Instead, focus on what you want to start. As the cliche goes, “Be the change you want to see in your life.”

Want a better work-life balance? Try negotiating boundaries in your current job. Want to step into leadership? Start communicating more strategically. Want to build a portfolio career? You already have one. You’re just not seeing it that way — yet.

Building a portfolio career from where you are

Right now, 80–90% of your time might be dedicated to your corporate role. But chances are, you're already juggling multiple “roles” in the background: mentor, advisor, investor, volunteer, learner, parent, and thought partner. That’s a portfolio. It’s just weighted heavily toward one employer.

What if the shift into a portfolio career isn’t about starting something new, but about rebalancing what’s already there? Of course, many corporates have policies that limit external engagements. You can’t be a director on another company’s board. You might have to declare outside income or seek approval for side projects. But there are many roles and work that can be allowed or even encouraged because they increase the efficacy of your current role, such as teaching, community building, thought leadership, etc.

And these restrictions aren’t permanent — they’re contextual. What they show is this: you already have a portfolio of skills and interests, but only one line on your payslip. The invitation is not to “quit and figure it out,” but to start curating your future mix slowly, intentionally, and with integrity.

Later, you may look back and find you built a pavilion atop an existing structure. You didn’t need to tear it all down. As to where the old ends and the new begins — does it matter?

One practical tip: Join this resourceful and helpful LinkedIn group Portfolio Careers in Asia if you are on the way to a portfolio career.

Be Pragmatic, Not Rigid

If you catch yourself thinking, "I must always have a job to feel safe," or "I need an income above X to be okay," ask yourself: How rigid am I being? You might be right. But rigidity narrows options. “I’ll only be happy as a salesperson.” “Only in MNCs.”

Or if you catch yourself wanting to set a plan, “I must leave the corporate life in two years.” “I must build financial freedom in 10 years with xxMn$ savings.”

The tighter the requirement, and the shorter the timeline, the more likely you get derailed by the stress created from your self-expectation, and not focus on building a future. As such, the transition becomes harder.

Another type of rigidity goes for clinging to one’s past experience. In times of change, designing the future using yesterday’s data rarely works.

Designing one’s future is an open-ended job. Stay open. Accept that not everything will be clear. Not everything will succeed. Your job is to try. Build possibilities. Invalidate some options. Don’t rush to conclusions. Trust that doing without guarantees is exactly what you need — and it’s enough.

Be Strategic, Yet Agile

In an ideal world, we want to:

• Know who we are, and are clear on our values

• Envision a future aligned with them

• Build a strategy and long-term plan

• Take near-term actions based on that strategy

But clarity is often elusive.

In Scenario 1, we’re forced to re-examine our beliefs with no time to reflect.

In Scenario 2, we’ve already been searching our minds to no avail.

In both cases, we are not the problem. The “waterfall” mindset is. While the tech world has embraced agility, the old, linear way of thinking still dominates our careers and lives. And it is often the least helpful element in this ambiguous world full of possibilities.

Be Patient, Not Passive

An agile mindset allows us to anchor in partial truths, experiment, stay patient, and continuously refine as new data emerges. This is a “learner” mindset.

In Scenario 1: Don’t overpack for your trip. You just got pulled out of bed and have 30 minutes to pack. Take your passport, your phone, and two sets of clothes. As for toiletries and raincoats — you’ll figure it out once you land. Don’t miss the flight.

In Scenario 2: Don’t try to move your whole house. Explore other rooms. Travel light.

And Never Travel Alone.

In Scenario 1, find your people. Ask for help. Let others know you've been hijacked by unexpected change. That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.

In Scenario 2, seek connection too. Hear others’ stories. Broaden your sense of what’s possible.

That’s where real change begins.

The Beauty and Opportunity of Transitions

Transitions aren't merely phases of stress or uncertainty. They’re powerful bridges connecting past and future. Looking back, we often thank them for bringing us somewhere better.

In summary:

• In sudden change: a good ending is a great start

• In long-overdue change: focus on starting, not ending

• To be agile: challenge rigid thinking

• And always: travel with others

I hope this article offers new ways to find agility and resilience — your keys to navigating a changing world.

Yolanda Yu
Coach and lifelong learner

​

Past issues

About this newsletter: You are receiving this email because you have engaged me as a coach or explored my service before. Please excuse me for taking the liberty of sending you the first issues. If you wish to unsubscribe from it, please reply to the email. I will remove you from the mailing list.

Every Friday, I share ONE idea and its manifestations and 1 question for you to ponder. Other ingredients you can expect will be book extracts, quotes, metaphors, tools, resources, and mini-exercises to keep growing your self-awareness.