The Power of Transitions
Buddhism teaches us a simple but profound truth: everything changes. Transitions are all about change. They can be as ordinary as leaving the house to buy groceries or as significant as a new work or financial situation, aging/illness, or experiencing a shift in a relationship. These changes can feel positive, negative, or neutral.
For most of my life, I have overlooked the potential of these transitions. But since they’re happening all the time, it’s worth exploring how to make the most of them. Let’s start by looking at neutral transitions, perhaps the most undervalued of them all.
Neutral Transitions = Hidden Opportunities
We spend approximately 4-10 years of an 80-year life (about 90 to 150 minutes per day) on things like going from the bedroom to the kitchen, or from home to work/the grocery store. Many of us spend this time either lost in thought or ignoring and discounting the value of these neutral transitions (a significant number of our injuries also occur during these “mindless” periods - like running and bumping your shin on a flipped shopping cart, a painful lesson I learned recently!).
How do we start making the most of these significant chunks of time? Here are simple ways to reclaim these overlooked hours:
- Pay attention to every neutral transition. When you do this, you might find that “neutrality” shifts to “engagement.” Every moment holds potential for insight. That’s a pretty exciting proposition when you think about it!
- When you finish reading this newsletter, instead of transitioning mindlessly, standup and feel the sensation of each foot pressing into the ground.
- When you transition to work, focus on each small action you take to arrive. As you begin noticing more details about your transition to work, you’re improving your brain’s capacity to focus - it’s like doing a bicep curl for your brain.
Using Neutral Moments to Enrich Your Everyday Experiences
Staying focused deepens your connection to the world and can transform routine activities into something meaningful. We don’t need to win the lottery or go to Nepal to experience something extraordinary. What if you start seeing neutral transitions as valued parts of your life? Let's explore some practical ways to enrich even the most mundane everyday experiences:
- Next time you buy something, think about what it took to produce that item and reflect on how you earned the money to buy it.
- On your next trip to work or to visit a friend, try to notice one new thing. This could include the route you take or the feeling you have when you first encounter this place or person.
- Pay attention to the “neutral” people in your life. These could include the clerk at the store, a co-worker on a different team, a neighbor, or a rideshare driver. It’s not about spending more time with these people, it’s about cultivating awareness of their contributions to your life.
While I still get distracted during neutral transitions, being curious about them has brought me unexpected joy. It has led to more thoughtful spending and giving, and it has deepened my appreciation for the people I encounter daily, which often results in more memorable exchanges.
We may not be able to add years to our lives, but we can certainly add life to our years. Let’s be pioneers and enrich our lives by exploring neutral territory.
In my next two newsletters, we’ll take a look at positive and negative transitions, how to recognize and understand their “feeling tone,” and how to channel the energy in these experiences so we can live with more ease and prosperity.
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