Hi Reader,
A thing I see over and over again in my work - and life! - is how long transitions really take.
Not just the calendar time, but the emotional time.
In career pivots, layoffs, creative shifts, or “I think I’m becoming someone else” seasons, the hardest part is rarely the logistics. It’s the gap. The waiting. The in-between.
🎭 The Scene
Transitions are expensive in ways we don’t talk about enough:
Emotionally - Who am I now?
Financially - How long can I sustain this?
Narratively - What do I even tell people when they ask?
Socially - Why does everyone else seem further ahead?
And then the quiet one:
What if this takes longer than I thought?
Most people think they’re struggling because they lack motivation or confidence. But in reality, long transitions are identity, nervous system, and labor market problems all woven together into one big whopper of a challenge.
💡 Cue the Shift
Here’s the pattern I want to name:
Identity moves faster than narrative.
Narrative moves faster than the labor market.
Sometimes you can feel internally ready long before the world is ready to receive you, and that mismatch is where doubt blooms.
If you’re in that space right now, nothing is wrong with you. You’re just in an act change no one taught you how to recognize.
🌱 The Takeaway
Long transitions aren’t a sign you’re behind...
They’re a sign that something in you is reorganizing!
Try the following - it may help.
Finish this sentence somewhere you can see it:
“Who I’m becoming — even if I can’t prove it yet — is someone who ______.”
Proof comes last. Clarity comes sooner. But courage?
Courage comes somewhere in between.
If you’re in that in-between space, I’m glad you’re here.
Prefer a gentler next step? Join a Co-Working Friday - connection makes transitions feel less lonely. Join a Co-Working Friday
With warmth and clarity,
Gladys Pérez
Trauma-informed career coach & clarity strategist
📞 646-598-7458
*P.S. Not everyone needs coaching and not everyone needs me. Fit matters. That’s why the consult is a conversation first - no obligation - before anything else.