Transitions--doesn't life seem to be overflowing with them these days?

We all have gone through difficult changes in our lives, some by choice and others not of our choosing.

There’s leaving a place, be it a job or physically moving, where we would love to have stayed but couldn’t.

And then there are the situations where bridges were burning down all around us, and we couldn’t get off the bridges fast enough! 

Either way, it’s not fun, but how you handle these situations can make all the difference in the world.

For instance, you can:

• Learn to recognize and then prevent “burning bridge” scenarios before they start
• Choose to leave situations (good and bad) both intentionally and graciously

By doing so, you can leave those situations with high levels of integrity, self-respect, and goodwill. Here are three things you can try towards this end:

1. Recognize When It’s Time to Leave

This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes when you're in the thick of things, it hard to recognize the signs that it's time to leave.

To make my point, how many of us have stayed in a job too long with poor results? It’s happened to me too frequently! Here’s one example:

I had just moved to Kansas City, didn’t know anyone, and had to take any job I could find. I landed a role as an admin at a good company. And I must admit that I admire admins for what they do because I am NOT good at it. I had a great boss, so I could tolerate it at the time. Even so, it was time to leave, but I wasn’t too motivated to make the change. Even so, I was experiencing the following:

• Increasing conflict within myself and with management
• Dissatisfaction with the status quo
• A yearning for something more

Out of this experience, I’ve learned to recognize these signs of when it’s time to leave and then to do just that.

Here’s my advice: Once you recognize signs like this, carefully consider if it’s time to make a move, and then decide accordingly. If you choose to stay, analyze why you’re experiencing these feelings and work towards a resolution.

2. Try to Keep Your Bridges from Burning Down

In this same example, things got intense when new leadership came in. They started me down the path of firing me. Thankfully, I was able to find a great job before they could.

Once I told them I was leaving, I decided to prove that I was not the slacker they thought I was. I prepared desktop procedures for my job, even though they didn’t ask me to. Throughout the whole process, I was respectful. I think all of this shocked them!

Management accepted my two-week notice and gave me the second week off. Woo hoo! In the end, it paid off!

My advice: If you are in a similar situation, be the bigger person--don't burn your bridges. Retaliation and non-conformance will get you nowhere. And you never know, you may have to cross those bridges at a later date.

3. Ensure Continuity

Next, do something like what I did.

Help the next person coming in to fulfill your responsibilities to be successful. A potential benefit is watching difficult leadership reframe what they think of you! Kill them with kindness, I say!


These tips are just scratching the surface. You can do many other things to leave intentionally and graciously. Doing so can bring a sense of satisfaction, self-respect, and higher levels of integrity. And who doesn’t want that?

# # #

Speaking of burning bridges, many companies feel burned by past IT projects that didn’t succeed and now don’t want to step their toes into the water again anytime soon.

That’s one reason why Michael Cantu and I wrote our book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation! We wrote it with these rightfully cautious leaders in mind.

If you’d like to learn how to successfully plan for and execute IT projects, then click the button below!

With all the crazy stuff going on in our world, finding peace of mind and a serene center may be difficult.

I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly been the case with me lately. I've been playing catch-up after Michael Cantu and I launched our paperback version of our best-selling e-book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation, last month. I have more than I can do at this point!

In times like these, I love to use the following techniques to help me feel more serene and present in my circumstances.

I’m sharing them with you in hopes they’ll help you, either now or in the future, when life gets crazy.

1. Practice the 5-Senses Grounding Technique

When I’m too excited about something or am stressed out, and my brain is going 90 mph, practicing these grounding techniques helps me. I’ll find a quiet space to focus intently on these five steps, moving slowly from one to the next.

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ...
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ...
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ...
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ...
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

You’ll hopefully feel calmer and more present in your circumstances when you finish.

2. Share Your Life with Friends

If you’re anything like me, I work from home with no one but my dogs to keep me company during the day. The isolation can sometimes get to me.

Since I am an external processor, I make it a point to reach out and share my life with friends to have in-depth, authentic conversations. Doing so helps me to stay more centered. And even in times of excitement, sharing your recent experiences with friends can be fun. That can even uplift them!

3. Journal

I’ve been journaling since my late 20s, and it has been my lifeline. If you have a myriad of emotions you’re experiencing, working through those with pen and paper can be therapeutic. It’s certainly been that way for me.

And there’s proof of how powerful journaling can be. Studies show that journaling can reduce the adverse effects of stress, decrease the symptoms of chronic health conditions, improve clarity, and help with problem-solving.

If you’re unsure how to start, there’s no set formula. Just start! You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say. Just let the words flow.


I hope these tips will help you reduce your stress levels. If you have a chance to try them out, I’d love to hear how they worked for you!

# # #

Speaking of stress, are you facing challenges in your organization that seem unsolvable?

That’s where I love to come in! As a business transformation expert, I enjoy helping organizations solve their most pressing problems.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to hop on a quick phone or Zoom call to help point you in the right direction.

Click the button below to get started!