<\/p>\n
Maybe you shouldn\u2019t be.<\/strong> \u201d<\/span><\/strong>In other words, if the identity you have constructed hinges on a specific label, you will be in trouble during a transition<\/strong>. If, on the other hand, you have identified the qualities that made you so good at what you did in that role, then you can search for other ways in which to express those qualities.<\/span><\/span> I didn\u2019t make the change overnight, though. <\/p>\n _______________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n Lynette Crane<\/strong> is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, coach, and author of two books: The Confident Introvert and Quiet Brilliance: Solving Corporate America\u2019s Leadership Crisis with Hiding in Plain Sight Talent.<\/span> Maybe you shouldn\u2019t be. Transitions \u2013 in life or in career \u2013 are tough. One of the hardest parts is the seeming attack on your identity when you no longer fill a given role, a role you may have played for years, even decades. People who have had to change careers for physical or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[746,14],"tags":[455,678,679,680,681,682,683,684,685,686,687,688],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/span>
\nTransitions \u2013 in life or in career \u2013 are tough.<\/strong> One of the hardest parts is the seeming attack on your identity when you no longer fill a given role, a role you may have played for years, even decades. People who have had to change careers for physical or health reasons, retirees from work to which they have dedicated years of their lives, mothers whose children have grown up and fled the nest, all struggle with this identity crisis.
\n<\/span>
\nI know it well: I was a very dedicated ballet dancer when I was young.<\/strong> I lived and breathed ballet: my companions, my choices in food, clothing, entertainment, the d\u00e9cor in my bedroom, all pivoted around my focus on dance.<\/span>
\n
\nThen I had to stop.<\/strong> Ballet isn\u2019t something you do forever. But when I did, I had this vast, empty cavern inside of me that I couldn\u2019t seem to fill. If I wasn\u2019t a dancer, how would other people know who I was, relate to me in a way that I felt comfortable? What did I have to be proud of? What would I talk about, and to whom? Would I become invisible? I felt invisible.
\n<\/span>
\nThe problem was this: I had identified myself as a \u201cdancer.\u201d So if I wasn\u2019t being a dancer, who was I?<\/span><\/strong>
\nAs a wise friend remarked, \u201cNo, you\u2019re a person<\/em> who dances. And when you are no longer dancing, you will still be a person<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nMy problem was that I was a performer:<\/strong> I loved it, even craved it. And yet, as a shy introvert, I couldn\u2019t get that thrill on a day-to-day basis: spontaneous social contacts left me receding into panic. I needed that stage.<\/span>
\n
\nI also loved to wear costumes and the special way they made me feel. Finally, my body needed to feel the freedom of movement.
\n<\/span>
\nMost of all, I love to share all the things I have experienced, and from which I have learned, with others<\/strong>.<\/span>
\nSo this is the story of how I became a professional speaker: someone who, dressed a little more elegantly than the audience, sways people emotionally and provides them with information and the positive energy they are seeking. Making broad, sweeping gestures and using body language appropriate to the content of the speech is a necessity to inform, motivate, and yes, entertain people.<\/span>
\n
\nAnd guess what, I can do this the rest of my life!<\/strong> Aging joints and muscles and less-than-vigorous energy levels won\u2019t deter me. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>
\nIf you are in transition, take stock of what you do well, those great qualities you may not even recognize in yourself<\/strong>: headily directing a team of people to reach higher goals, nurturing individuals to help them become their best, providing the optimistic outlook that troubled people seek, being the \u201cbridge over troubled water\u201d that we desperately need in this world \u2026 and more.
\n<\/span>
\nOne of my clients was very concerned about a new job she had, as manager of a restaurant. How could she cope? What did she know anyway about managing people? I had observed her with her grandchildren, where she was both warm and decisive in her manner, leaving them no doubt as to what she wanted from them \u2013 and didn\u2019t want. She was perfect for the job; she just didn\u2019t realize it yet.
\n<\/span>
\nWhatever you find out about yourself, recognize that, in one way or another, you may be able to do this for the rest of your life<\/strong>. If not, once you have transitioned successfully, you will have developed the skill to look for a new role that will explore your talents and refresh your spirit, and to recognize it when the opportunities appear. And they will.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHer programs focus on two topics: Introversion, with all its communication nuances and energy needs, and the heart-brain connection through which we can learn to self-regulate our emotions, and create a new, more joyous inner and outer world.<\/span>
\nShe has over 40 years of experience in coaching and teaching, two degrees in psychology (Stanford and the University of California), and HeartMath\u2122 certification as a trainer and a coach\/mentor.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"