Feeling stuck? Developing transitional literacy
Feeling stuck? Developing transitional literacy
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“If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.” – Tom Peters
As we move into 2026, many of us are living with a pervasive sense of uncertainty. Change and upheaval show up not only in our personal lives, but also through wider social, political, and environmental forces that feel largely beyond our control.
In such moments, it is easy to misdiagnose what is happening. Individuals and institutions alike can interpret transition as failure, indecision, or weak leadership. At the same time, we are constantly offered seductive promises of quick fixes – particularly in political and commercial discourse – that underestimate the complexity of change.
One helpful distinction is between change and transition. Change can be rapid and external. Transition, by contrast, is an inner psychological process – and it takes time. William Bridges’ Transition Model starts not with outcomes, but with endings: with what people must let go of before something new can take shape.
Bridges describes three phases of transition: endings, the neutral zone, and new beginnings. We tend to focus on endings and beginnings, but both are clearer and more sustainable only if we allow ourselves sufficient time in the in‑between. The neutral zone (Bridges calls this “the seedbed for new beginnings”) is where re‑patterning happens.
30 December 2025
The neutral zone is often uncomfortable. It is a period of flux in which confusion, doubt, and distress are common. Yet it is also a liminal space that does not require us to ‘pull ourselves together’. Instead, it asks us to acknowledge that we are in transition, and to live there attentively for as long as is needed. When the time is right, the way opens.
This space can be seen as the pause between phrases, where the choice of punctuation shapes meaning. This metaphor is explored more fully in my forthcoming book, The Punctuation of Loss, and practically elaborated in Plenna, an organization I founded to support reflection and preparedness around transitions related to dying and death. In June 2025 I also posted this article on Metaphor, transition and control.
My interest in transitional literacy is not only theoretical. It has been shaped by my own experience of personal and professional evolution, including the end of a long career chapter and the closing of a long marriage. I am currently based in Brussels, exploring new directions and exchanges, and once again experiencing and learning what it means to inhabit the in‑between.
Transitional literacy does not remove uncertainty. But it can help us recognize where we are, resist premature solutions, and move through change with greater coherence and care. I am increasingly interested in how individuals and organizations can be accompanied in these phases.
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