BLOG: Transition Versus Transformation
Transition is a word spoken in law enforcement circles regularly. Police officers, deputy sheriffs, and other law enforcement personnel often discuss their plans to transition out of their chosen careers. These conversations are ordinary in most professions that you enter at a young age and have a defined period to work before retiring, usually twenty to twenty-five years.
These discussions about retirement are a good thing. After serving their community for a couple of decades, law enforcement and other community service personnel have the opportunity to move on to other goals and opportunities that they may have. The concern is that sometimes the only focus of these conversations is the “someday, when” type statements. Sadly, “someday” is not a guarantee, and when we live our entire lives focused solely on some future moment that may or may not come, we miss what life is. John Lennon wrote, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” This lyric contains a lot of truth and brings the meaning of life into focus.
This thinking left me considering that maybe “transition” is not the correct word; perhaps it should be “transformation.” Transition denotes movement from one area or stage to another. Transformation, by contrast, is more drastic; it is more in line with metamorphosis and indicates dramatic change.
“ John Lennon wrote, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” This lyric contains a lot of truth and brings the meaning of life into focus. ”
The fact is that there is nothing wrong with planning for eventual retirement and the adage, “what am I going to do next?” But is it not more powerful to consider transforming into the person you want to be when that time comes? The beauty of this approach is that you do not have to wait.
I sat down and considered how we could begin the transformation process in our lives. I wrote down more than a dozen ideas and realized there are numerous ways to start the transformation process in our lives. For the sake of time, I distilled them down to my top three.
First, you have to decide to transform. I know this seems simple, maybe too simple, but law enforcement is a career where officers hate change and how things are. This adherence to the status quo can be a hindrance when we talk about personal growth. We may want to change, but it is little more than a dream until we decide we are ready to transform.
I compare this idea of deciding to change to the Dave Ramsey principle, where he states, “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” If we choose to transform now, someday, we can reap the benefits of personal transformation in the opportunities we will be afforded.
The second principle is to do hard things, or you could insert one of the famous statements, “Embrace the Suck” or “Go One More.” We do not want to be uncomfortable; it is rarely our default. Our default is typically some comfort or security. However, no growth comes from a life solely in comfort and safety. Weakness naturally creeps in and begins to take over. We weren’t meant to live lives free of challenges. When we seek lives of comfort, we often entrench ourselves in the status quo.
If we are going to metamorphosis, which in the animal kingdom is expanding beyond the juvenile stage, we must learn to embrace hard things. It is the only way for maturity to take root and allow us to develop into our final form. Of all the principles for transformation, this one is maybe one of the most important in our current age. We have allowed for a weak generation, which has produced a weak society.
“We weren’t meant to live lives free of challenges. When we seek lives of comfort, we often entrench ourselves in the status quo. ”
The third and final principle is F.O.C.U.S., An acronym for focus defined as “Follow One Course Until Successful.” I know for me, this one can be a failure point in my transformation process. I get started on the journey and make some changes that I know I need to make, and then just like a small dog in the yard, I start chasing every squirrel I see. The problem with this is that it accomplishes nothing and leaves you feeling busy without enjoying the benefits of productivity. Focus, on the other hand, allows for the next step to always be in your sight and makes sticking to the plan much more manageable.
Sometimes when I write about subjects like this, I get a little pushback and hear things like, “I don’t want to change or transform; I am happy with the way things are.” This thinking is excellent; if you are where you are supposed to be and have reached your goals. But, I want to say that transformation is not instead of contentment. We should be content in our lives; however, I also don’t want to be the person I was yesterday. I am thankful for where I am and how far I have come while understanding the need for continuous improvement in my life.
This lesson is not only a law enforcement principle; these principles are for anyone who wants to transform. No matter where you are on your journey or how many years from retirement or another transition you are, we can all learn to be in the process of positive transformation.
This Blog Post Appeared first at OnTheBlueLine.com. All Rights Reserved. October 2022
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Wayne Mulder is a law enforcement officer, speaker, writer and the host of the On The Blue Line podcast. Wayne is an advocate for law enforcement officer total health programs and a believer in empowering law enforcement officers in their personal lives. For more on his mission visit OnTheBlueLine.com.