Composing Lives In Transition

Composing Lives in Transition: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Early School Leavers is structured around ten narrative accounts, each one offering glimpses into the lives of early school leavers from different backgrounds

Composing Lives in Transition: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Early School Leavers is structured around ten narrative accounts, each one offering glimpses into the lives of early school leavers from different backgrounds

A New York Times bestseller! A pioneering and timely study of how to navigate life's biggest transitions with meaning, purpose, and skill Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, has long explored the stories that give our lives meaning. Galvanized by a personal crisis, he spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all fifty states from Americans who’d been through major life changes—from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start. He then spent a year coding these stories, identifying patterns and takeaways that can help all of us survive and thrive in times of change. What Feiler discovered was a world in which transitions are becoming more plentiful and mastering the skills to manage them is more urgent for all of us. The idea that we’ll have one job, one relationship, one source of happiness is hopelessly outdated. We all feel unnerved by this upheaval. We’re concerned that our lives are not what we expected, that we’ve veered off course, living life out of order. But we’re not alone. Life Is in the Transitions introduces the fresh, illuminating vision of the nonlinear life, in which each of us faces dozens of disruptors. One in ten of those becomes what Feiler calls a lifequake, a massive change that leads to a life transition. The average length of these transitions is five years. The upshot: We all spend half our lives in this unsettled state. You or someone you know is going through one now. The most exciting thing Feiler identified is a powerful new tool kit for navigating these pivotal times. Drawing on his extraordinary trove of insights, he lays out specific strategies each of us can use to reimagine and rebuild our lives, often stronger than before. From a master storyteller with an essential message, Life Is in the Transitions can move readers of any age to think deeply about times of change and how to transform them into periods of creativity and growth.

This concise book offers a course of action for people who are undergoing significant life changes (transitions) in the conduct, direction, or environment in their lives. Written in a very personal style, this book is filled with straightforward explanations, examples, honest questions, and journal exercises designed to guide the reader through any life transition. This book is a "road" for self-discovery and self-growth, leading to a renewed sense of strength and optimism. KEY TOPICS: Includes self-assessment, self-reflection, and journal exercises throughout the book. Offers systematic coverage of complex psychological topics in a lively, easy-to-read format, filled with light- hearted examples and humorous illustrations. MARKET: For readers who are undergoing significant life changes.

Google references 94,000,000 hits dealing with Women in Life Transitions.” What if the throes of change provide access to one's innate calling? Author Barbara Cecil's experience with thousands of women says that this is so, and that these women want help to align themselves with an inner truth. Coming Into Your Own: A Woman's Guide Through Life Transitions helps organize the chaos inherent in change. It gives readers a path that is rightly their own. Personal stories from women around the world give hope. Coming Into Your Own describes the inherent field of possibility” that lives just under the storylines of our lives. This invisible field contains the potential that is uniquely our own. The book also outlines specific, universal phases of transition in what Cecil has named the "Wheel of Change." She calls these phases Dwelling Places” because we must dwell in each one for as long as it takes to fulfill the promise of that stage. Identifying where we are on this map is greatly relieving. Once we know where we are, we understand how to make contact with the underlying field of possibility that will, in turn, inform our choices and give meaning to our lives.

We celebrate, talk about, and worry a great deal about transitions in life. Going to college, having a first child, losing a job, and retiring constitute just a few of the pivotal moments in the lives of many. Sociologists and psychologists have devoted considerable attention to life transitions. Yet we know very little about whether there exists a common thread to our understandings of life transitions in general. How do journalists, leading politicians, sport icons, bestselling authors, government agencies, Hallmark cards, popular TV shows, and other “voices” of popular culture talk about transitions in life? Do these voices provide a coherent picture of how we make sense of life transitions? In this book, Francesco Duina shows how the dominant American discourse articulates two basic approaches to transitions in life. The first approach depicts transitions as exciting, individualistic opportunities for new beginnings: the past is cast aside, the future is wide open, and the self has the opportunity to recreate itself anew. The second paints transitions as having to do with continuity, our connections to others, and the life-cycle, with an emphasis on acceptance and adaptation. Though contrasting, the two approaches ultimately complement each other. Their analysis reveals a great deal about American culture and society, and will be of great interest to students of the life course and the sociology of culture.

Offering over sixty thematically-arranged short prose pieces introduced by extensive reading and writing coverage, Transitions helps students identify successful strategies and incorporate them into their own writing.

Personal Transitions is a practical and engaging book based on a fusion of spirituality, myth, story, case studies, practical exercises, visualization and meditation. Includes various transition stories including: near death experiences, accidents, prison, war, psychological breakdown, and various awakening experiences. The basic premise of this book is that awakening and growth tends to happen in two ways: firstly by following our heart and intuition and expanding into new adventures; and secondly through experiencing times of great uncertainty, chaos, and crisis. During such times life may seem to make little or no sense. When life shifts, either through personal volition or otherwise, we are helped to gain a new perspective and live from the heart rather than the head. Another word for life shift is transition, a process where life changes on the outside and also on the inside. Transition is part of the growing up process and contains elements of soul and biology. We are here to grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And within the greater context of global awakening personal transitions are becoming increasingly more common.

Navigating Life Transitions for Meaning explores the central human motivation of meaning making, and its counterpart, meaning disruption. The book describes different types of specific transitions, details how specific transitions affect an individual differently, and provides appropriate clinical approaches. The book examines the effects of life transitions on the component parts of meaning in life, including making sense (coherence), driving life goals (purpose), significance (mattering), and continuity. The book covers a range of transitions, including developmental (e.g., adolescence to adulthood), personal (e.g., illness onset, becoming a parent, and bereavement), and career (e.g., military deployment, downshifting, and retiring). Life transitions are experienced by all persons, and the influence of those transitions are tremendous. It is essential for clinicians to understand how transitions can disrupt life and how to help clients successfully navigate these changes. Covers cultural transitions, such as immigration and religious conversion Examines health transitions, such as cancer survivorship and acquired disability Uses a positive psychology framework to understand transitions Includes bulleted 'take-away' summaries of key points in each chapter Provides clinical applications of theory to practice

Self-determination has a powerful positive impact on post-school outcomes for young adults with disabilities--but how can educators teach students the skills they need to make their own choices and achieve their goals as they enter adulthood? This empowering guidebook shows the way. Packed with practical, research-validated guidance on explicitly teaching self-determination skills , this book helps educators support students in communicating their interests and needs, setting and reaching goals, and managing their own lives. Ready-to-use worksheets and activities will help students take an active role in their transition planning, and true case stories highlight the benefits of self-determination instruction: smoother transitions, improved behavior, and fulfilling lives beyond the classroom. DISCOVER HOW TO Assess a student's current level of self-determination Teach essential skills that strengthen self-determination Embed individualized supports and instructional activities within a student's existing education program Create repeated opportunities for students to practice their self-determination skills Collaborate effectively with students and families Develop strong person-centered support teams with the student taking a lead role in transition planning Build support for self-determination across entire schools and communities Teach essential self-determination skills: Expressing preferences Making choices Self-management skills Goal setting and attainment Self-advocacy skills This book is part of the Brookes Publishing Transition to Adulthood Series