For something that we have been experiencing all our lives, most of us handle change very badly. We switch careers and marriages more often than ever before, we move from one city to another, meet different people every day, yet, each change brings with it new fears and further confusion. How can we better handle these difficult, painful experiences? And what new insights can we learn about ourselves from these transitions?

Whether switching jobs or moving house, leaving school or retiring, change brings both opportunities and turmoil. Most of us struggle through such periods. This classic book shows how making a successful transition lets you recognize and seize new opportunities. Transitions has helped hundreds of thousands of readers to cope with changes by providing a road map of the transition process. With the understanding born of experience, William Bridges takes us step by step through the three stages of transition: Endings. Recognize endings as opportunities as well as losses, and even celebrate them with rituals designed to open new doors. The Neutral Zone. In this seemingly unproductive “time-out,” we feel disconnected from the past and emotionally unconnected to the present. The most frightening stage of transition, the Neutral Zone is really an important time for reorientation. The New Beginning. A successful transition requires more than persevering: it means launching new priorities. Understand the external and internal signs that point the way to your future. William Bridges, Ph.D, is a consultant and lecturer based in Mill Valley, California. Formerly a professor of English, he made a shift to the field of transition management in the mid-1970s; out of his workshops grew this book and a long career helping others through transitions. Past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, Bridges was rated by The Wall Street Journal in 1993 as one of the ten most popular executive development con sultants in the U.S. mna 51300 Other books by William Bridges available from Addison-Wesley: Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change JobShift: How to Prosper in a Workplace without Jobs 9 780201 000825 ISBN 0-201-00082-2 Addison-Wesley Publishing Company $1800 CANADA