If there is any constant in life, it is change. So often I have lulled myself into thinking that tomorrow will be just a continuation of the day before, that people and situations and circumstances will all be the same. Yet, the truth is that no day is the same as the one that preceded it. Change is always happening. And some days it is far more dramatic than others.

Sometimes we lead up to it, we have a new process or protocol. We have a new job or project. We have new people to be with or work with—things we often see coming. We anticipate, perhaps feel some anxiety but we know that change is upon us.

And sometimes change is unexpected and unsettling. Whether it is “good” or “bad,” it reshapes our world. Good change can be a new opportunity, it could be healing after illness or positive news shared by someone we care about. It can also be the terrible change of loss, of heartache, of illness, of tragedy.

I frequently refer to the model that William Bridges wrote about in his book “Managing Transitions.” Bridges describes three stages of the emotional process of change. The first is a sense of loss. Whether the change is good or bad, there is a recognition that what existed before is no longer. I’ve often thought about it as grieving and realized how important it is to recognize that feeling and give it the time and respect it deserves. The second is what Bridges calls “the neutral zone.” It is that period when we don’t know just what is happening next and we feel a lost and untethered and anxious. And the third is “new beginnings” when we have moved past the period of transition to whatever lies ahead.

It’s been a real learning for me to realize that no matter how much the change is desired, something is lost as something is gained. There was a comfort, an understanding of the current state and moving on from it, no matter how much I’ve worked to make it happen, still holds mixed feelings. It’s also been a lesson to remind myself that the neutral zone is real, that “what have I done?” is to be expected and that there are new beginnings that lie beyond.

As leaders, as colleagues, as friends, as members of a family, I think we have to model this understanding of change. We have to take the deep breath, find our perspective and bear in mind that transitions are always a part of life. We cannot and do not stand still. Understanding that, embracing that helps us to fill our full hearts.