I’ve just commemorated receiving my MSc from the Henley Business School by donning academic dress and celebrating with my cohort, our families and tutors. It reminded me of the importance of endings, as we transition from one phase to the next. We were unable to graduate last year due to the pandemic, and I felt ambivalent about graduating a year later. There was a sense of having moved on, but there was also a feeling of incompletion. How good it was to meet up with people I’d not seen in person since February 2020 to celebrate our achievement with each other! We had a glorious day at the beautiful Greenlands campus, one of the many memories I’ll cherish from my time at Henley. I now feel that the period of three years of study and hard work has been closed with appropriate acknowledgement, ceremony and joy. I feel ready for the next stage of learning, whatever that may be.
An unresolved ending is something that often comes to light in my coaching conversations, with the individual unable to move on without having attended to the feelings they have brought with them from a previous role or situation. Patterns repeat themselves, sometimes without the individual being aware and without them understanding why.
If you find yourself in a repeated pattern of behaviour, think if this may relate to an unresolved ending, or better still, work through these issues with a coach who can help you reflect on the situation from a new perspective.