My work situation has shifted recently, and I’m still getting used to the pros (amazing people, inspiring mission, exceptional culture) and cons (two words: compliance videos—plus new processes and red tape that I’m not used to) of the change. At the beginning of this transition, I was having sleepless nights and was anxious and pretty darn grumpy. I mentioned this over coffee with my husband, Matt. He smiled at me. “It’s just change, honey. It’s just change.”

Matt is right, of course. For every new project, client, or job we accept, we have to find our footing. Lots of questions may come up during a transition: Was saying “yes” the right decision? Does my discomfort mean I should have said no? Is this a good fit? Will I ever feel normal again?

Answering these questions, and many more, has helped me pinpoint some solid strategies for getting through this tricky time. In case you’re experiencing disequilibrium, too, I’m sharing five strategies that should help you make it through the turbulence of change.

Wow, the year has sprinted out the gate. The winter holidays already seem like a long time ago, especially when it’s so sunny and mild here in Marin County. Still, I keep thinking about some realizations I had while digging out from the massive storms in the Sierra Nevada in January. I was on a snowy vacation, and I didn’t turn on my computer for seven days straight. (I hope you enjoyed some version of that yourself. After another tough year, we all deserve to unplug and recharge in whatever way feels right to us.)

The truth is, I’m not always so intentional about disconnecting when I’m away on an adventure, whether by myself, with friends, or with my husband. I’m as guilty as the next person of convincing myself that if I step away from my work, some sort of crisis will ensue. How will my clients possibly manage without me? The world (or, at least, my small part of it) will fall apart if I don’t respond right away to emails and texts, right?

I really hate unloading the dishwasher. (Weirdly, loading it’s no problem). If I had to rate how much I dislike this chore on a scale of -10 to 10, it would be somewhere around an -7. As a point of reference, having to take the dog out in the middle of a busy day is a 2. Letting myself sneak off for a quick nap after the dog walk is an 8.

As you can tell, I’ve given a lot of thought to quantifying how much I enjoy or dread certain aspects of my day. That’s why I’ve come up with a way to do less of what I dread and more of what I love. Inspired by my former coach, Martha Beck, I call this system, “Bag It, Barter It, or Brighten It.” It’s a powerful way to design your life so it’s as bright as possible.

As a leader of a team or organization, you’ve got countless decisions to make, endless meetings to attend, and a daily deluge of emails to keep up with. So, if you forget to say good morning or fail to reply to an email, it’s no big deal, right?

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

When you’re a leader, what you say (or don’t say) and what you do (or don’t do) can dramatically impact how the people around you think, feel, and work. I call this the “wake” of leadership. Leaders who aren’t tuned in to what and how they communicate can unwittingly damage the team. Folks who get caught in a frothy, turbulent wake feel unappreciated, undervalued, and uninspired.

It’s been a doozy of a week. A difficult client led to some tough conversations and patience-testing moments. Since we’ve all been in a situation like this (and if you haven’t yet, you will!), I thought I’d share some of the strategies that helped me keep my head on straight—and keep on smiling.

When I first launched Live Bright Now in 2005, I summed up my company’s mission—which is also my personal mission—this way: Igniting people at work and in life.

I’m going to dig into what that mission means and how to get there in just a sec. But first, let me meander for a moment on a different (but related, I promise) topic.