We all go through major life transitions--whether they take us by surprise or we take the leap and "make a shift" into unknown territory ourselves. Change is a basic part of life. Jobs change, lovers change, ideas change, people change. No matter how well thought out our "life plan" might be, life throws us a curve now and then. But, too often, we become overwhelmed by fear when faced with a new direction. We become stuck. This book fundamentally changes the way we cope with change. "Shift happens," says psychologist and executive coach Dr. Jeffrey Hull, "and we all need to get better at dealing with it. Life is not a straight line ramp up to nirvana, as some self-help books would have us believe." After working with thousands of individuals and executives at companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, AT&T, MasterCard, HSBC and TD Ameritrade over a twenty-year career, researching both Western science and Eastern philosophy, and dealing with life crises of his own, Dr. Hull offers up what is missing from the majority of self-help books: a roadmap for navigating change and its faithful life partner, fear. "Having a program to support you through the throes of major change-and help to release the fear that accompanies it-can really make a difference," Dr. Hull assures anyone facing a major (or minor) transition, regardless of age, lifestyle, or circumstances. In a down-to-earth inspirational style backed by real-life examples and action steps, SHIFT reveals: . Why the self-help industry's obsession with achieving "instant happiness" is a cultural fantasy that actually reinforces its opposite: distress; . Why endings-of jobs, relationships, life situations-are so difficult and how to make "starting over" easier, even FUN; . An innovative and practical way to understand life's inevitable cycles, by learning to navigate the six stages of every life shift: rupture, release, retreat, revival, rehearsal, and realization; . A radical new way of understanding personal growth-not as a quest for an elusive "authentic self" but as an evolving, creative story of continuous reinvention; and . How practices that integrate the body, the mind and the heart are key to true transformation, not just "changing your thoughts" or re-wiring your brain. Showing how to move through fear and accept change as something that happens for us and not to us, Shift is not another "quick fix, five steps to endless happiness" self-help book. With real-life case studies, useful diagnostics and down-to-earth practices, Dr. Jeffrey Hull offers a vital guide for everyone grappling with and reeling from our turbulent times.