I’ve just returned from two weeks in the UK, pootling around the countryside. There was the usual awkward scene at the car rental place. A last minute booking for the busiest part of the holiday, I was given one of those adorable, ‘bijoux’ European three-door models that I had to fold myself up to get into, with a manual transmission, of course.

I know how to drive stick shift … technically. It says so on my license. I have done it on and off over the years. There is always that uncomfortable moment though, making the switch, as I’m bunny hopping out of the rent-a-car parking lot, giving the worried looking agent a cheesy grin and a wave to say, “despite what it looks like, I’ve got this!”

It takes a few minutes. Some honking horns, several cars overtaking my habitual 40km and an embarrassing restart or two at the traffic lights later, I have eased into the flow. No Mario Andretti, but I’m shifting comfortably, negotiating motorways and an endless string of English roundabouts.

Then it seems just as I’ve got it, I’m back here, all asunder: foot searching for the clutch and constantly reaching out for 2nd.

Any transition takes time. As the schools go back in and I head back to work after what seems like a long holiday, I can feel the gears crunching a bit. Before I left, I felt I’d rather not go, but then I was equally reluctant to come home. It seems wherever I am and whatever I’m doing is where I’m comfortable at that moment and it feels like a drag to move on. It can even happen with minor changes throughout the day, switching up tasks or the roles I take on, my mind can be left stuck in one when I’ve already started another. This could explain why it always takes me such a long time to leave the house (but perhaps that’s just having children).

It’s a fairly common and natural response. It is human nature to stick to what is familiar. Change, even minor transitions, can feel a bit daunting to our ‘reptilian brain’, which hasn’t evolved at quite the same pace as our conscious mind.

As we hurtle into 2014, I wanted to look at ways to ease ourselves into the year and make the transition a smooth one. Some will argue that time is a continuum and ask what difference a date makes. Is a new year really a change? Technically no, but living in Western culture particularly, it’s hard to escape the loaded symbol of it as a marker of at least potential change. That notion that we will wake up on New Years day magically resolved to be different, mend our ways and do all the things we think we should, still lingers, however farfetched.

Most who try this soon realise that changing our habits and pattern doesn’t happen overnight. Instead it requires a combination of applied will, vision, strategy, action, momentum, perseverance and flexibility. And yes, we can choose to do this at any time — 10 o’clock Tuesday works fine. But as we’ve discussed, change can be sticky. A nudge can be helpful. A bit of inspiration and even the excuse to do something good for ourselves, to make a positive difference, is no bad thing.

As the festive season closes and we figuratively (and many literally) sober up to return to work, why not include a little work on ourselves? There are always some tweaks to be made, some behaviour adjustments that would serve us, and our goals, better. So however arbitrary it might seem, why not allow the new year to mark a symbolic letting go of what we no longer want, and a transition towards what we do?

Things we can do to make these and other transitions, the big or the small, easier:

Set up a treat in advance. Just like puppies in training class, who doesn’t respond well to a treat? Bribing ourselves is OK. When facing a transition we feel reluctant about, it will totally shift the focus when we have something good to look forward to in the next task. Relative to the change, figuring out in advance something pleasant or nice that we can do once we get into it, will propel us out of any stuckness.

Let go of something — anything. What can keep us stuck is a fear of letting go of what we already know and are comfortable with. Making a symbolic action, large or small, of throwing/giving something away, tidying up or moving something, shakes us out of our ‘sameness’, helps dislodge ‘scarcity thinking’ and prepares us for more shifting.

Hang up your hat between activities. We make transitions all the time, from home to work, to social settings, and within all the different roles we play depending on whom we interact with. It can be useful to mark the shifts between these, a bit like operating the clutch, so that we’re not dragging one into the other and getting overwhelmed or confused. Try creating a ceremonial action to demarcate the end of an activity. I know someone who washes his hands as soon as he enters the house (besides being a good idea anyway) he does it with the dedicated intent of washing off the workday, leaving that world and mindset aside so he can be present and focused with his family.

Someone else puts her lipstick on in the car before leaving the driveway. This is her ‘game face’ and this simple action helps her transition into the day ahead. Another puts on an imaginary hat when sitting down to be creative. Symbolic gestures have a powerful influence on our psyche. Worth doing if it eases our transitions and helps us make positive changes.

Do something different, often. As with anything, practice makes perfect … or at least easier. Changing things up helps to work our mental flexibility muscles. As we try new things we will become more aware of where we find ourselves sticking, what drags on us and what works to make the transition easier, which we can then do more of.

Give ourselves time to adjust. Rather than beating ourselves up for the bunny-hopping, treating ourselves with compassion and gentleness will serve us far better towards getting us where we want to go. And if and when we stall, we might even be able to laugh at ourselves knowing it is all part of the process. It’s no reason to throw the keys away, rather just crank up the engine again, reassured it will be smooth driving in no time.

Julia Pitt is a trained Success Coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on (441) 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.