The Messy Middle
How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.”
Have you ever noticed that novels or movies get less enticing once you’re a few chapters or scenes in? It’s like you’re all gangbusters when you start something new. Like the first day of school when pencils are sharpened, hallways are gleaming, and your crisp jeans aren’t yet worn in.
And then, the glamour starts to wear off after a while, and your enthusiasm wanes. If it’s a piece of fiction, you might find yourself glancing ahead to see when you get a whiff of things improving. If it’s a film, you might start talking out loud to the characters, urging them to make better choices so they get the prize at the end.
Yes. This is one of those things stored on the shared drive of common humanity. There’s no escaping that every beginning and end have a MIDDLE in-between. And being human means that there’s no fast-forwarding your way through it.
Once you’ve wandered out far enough to lose sight of either shore, you’re officially in what’s known as liminal space. Rooted in the same Latin word as limbo, you’re neither here NOR there. You’ve lost that shiny dopamine spritzer from starting something new. And you’ve no idea how long it’ll be before that first glimpse of land.
Here’s the gorgeous teaching about the messy middle space: liminal spaces are the most transformative, by far. The slogging nature of the middle makes you check your compass more often, which ensures that you’re tracking your new True North.
And before you know it, that elusive horizon has become your new reality. And because of that messy middle space where you got lost for a while, you finally have what it takes to make this exquisite ending your new starting place. At that point, no one can take away how good it feels to breathe that in.