EMBRACING THE 'IN-BETWEEN'

Ah, that uncomfortable spot between who you were and who you are becoming.  That place in between where you've been and where you are going.  Michael Beckwith calls this the

Dark Night of the Soul. 

That feels like an excellent depiction, if you ask me. 

I didn't even know what this was until I heard him talk about it on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday.  I felt lost and out of sorts.  I had done so much work!  Therapy, coaching, reading, and self analyzing.  I had taken on different mindsets and started challenging the thoughts and beliefs that I had grown up with. I started thinking for myself instead of just ingesting that which is fed to us on a daily basis. 

I was literally changing from the inside out. 

There is uncertainty and insecurity, maybe even instability as we leave behind that which we know. And for many of us it is hard to release that, even if it is not serving us.  We'll hold on to bad jobs and relationships just because there is comfort in the known. 

While it can feel like we are in an abyss and floating aimlessly, growth has happened and is continuing.  To even be in this spot, required growth out of the 'what was'.  You desired more and did some work.  You had an intention for a better life. You wanted more.  (We didn't count on the in between though did we?)

The important thing is to embrace what currently IS. 

Be careful not to numb out or shut down, you'll miss the whole experience.  It's ok to be in this place.  It is ok to be uncertain.  It is ok to feel afloat.  It is ok to start over. It is part of the journey.  Don't miss this part as it will make emerging into the light that much sweeter.

Think about a seed.  The seed has an in between.  It is put into the ground as an encapsulated little kernel.  Then it begins to grow.  There is a time between when the seed sprouts and when it pushes through the ground into the light.  It is not immediate but must push through the dark soil until it reaches the light.  It doesn't worry that it won't make it - it is just a matter of time.  And so it is with us. 

Don't fear this place.  Allow it be a sanctuary during your cultivation.  It is a safe place.  YOU are safe there.  

My hope for you today is that you will know that the dark night will not last forever.  Light does come in the morning along with the promise of a new day, a new beginning, a fresh start.  And once you have entered the in between, you will not ever wish to go back.

The glimpse of what is to come is far brighter and more fulfilling than the comfort of fear ever was.