Time to read: 2 minutes
You are living in liminal space.
Liminal what?!
Liminal space happens between two things. You know that blue light time in the evening when it's not day and it's not night? That's liminal space. Liminal space is an anthropological concept originally used to describe important cultural rituals that move people from one identity to another (single to married, child to adult, alive to dead). You are in in-between time right now. Not in your old world and not in your new one.
When you're in liminal space, you feel ungrounded, rudderless, even a little lost. Does this feel familiar?
Keep reading for examples, why this matters and what to do about it.
Examples:
- You take a new job and give notice. Those weird three weeks when you are no longer fully in your old job and are not yet in your new job? That's liminal space.
- When a wedding starts, the couple enters as single people and are catapulted into liminal space until they are declared married at the end of the ceremony.
- A pandemic sweeps the globe upending life as you know it, leaving you uncertain about the future and the structures you rely on for security.
Like I said in the first line, every day is liminal space right now. You are between the identity and the life you had in January and whatever is coming next. You don't know when this will end or how. It's unnerving.
It's also powerful. All bets are off and the possibility for creativity is endless.
So, what do you do about liminal space?
- Name it. Check! You just did that by reading this newsletter. Naming it takes the pressure off.
- Keep going. Churchill said, "If you're going through hell, keep going." There is no magic formula. The only way out is through. You keep walking up that aisle. You keep wrapping up the old job. You keep walking the dog and making dinner. Keep going until you land, new and ready to go on the other side.
- Find your protectors. In cultural rituals, people are shepherded through liminal space by friends and elders. Think bridesmaids and mentors. You are not meant to go through this alone. In today's world, everyone is in liminal space so you have to find your protectors and be the protector for others. And yourself.
I'd be honored to be one of your protectors as my clients are protectors for me. Thriving in Uncertain Times is the perfect place to keep going together.
We start on May 28 at 10:00 CT. This program is designed to be easy on the budget and easy on your time. You get 20% off your registration through Memorial Day. If you can't make the calls live, no worries. They will be recorded so you can put on your headphones and listen while you walk your dog.
A six-week coaching experience for Corporate Rebels
20% off if you sign up by Memorial Day.
I look forward to spending more time with you!
Christina