The Magic in the Middle

Have you ever heard the saying?“It’s about the journey, not the destination”? I’m not sure about everyone else, but I don’t know that I’ve been on a long drive somewhere and thought to myself, I sure am glad I’m on this "journey" down interstate XYZ…??

BUT… in 2003 I was a senior at Roseburg High School and I, as I had for the 3 years prior, attended the annual New Year’s Day wrestling practice. To paint this picture as clearly as I know how, this was the practice that Coach Lander intentionally scheduled at 6:30am each year for 2 ? hours to ensure his athletes didn’t go out the night before and act like knuckleheads (especially his seniors). Coach would normally open this practice half annoyed at the obviously poor decisions some had made, and half focused on the practice plan. He always opened practice in the same way; in his office until we were well into our warm-ups and then he would come bounding out, tootsie-pop or tootsie roll in his mouth, fired up to get to work – New Year’s Day was no exception. But each New Year’s Day practice he would be EXTRA intense. And for some reason on Jan 1st, 2003, he pulled me aside, as a senior on his varsity line-up and shared this message:?“You can go hard today, and the next 2 ? hours will fly by, or you can go about this half-hearted and it will be the longest 2 ? hours of your year.” THIS MOMENT is when I started to appreciate?the journey.?

With the end of October just around the corner, we are well into the last quarter of our half. Some might say we are in the middle of both the quarter and the half right now. Many have been dedicating themselves to a process of creating excellent inputs to ensure a desirable outcome to the quarter and half. Inputs like client outreach, pipeline build, opportunity management, career discussions, coaching moments, and more. Others have potentially been less systematic about their approach to their work so far. Regardless of where each of us is on this spectrum of approaches, I encourage everyone to?find The Magic in the Middle. The middle is where the process is. The middle is the part rarely talked about but essential to success. The middle is where?Vince Lombardi would say the habits are built that creates winners. The middle is what Coach Lander was teaching me to focus on that day in 2003. That season would go on to be one of my better ones, but it would more importantly go on to create a mindset that has since become enamored with the process of improving, developing, and growing?in the middle?for the sake of preferred outcomes.??

Every role, job, project, pursuit, and ambition has a middle on the path from begging to end. Find your middle and fall in love with The Magic in the Middle.??

BONUS:?Hear about Inquoris (Inky) Johnson’s journey here.