Into the unknown

A variation of this post was originally written in September 2019 after I attended the annual Story conference in Nashville, Tenn. With everything being disrupted during this time, I believe this post is more relevant today than it was back then. It’s about liminal space – the time between the “what was” and the “next.” I made a few updates to the original article based on our current world circumstances.

Ever feel lost?

Afraid or scared of the unknown?

Feel depressed because you have no sense of direction?

I attended the annual STORY Conference in Nashville, Tenn., last fall. The theme was, “between: no longer and not yet.”

It’s called liminal.

“The word liminal comes from the Latin word limen, meaning threshold – any point or place of entering or beginning. A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing.” (https://inaliminalspace.org/)

You’ve been there, right?

And we can all agree we are there right now living through this global pandemic.

A friend recently shared this statement from her pastor: "We’re all in the same storm, however, we’re all in different boats," which bring different perspectives and experiences.

You may be questioning yourself, your abilities, and wondering what the heck is going on, or wondering how you’re going to weather this one.

All normal.

At Story I sat through more than 25 talks around this liminal theme. How to recognize it. How to handle it. How to embrace it as an opportunity for growth.

For growth.

So much wisdom, takeaways, insights. It was just over six months ago, and the stories, experiences, and messages these leaders shared back then resonate so much more with me today.

My hope is that you take these thoughts as inspiration, thought starters, and encouragement as you continue traveling in your boat.

• Liminal is the soft underbelly of transformation. It’s fertile, scary, sacred, and deeply human...we are meant to go through this journey. Just like a butterfly can never go back to being a caterpillar, we can never go back to the way we were. – Gillian Ferrabee
• It (liminal space) is the messy middle. Embrace it, make friends with it. – Michael Margolis
• When mining for ideas, know that ideas are limitless. Don’t critique...explore. Bad ideas might be good ones no one else understands. – Jackie Dryden
• Don’t wait for the phone to ring (business to come in). What are you doing when waiting for the phone to ring? Are you trying to get better? There’s failure in inaction. – Leslie Odom, Jr.
• The trick is not in solving the problem, it’s seeing the problem. – Ken Black
• Say the unsaid. Be honest about who and where you are. We become better by becoming better human beings. – Miles Adcox
• Look at people, not deliverables. – Thaniya Keereepart
• The hardest talent to recognize is your own. Weird is going to happen, make it fun. – Jon Acuff

If you feel lost, are afraid or scared of the unknown, or feel depressed because you have no sense of direction. All is not lost.

Lean in.

Welcome it.

Cherish what was. And be encouraged as you figure out what’s next.

Be well.

Joel