"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

- Neale Donald Walsch

Being in the in-between, the messy middle can be very uncomfortable. I guess that’s why it’s called the messy middle. It feels messy, unfamiliar, like you’re floating aimlessly around wondering when the scary ride is going to end. Or another analogy of feeling like a fish flapping about on the land.

Like me, you can probably see yourself as this fish. When you are in the comfort zone you are gliding along nicely. Those around you see you as having it all together, knowing exactly where you are going, but underneath you are actually wondering when you are going to feel like yourself again. The in-between feels like confusion, but it’s actually your next evolution tapping you on your shoulder.

The discomfort of the in-between isn't a sign you're going wrong – it’s the exact place where aligned action transforms uncertainty into momentum. Yet, I can see why so many of us actually choose to not go there. Or when we do step into that space, we run back to our comfort zone like a tiger is chasing us down. And I get it, I’ve been there so many times in my life – and you’d think it would get easier, yet it doesn’t seem to.

What makes this in-between seem so uncomfortable is the uncertainty. We crave certainty, safety, and familiarity. So when we don’t know the exact outcome, or result, we start to lose our marbles a bit. Self-doubt hits us like a slap in the face, and the stories we so creatively start telling ourselves could be longlisted for The Booker Prize.

Yet – nothing changes, if nothing changes. If we are content to stay small and live a half-life, then yes stay in the comfort zone – there honestly is no wrong or right here. But, for me, I know that staying the same is not the path we are here to travel on. We are here to remember we are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe. We limit ourselves with our stories and our limiting beliefs of living a boring, steady life. That greatness is reserved for the special few, and somehow our name didn’t get on that list.

I call bullshit on that.

Don’t get me wrong, a steady life can feel extremely satisfying for some people and if that is your soul’s calling, then embrace every single moment of that life. But if you feel a calling for more, that is your soul speaking to you. And sometimes following those breadcrumbs can be the biggest adventure of your life.

Recalling the many times I have been in the in-between – one foot in the old me, the other foot reaching for the new me – I can see that when I reached the other side my life had changed for the better. I grew. I evolved. I learnt something profound about myself or life itself. There is always expansion. This doesn’t mean it is only expansion. More often than not the expansion is accompanied with contraction. It’s a spiral – like the two steps forward, one step backwards scenario.

But when the contraction, or the step backwards happens that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. It doesn’t mean to give up and go back completely to where you came from. This is where the growth is. Meeting yourself on that edge of resistance and pushing against it – that is where the magic happens. It’s not always going to be rainbows and lollipops, but once you accept that growth involves discomfort you start to appreciate the journey a little more, rather than trying to run away from it.

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

— Japanese Proverb

This is where I want to bring in something I work with a lot – the Universal Laws. I won’t give you a lecture on Universal Laws, but working with these can change your life. A few come to mind when you’re in the thick of the messy middle. Definitely the Law of Intention and Law of Attraction. We can place our thoughts towards what we are calling in – what we are manifesting. When we place ourselves in the right frequency and start attracting like for like, we can start to feel the shift. But one I want to highlight to really shake up the in-between is the Law of Action.

Taking inspired and aligned action during this messy time is how we can move through it with more grace and accountability. We are not simply throwing caution to the wind hoping that things will just work out. No, we need to take the action to get to where we want to go. The Law of Action is the force that moves energy.

So when we see what energy we are putting into the universe – through our physical actions – and this aligns with the energy around us, this creates opportunities, synchronicities, and ultimately outcomes we are creating. Our thoughts and intentions are shaping what we attract, our actions are then the catalyst that brings those desires into our reality.

Without action, our intentions remain intangible. To achieve our goals we must take steps toward them, even if they are small, even if at the time they feel insignificant. And these actions must be congruent with your intentions and your desires – this is the importance of aligned action. Taking action because someone else told you what you must do, and it doesn’t match your integrity or your authenticity, then it will most likely lead to discontentment, or taking you down a path that is not where you want to go.

The Law of Action encourages us to be consistent, persistent, and to commit to our journey of moving forward. These micro-actions compound over time and generate more energy and manifesting power. I know this doesn’t feel like it at the time – believe me I’m in this messy middle right now and sometimes it feels easier to give up. But what you begin to see is it builds confidence and momentum while bringing ideas into reality. Our self-efficacy increases and we start building an empowered mindset and outlook.

Now let’s circle back to the uncertainty. Because when we take aligned and inspired action, we gain clarity. Through this process we learn – we can identify what works and what doesn’t, we can pivot and course correct and adapt in real time. This in itself builds certainty toward the path we are forging.

So, I encourage you, the next time you step into the messy middle to continue to take aligned action toward your desires. Every time you see tangible results your belief in your abilities grows. Then you can take another step and before you know it you’ve built this momentum that starts pulling you toward your manifestation. You no longer feel like you are pushing against something, but being pulled toward it. Taking these purposeful steps allows you to co-create with the universe and this is how you transform your dreams into reality.

Don’t be afraid of the discomfort. Learn to work within it, with it, and see how the discomfort and uncertainty is the chrysalis for the next version of you to emerge from.

If you’re in the messy middle right now and you’re ready to move through it with support, structure, and a community of women who get it – I’d love for you to explore The Alchemy Circle. The link is below.

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."

- Richard Bach

Explore The Alchemy Circle here