If things are feeling messy and you are wondering how you will survive this season, I have an invitation for you.
I know we don’t always want to resurface our past messy moments, but they actually are incredibly instructive when we face a new one.
I know this from personal experience.
1. Promoted into a role from the inside, where jealousy surfaced along with the challenge of leading those who once were my direct peers.
Learning: Don’t diminish myself due to others’ discomfort.
2. Hired to run a division at a company that was a mismatch from the start.
Learning: Some places aren’t a fit. That’s not about me. I’m not meant to fit everywhere.
3. Crises hit at home and at work simultaneously. Convinced survival was my only option.
Learning: Surviving isn’t good enough. Thriving is the goal. I have a choice.
4. Stepped into a new role while also being a new mother and lost my ability to prioritize effectively.
Learning: I will not do everything with excellence at the same time. Treating everything like an emergency doesn’t move anything forward.
5. Ready for growth and leapt too quickly.
Learning: When it’s time to go, take stock of what I really want and explore the opportunities closely.
6. Certain there was more to life than “this.”
Learning: Explore those feelings in real time and begin working towards what really supports this one big, beautiful life.
In each of my messy moments, I experienced enormous growth. Some of those seasons lasted longer than others. None of them were exactly the same, and yet, I still get to carry that growth forward. I get to acknowledge the expansion I experienced after each one of these.
My invitation to you: Take a look at your messy seasons.
Note each one along with the details of what was happening at the time, both personally and professionally. Then inspect the learning and growth that came from them. What is something you take away?
If you are in one right now, you may not know what that learning is, but seeing that growth was part of each one that came before it will help you see that you are already building a resilience muscle. This is that reminder that you will move through this one too.
Know this: Messy moments are bound to happen. They happen for anyone choosing a big life and taking big swings. You get to choose how you interpret them and how you use them to support your growth.
My first guest of Thriving in the Messy Middle Season 2, Beth Mach, shares a number of her messy moments throughout her career and what she learned about herself in the process. So grateful to have her as my first guest of Season 2. Enjoy – Take the Risk: How Career Reinvention Creates New Opportunities
If things feel messy, naming the season can help. Take the Messy Middle Archetype Assessment™; it’s a great place to start.
So grateful to be connected with you,
Amy P Wilkins, PCC, CPCC, CPQC
The Messy Middle Coach
