The Struggle of the Messy Middle

I don't feel like writing today.

I don't feel like showing up to do the work. I'd rather do anything else. I am fighting the urge to turn it all off and be done. After all, there is so much life to live and its not all lived in front of a screen!

But I made a commitment. I committed to publishing 30 essays for 30 days straight. So here I am in the messy middle.

The messy middle is that space in personal growth where you want to give up because the change has become hard.

The excitement of embarking on your bold venture has worn off. Obtaining your goal has become difficult and frustrating and you don't care as much as you once did.

I am in the messy middle right now and I feel it. So what do I do?

I go through the intentional living framework: Recognize. Acknowledge. Decide.

I recognize I am in the messy middle. I acknowledge it and won't listen to the negative talk in my head - everyone ends up here when making bold changes. The hard part is deciding: what do I do about it?

For me, I decide to still show up. To write, to ship, to keep my commitment. This won't be my best essay, but I am sticking to my commitment.

Right now I am in the messy middle and I don't want to write. But as I walk through the intentional living framework, I force myself to make a decision.

I remember what my end goal is. I decide to go through my writing process and get this essay published. Here is what I ended up with.

Do you find yourself in the messy middle today? If so, walk through the intentional living framework to decide.