I’m going through a major life transition at the moment and it’s HARD. Some days I barely have the energy to get out of bed. It feels like the life is being drained from my body when I think about the fact that I have to get up and do things that I really don’t want to do in a place where I really don’t want to be.
I happened upon the YouTube channel jnaydaily this morning while searching for inspiration to start my day and was struck by something she said – it’s important to find joy in the in between. That really resonated with me. I typed it in the notes app on my phone to return to later because I knew it was a message the universe needed me to hear.
This society places so much pressure on us to get to our goals and makes it seem like once we get there, that’s when the joy comes. But what if the joy is found in the in between? What if it’s found in the moments when you feel so drained and tired and ready for something to happen but nothing is. What if it’s found there?
At the moment, I feel like I am being called to be patient, which is soo difficult for me. I just want to leave now! I want my dreams to come true now! I’m tired of waiting. But what if the progress I’m making is the goal?
I know from my own experiences that when I’ve accomplished something really huge that took a lot of time and effort, when I finally get the “thing,” I never feel like I thought I would feel when I was in the in between. I usually have spent so much time tearing myself up inside that it hasn’t happened “yet” that I forget that I can find joy in the present. Right now. I don’t have to wait until I get to the destination. Joy is available to me now.
If you’re also someone who is going through a major life transition and waiting for the joy to come once you cross the finish line, take a moment and ask yourself – what joy is accessible to me now? What lessons am I learning in the in between that are enriching the experience I’ll have once I achieve my goal?
It’s not an easy task to not think of yourself only as a work in progress in a society that teaches us we can only celebrate once we get the “thing.” But pushing back on this notion is possible. Just remind yourself – you can find joy in the in between.