The Unexpected Joy of Liminal Growth
Contour Lines | 009
Happy Friday!
The past week as been an abundance of personal growth, confluence, trials, and state of being uncomfortable.
It’s a liminal space, somatically, mentally, and emotionally.
This week’s Compass Point will scratch the surface on how to exist as a leader is to occupy a liminal space, but for now, I want to touch on how I got to this point, and how I plan to stay in liminality.
I officially “soft-launched” the Cultivar newsletter today via twitter. I hadn’t planned on it, but largely pushed by my friend Rebecca after she shouted me out in a large thread of someone with many followers as someone to work with, I realized it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
I hadn’t planned on it because I was nervous, fearful. Despite things coming together:
I wanted to wait until my first Compass Point newsletter was done, so I could have something other than personal anecdotes already posted.
It’s been a stressful week at the house.
My branding I wanted to have complete before I announced it wasn’t done.
I haven’t decided how much I’m going to monetize Cultivar for at the end of August.
Its a liminal space of existence. Of growth. And in this moment, I’m reminded of what started me on this journey, that led to you reading these exact words.
It’s that same feeling of liminality. That something must change, because where I am at is unsustainable, and in fact if I don’t move forward, I’ll be swept back downstream.
When I first decided last fall to strike out on my own, leaving the “safety” of a 9-5 job, I had no idea what I was doing.
What’s worse, I had no idea who I was. As expected, I fell flat on my face, swept downstream.
Things began to change, when I read this tweet from
:
Yes. I printed it out, because I felt a kindred spirit. Someone had finally explained this liminal space I was getting destroyed by in a way I that allowed me to understand myself. And it’s been uphill from there, with this printout in my wallet ever since.
Since November first of last year, everything in my life has been aligning towards being comfortable in that liminality of growth rather than running from it.
The two most recent examples are my hike up the mountain and soft-launching this newsletter before I felt ready.
It is terrifying.
It is exhilarating.
It is hard.
It is natural.
It brings me so much joy to be in this space. To be developing an authentic perspective of self-assurance, that in the words of Miyamoto Musashi, allows me to know the way broadly, and see it all things.
Appreciate you joining me on this journey, and hope you become comfortable in your own liminal growth.
-Chris
oh Chris - what an honest, beautifully written reflection. The ways in which you continue to grow and expand is deeply moving to witness...and I'm absolutely thrilled that you're now here on this platform and others can read & enjoy your writings as well!