The Space in Between

My direction had been so clear; now, it was uncertain.

A poor decision—made not by me, but by someone I loved dearly—affected my family. The impact left shock waves that carried over into the launch for my website.

I had worked so hard putting everything together. I had spent countless hours creating my vision, my platform, and my “why.” I wanted everything to be right (and by right, I meant how I’d planned it), but life happened in the process, and my attention was derailed from launching my brand. I was focused on something I had no control over: the impact of someone else’s decision.

I found myself in a pit with the problem. Sorrow, intermixed with anger and confusion, surrounded me.

As a feeling of vulnerability crept in, the problem, which had at first felt significant but surmountable, suddenly seemed monumental.

Life is complicated. It can knock you around, leaving you disoriented and grasping for answers that aren’t immediately available. I wanted a solution. I wanted a way to make the problem go away. And ultimately, I wanted to know everything was going to turn out okay.

I found temporary peace when I shifted my focus. Instead of focusing on the problem, I chose to focus on the solution, which was the outcome I wanted for the person I loved—an outcome that would provide hope for better things to come.

I didn’t find an immediate solution, but I did find a distraction, and it turned out to be what I needed to climb out of the pit.

I made a choice and launched my website in the midst of all the uncertainty. My decision gave my spirit a lift. A renewed purpose and direction. A distraction from the pit my mind wanted to lie in.

Life is full of unexpected events. They are going to surprise me now and then, and occasionally even knock me down into a pit. But I always have a choice in how I respond.

My choice to launch in the midst of it all gave me back control in the form of a direction. The problem was still there, but I was no longer focused on it. I was continuing with life and allowing time to provide the solutions.

Time requires patience—and a lack of patience had been the crux of my problem. I wanted to “fix” the problem. I wanted my life to resume its previous flow. I didn’t want to be inconvenienced with the opportunities time and additional choices would provide. I wanted the gift of hindsight, but that would only come with time.

There is growth in this process. This, the space between the event, the aftermath, and the outcome—that, when it comes, seems destined in its placement—is where life really happens.

I still haven’t mastered the patience thing, but I am getting better as I go along. I am learning to trust the process and to believe in a hopeful outcome. An outcome that, with time, will feel destined because it has shaped me and those I dearly love so that we may attain what we need along the journey.

I would love to hear how you remain patient through the trying times of life. Please leave a comment or suggestion.