🍀The Power of 'Liminality' - Issue 209

Hi, I am JOE and I write on "Mindful Productivity & Cerebral Happiness". My endeavour is to share life lessons, some thoughts, quotes & links to articles/podcasts/books, I discover during the week.

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Let’s be honest right from the word go - Losing a job, taking on a new challenge, preparing to launch a project Or moving to a new country – these transitions are often stressful and anxiety inducer. Anthropologists have coined a name for such situations and it's called “liminal spaces” – which means ‘the fertile but uncomfortable in-betweens where transformation happens’.

Let's Understand Liminality:-

Liminality is the “in-between”, where the space and the participants no longer hold their past status, but have not yet fully transformed to their post-transition self.

Liminal creativity is new ideas emerging from the unknown, identities changing through challenges, innovations sprouting in the midst of chaos, new beginnings built from the remains of failures.

Liminality is the ambiguity that emerges in the middle of a fundamental transition.

For example :- Think about a couple who’s engaged but not married or a person promoted to the higher position or rank but kept in the reserve list. These are moments suspended in-between what was and what will be. And the way we respond to those moments can determine the trajectory of our lives.

Before we find the antidote, it's important to understand as to -’What happens in liminal spaces?’ Doubt, discomfort, unfamiliarity, anxiety. Our brains typically resist these uncertain states.

Fear of the unknown is an evolutionary mechanism designed to protect us from potential risks. Yet these spaces can also foster growth, change, and discovery. What I particularly like about these times are that when we’re neither here nor there, we’re free from the constraints of our established identity and open to new possibilities. That’s why some people thrive in liminality, constantly seeking new transformations, changing careers, moving places, pursuing surprising ideas. And this is a mindset we can all learn to adopt.This edge of comfort is where creativity flourishes.

As neuroscientist Gregory Berns once said- “only when you consciously confront your brain’s reliance on categories then only you will be able to imagine outside of its boundaries.”

How to Leverage the Liminality:

Some of the biggest turning points in our story happen in the uncomfortable yet liberating liminal spaces where we are free to express our creativity.

Life is a creative adventure that invites us to become comfortable with discomfort, a journey where we continually experiment, make mistakes, learn, and grow.

Here are three ways you can embrace an experimental mindset and make the most of those liminal spaces:

1. Get in the flow. When everything shifts around you, the only thing you truly control is your attention. Let your ever-changing world fuel your inspiration without becoming a distraction.

Ask yourself: Where do I want to funnel my creative energy? Then focus on the task while letting go of the illusion of control over everything else.

2. Reinvent yourself. One of my favorite read says: It takes about seven years to master something. If you live to be 88, after age 11, consider that you have 11 opportunities ( 11× @7 yr ) to be great at something. Those are your lifetimes. Use them. Learn something new. Change careers. Take a risk. Reimagine your identity. Live all of your lifetimes.

3. Document the change. Liminal spaces trigger powerful transformations, but your future self may forget the journey. Whether through journaling, photography, or voice memos, capture your evolution as it happens. This metacognitive practice will not only preserve memories but also reveal patterns in how you navigate change, becoming a resource for future transitions.

My Final Thoughts 💭 :

The ideas and identities that are born in the chaos of change are ours most valuable sparks. Liminal creativity can help carve a path from disorientation to discovery, from uncertainty to curiosity, from fear to innovation. It can turn scary situations into transformational experiences of self-discovery.

So, whenever you find yourself in one of life's in-between situations, remember: don't just wait to become something new – actively explore and create within what might be the most fertile creative space you'll ever inhabit.

Take good care & hope you have enjoyed reading this week's dose of ‘Mindful Productivity & Cerebral Happiness’.

Joe

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