Germination

Growth takes time. To heal, start a new process, or move forward in life you need room and time for growth. This is particularly true when you are in a liminal state, where change is happening, but the outcome is not yet clear. The process begins with germination, the unfurling of new ideas or potential. If you have ever gardened, you know not to dig up seedlings to see how their roots are coming along. It destroys the process. Instead, you plant the seeds then provide protection, water, and time. You no longer work the soil, till, or hoe. Seeds need rest to allow for the slow emergence of tendrils. You can protect your own growth through rest, safety, and nourishment.

Putter, Futz, Do Whatever

Allow yourself to rest. When you are first in liminal space it feels like you should be doing something productive. And yet you may not be clear on what it is that needs to be done. Relaxing feels counterintuitive when you have a life to build. In Rest we explored that rest includes not just sleep or stillness but also movement, creativity, and play. Step away from being productive and instead do whatever floats your boat. The phrases that come to mind are “to futz about” or “to wander.” During these times when your attention is elsewhere new tendrils can open up and spread out in your imagination. Your energy can be restored.

Protect Your Imagination

Provide protection for your new ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Explore them in a journal, share them with supportive others, or sketch out ideas before exposing them to your entire social network. Give yourself permission to do things you aren’t good at but that you enjoy. Engage in daydreaming and flights of fancy. Experiment with new ideas without committing to them as your absolute next step. When you try something new, and it flops, consider that information, not failure. If you start out on an adventure and find that you intensely dislike it, super, you have learned more about yourself and your options. The synthesis of your ideas and your learning is the rich soil for your growth.

Nourish Yourself

Growth and change can be exhausting. While you are learning provide yourself with structure that supports your well-being. In Resilient Routines, I describe a way to establish flexible routines that work for you. Liminal space often upsets routines and structure along with everything else. Just as seedlings need regular light and water, your body, mind, and physical space need tending. A flexible schedule is not created to meet outside standards of what you “should do” but so that you have the nourishment to grow. Routines can be used to set aside time for rest or to futz around. They are a way to protect your peace and to honor your energy levels.

During liminal times give yourself permission to allow for germination. Rest gives you time to grow, to send out tendrils of ideas, and to dream. Safety allows you to explore opportunities. Nourishment gives you the energy to see the process through. From the outside it may not seem that you are being productive as you daydream, experiment and care for your daily needs. It looks a lot like watering a bare patch of dirt while the seeds are still underground. This time is an intentional pause that allows the body to repair, the mind to integrate, and the spirit to offer new insight. It’s the fertile soil where growth can take root.

Germination

Putter, Futz, Do Whatever

Protect Your Imagination

Nourish Yourself

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