Pushing through the in-between moments
A couple of months ago I was tired of my hairstyle. I visited my hairdresser armed with some pictures of potential new looks. She told me 'Great, but for these we'll have to grow it a little first'. (It's always a 'we'—after all, a haircut is a collaboration between the person who cuts the hair and the person to whom the hair belongs.)
And so I have been going through the painful process of growing my hair. If you have ever grown out a short style, or even a fringe (that's bangs for my North American friends), you know all about the awkward stage—your hair doesn't sit right, and you need to try all manner of clips and styling products to make it look half decent. There is a strong desire to give up, cut it all off and go back to the old style, but you know if you push through your hair will reach a point where it will look good again.
The same thing happens whenever we work toward a new goal or intention. We take our idea to the Universe, who says 'Great, but to reach this you will need to grow a little first'. (After all, life is a collaboration between you and the Universe.) It doesn't seem like too hard a task, and so the process begins.
Soon you realise that what seemed like a good idea is a lot harder than anticipated. You are in The Middle feeling messy and chaotic, and you have no idea whether the outcome will be worth it. Things feel awkward and not-quite-right and you have to make concessions and sacrifices to make sure life still goes on in the midst of all this change. You consider giving up and going back to how things were—even though you were bored of the old situation, at least you knew what it looked like.
But then you reach the end, and you realise it was all so worth it. You are proud of yourself for all you have achieved. Your new way of being feels so much better than the old, and you learnt so much along the way that helped shape you as a person.
Inner growth takes time. Creating shifts and change in your body, mind and soul requires effort. If it was easy, then it wouldn't be so rewarding. Keep going with whatever it is you are working toward in the knowledge that you will be glad you persisted.
The end result is always worth the awkward phase. Don't give up.
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