Between jobs

But staying grounded.

The Space Between

People talk a lot about the before and after.

Before usually happens offline. After is what gets shared publicly.

You know the kind: “How I grew my business from 0 to 2M in one year.”

But the middle, the space between security and newness, is rarely shared in real time. It’s the suspended place where your feet can’t quite find the ground yet.

The Leap and the Landing

You’ve felt it before. You’ve made the move. At first there’s relief, liberation, even empowerment.

You can’t go back, and you can’t speed forward. Time hasn’t yet caught up to your outcome.

Before progress can be felt, you have to move through the gap. You just have to trust the bridge will appear as you walk.

Most people don’t share this in real time, so instead of stories about patience, or perseverance we get stories about payoff.

I think this in between place is an under explored gap that can feel weird or uncomfortable, but with the right balance in your life could otherwise be fulfilling.

Confidence as a Muscle

Taking risks isn’t about blind optimism, it’s about self-trust and security.

Self trust - You’ve done this before.

Question: When have you faced something hard that you didn’t make it through?

Answer: Never.

You’ve made it through every single difficult thing so far.
And you didn’t just survive, you probably also leveled up each time.

Security - Having an enriched life outside of the thing you recently quit creates stability to make these decisions in the first place.

The other 90% of your life is full, taking away one part does not shift the scales as dramatically as you think.

Thinking differently than this is an indicator of having a scarcity mindset, which will not get you far. Instead, having a growth mindset one will anchor you, and help you to recognize when it’s time to make your next shift.

The solution - Build the other 90% and feel the security when you take away one piece.

The building blocks for security

I use the “pizza” concept for balance in my own life, you can thank my Spanish boyfriend for the simplicity here, as he perfects his English there are certain analogies that make it easier to understand each other. Now we both like talking about how we’re building our pizzas.

Each slice represents part of your life:

• Community, friends and family

• Your job

• Your partner

• Personal hobbies

• Wellness, fitness and health

• Continued improvement, learning and education

If one slice slips away, the pizza still stands.

The key is not to let any one slice become the whole pie. Of course there are times in life one piece needs more attention than another, naturally the balance will ebb and flow.

Identify with your well-rounded life

The “in between” can feel uncomfortable because it’s proof you’re expanding. You’re no longer where you were, and not yet where you’re going.

When your sense of identity and fulfillment come from a mix of places, your community, your routines, your health, your curiosity, your creativity…losing or changing one piece doesn’t make the ground disappear.

Life hack: Your career can be fulfilling, meaningful, and ambitious, and still be just one slice of the pizza. The other slices are not just there for the sake of having a balanced life, they also give you the security to make choices that bring you to the next exciting chapter. Sometimes, because they exist, they propel you into something better!

In Summary

The grey area in your before and after can be a perfect pit stop for life enrichment.
Create your own security, build a well rounded life, and watch your life, success and future expand.