between “what was” and “what will become”
A very simple way to understand liminality
DATE OF INITIAL ENTRY: 2-1-25
I was reflecting on the dichotomy presented by this definition of liminality. I realized how simple it is for thinking about what change looks and feels like and helping you decide how to think and act as you pursue your own desire to change.
What was - the past…the thing that wasn’t working in whatever amount it was not working
What will become - the future…the next and new things you want to think, do, and achieve
“What was and what will become” literally suggests the idea that there should be a space or pause between the two states of being.
Change can only occur within a liminal space: the space between what was and what will become.
But How?
What you were or are currently doing carries a ton of inertia with it for leading you to keep doing those things or try to improve upon them.
You have to consider that if the current thing you are doing is causing a host of problems to also be solved, then it might be the wrong thing to be doing.
You are going to be driven to try to solve the problems that the approach is creating but the best thing to do is to step away from that context and conditions so that you can create some space for thinking more broadly about what’s going on.
If you don’t, inertia will suck you in and keep you focused on repeating and trying to improve the things that are not working.
You have to step away from “what was” at least for a bit. How long depends on the size of change or transition you hope to achieve and how much of a deficit you are already in (below a zero baseline for the rebuilding phase.) Through my own sabbaticals I’ve found that it can take months to shake off “what was” so that you can start working on “what will become.”
When the trajectory or opportunity from my career was slipping away, the times I tried to solve for that simply led to more turmoil, disconnect, and worsening problems. I eventually realized that I needed to step away in order to see the situation more clearly. I took a career sabbatical and sought ideas and experience with other ways of working. It was revealing.
I went back to that career two more times out of fear and necessity but in other sabbaticals between those returns, I discovered even more effective ways to achieve more balance and presence.
The conundrum becomes that when you are facing the choice of “what was” and “what will become,” you have to start orienting toward the thinking and actions that will lead you to discover more of “what will become.”
Remaining oriented toward “what was or is” will simply lead you to keep attempting to improve upon your past vs. discovering your future.
I understand that this is not a feature of our models for education and work that simply fill us up with preconceived notions of what’s important to retain as knowledge and then panic us into making rushed decisions but this is the reality of wanting and achieving genuine change. You have to hang out closer to and delve more into “what will become.” You can’t do this by hanging out in “what was or is.”
Thus, the first challenge becomes intentionally starting to carve out the “what will become” space and understanding what that space feels like without rushing into “solutions.”
“Rushing into solutions” was and remains part of “what was.”
To summarize, in order to initiate creating the space for “what will become",” you have to intentionally step away in some form or fashion from “what was or is.”
More thoughts on this will be added over time.
END OF ENTRY
2-3-25 ENTRY
“What was” is what got us here to the point that we think or know we need change.”What was” is the set of knowledge, traditions, and practices that we performed because we were told or trained to do so but now we are sensing that it is not working.
What was = the past
“What is” is the current oppressive levels of inertia that result from continuing to try to fix or improve “what was.”
If you remain entrenched in “what is” through the unconscious (or conscious for that matter) application of “what was” then “what will become” does not stand a chance.
What will become = the future
This is where the practice of liminality becomes crucial. It’s not that liminality creates the actual change, it’s that it simply creates the space for it to start appearing.
We can learn and adopt a more liminal mindset through the practice of photographic concepts and methods.
END OF ENTRY
NEW ENTRY
As much as pursing or creating a liminal space might seem like giving up control, it is actually taking more control.
