There is a very tricky stage in the process of deeply transforming one’s life and seeing tangible results that my mentor Mary Morrissey calls “the gap”.
This is after a good while of faithfully applying and practicing new habits and new mind sets and advancing confidently in the direction of our dream most likely for months, maybe for a year or two.
Primarily we are pushed by a burning desire for change fueled by envisioning a new version of our life. We do the work, we speak the affirmations, we pause the fears, we dial up the faith… and we are electrified by the expectation to see it all happen in the near future !
But then, as we feel good and ready… nothing seems to happen in the realm of physical reality.
We look at our bank statements, our relationship, our living quarters, our career or all of the above and we can’t believe that it is still much what it was.
We feel cheated, we question the steps we took, we wonder why we are not there yet.
Doubts creep in. Sadness occur. Procrastination happens. Are we failing ? Was it a pipe dream ? Did we do all of this in vain ? God forbid.
Remember: invisible growth is growth nonetheless.
I was reminded of this recently at home. Months ago, I put an avocado pit over a vase filled with water on my kitchen window sill and I kept the water level up to the bottom of the pit, week after week after week, throughout the winter, without any sign of growth what so ever. The pit was not decaying, but it was not doing anything apparently either.
Fortunately I have grown pits before…
And I know that it is a slow but reliable process.
In fact, a week ago, in the span of a few days, a strong root appeared under the pit and grew down to the bottom of the vase at which point I planted it in rich soil. Since I did this, I can’t see the root any more, but I KNOW that it is establishing itself in the soil and though no stem is yet visible, I am confident that it will appear and develop into a baby avocado tree any time soon.
We can relax and enjoy the invisible side of our growth as well.
The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence!
We might not see any tangible result yet, but deep roots are establishing themselves, strong, vital and essential to any visible growth in the future.
Without this quiet stage of the process no substantial change could ever take hold.
So remember: it is unfolding as we speak because as we endeavor to grow and take steps accordingly, change starts to happen immediately in invisible ways.
Trust and advance confidently.
Fret not.
Results are on the way… This is time for blind faith.
When results start to show up they seem to come out of the blue.
But they really are the continuation of what started a long while ago.
Meanwhile, enjoy the process… because what we become is even more important than what we get.