Whenever we start something new—a project, a hobby, a habit—we are fueled by excitement.
The possibilities feel endless. The initial progress happens quickly. We are motivated by the vision of the finished product.
But eventually, the initial excitement fades.
The middle of any journey is always the hardest. It's where the initial enthusiasm has worn off, but the finish line is still too far away to see.
This is what I call "the messy middle."
It's the phase where progress slows down to a crawl. Where self-doubt starts creeping in. Where you realize that what you thought would take a week might actually take months.
I used to hate this phase. I would often abandon projects right when they hit the messy middle, convincing myself that if it was this hard, it probably wasn't meant to be.
But over time, I've learned that the messy middle isn't a sign that you're failing. It's simply the part where the actual learning is happening.
When things get difficult, it means you've moved past the easy beginner stuff and are now wrestling with the complex reality of the craft.
Now, when I hit that wall of resistance, I try to lean into it. I remind myself that this is exactly where the growth lives. If I can just keep showing up, even when it feels like I'm not making progress, I'll eventually break through to the other side.
