When Your Dream Feels Stuck in the Hallway…

Core Article: When Your Dream Feels Stuck in the Hallway…

Paragraph I’m Pondering: “Today, let someone give to you.”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “I am a visionary leader.”

Book Review: Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

Cool Stuff: “Why in the world is it called ‘Iceberg’ lettuce?

AI Info & Resources: Free Adobe App, turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera 🙂

When Your Dream Feels Stuck in the Hallway…

Have you been in a liminal space before? Or maybe you or your client are in one now?

I was in my weekly storytelling class last week when this came up. And I’m gonna be honest with you — the term “liminal” space was not something I was totally familiar with.

When we got deeper into its meaning… Then I totally understood, and this came to me:

One of my favorite adapted quotes was this one: “When one door closes, another one opens. Yet those hallways are a real drag.”

A liminal space is the hallway. It’s that in-between place. You’ve left something super familiar (or it’s left you), and you don’t quite know what’s ahead. So you’re stuck in that “in-between space.” That’s the liminal space.

Ahhhh, so it’s those times in my life when a relationship ended and I was stuck in that place of starting over, being alone again. Or when corporate America left me and I was without a job, a relationship over, and losing my place to live. That time in my life felt more like an overload of liminal space. The fear was simply overwhelming, and there were so many transitions happening all at once.

When you’re in the liminal space, so many emotions come up — struggle, fear, frustration, uncertainty, not having a clear path, and the impatience of “waiting.”

It’s hard when you’re in that space. For me, when I was laid off, the hardest part was that it was soooo unfamiliar. I’d never been laid off before. Not having a place to go when I woke up in the morning kind of freaked me out. I’d never been without a job before.

Maybe you’re here too — maybe you’ve poured months, even years, into launching your program, only to have it fall flat. The cart closed, and your heart sank with it. You wonder if you’re even cut out to be an entrepreneur. You feel like your clients, your message, or maybe even your dream have left you behind. That hallway? It shows up in business, too.

It’s that space where your audience shifts, the market changes, or you’ve simply outgrown your business. You may even find yourself staring at your brand or offers, wondering if you want to continue doing this. The fear is the same. The frustration is the same. The stuckness — that what-do-I-do-next feeling — is just you being in that liminal space, the hallway, the in-between place.

And here’s the thing: there’s nothing to fix right away. Nothing’s broken about you or your dream. You get to pause here, to breathe, to feel all the feelings, and trust that the hallway will teach you what you need for the next season of your business.

When you’re stuck in that hallway, it’s not about fixing anything. You can’t. It honestly starts with making peace with where you are. Knowing the only way out of the hallway is through it. And it might be a very long hallway until you reach that next door.

Yeah, it can be scary and frustrating not having the clarity yet of what to do next. The worst for me was the tension I felt from not knowing. That feeling of stuckness that comes with it.

Now that we’re in the thick of it — what can help you be present and start to move through it?

Support — Connecting with people. This is huge, and I talk about it a lot. Having a coach, therapist, spouse, partner, friend, or family member who can be there for you, guide you, and let you be where you are. NO FIXING allowed.

Asking for help. For me, it was ALWAYS hard to ask for help. Yet, when I did, it always helped me shift. Even if it was just validating that it’s ok to be stuck, and I’ll be stuck until I’m not. “The only way out of a liminal space is through.”

Write/Talk/Walk or More. I LOVE my morning pages — it’s like getting out all the junk in my head before I start my day. Totally clears my head. Write about how you feel, where you are in this liminal space, and what you want help or guidance with. If that’s not your thing, talk to trusted friends, family, or a professional. Take a walk, get out of the house, take a day trip, shake things up a bit.

Patience and trust in your wisdom and intuition to have your back. This can be hard, yet as humans, we’re built for this. To trust in the unknown, and in your own intuition, voice, and the guides who will show up for you in that hallway. You know yourself best and will be guided to the next way forward when the time is right.

Get comfortable with the not knowing. Find gratitude every day, even in the unknown of what you’ll do next. THIS, to me, is the HARDEST part — the not knowing. You can get through this.

There’s no doubt about it — being stuck in that hallway totally sucks. And timing is everything—when I got sick and was down for 6 weeks this year — yowza. I definitely felt stuck in a hallway with no doors or windows to get out. And yet, I survived. I had terrific support and used many of the suggestions above to take it one day at a time. My inner voice, my intuition, knew when it was time to come back into the living and what I was supposed to do next. Yours will too.

One of the best parts of liminal spaces is when you finally dig out of it, or walk down that long hall, and you finally find that door that opens.

That’s when you take the time to look back at your “hallway journey,” and all you discovered about yourself — wow.

I’m so grateful for my time in those liminal spaces. They taught me so much about myself, my intuition, courage, what inspires me to keep moving forward, reconnecting with my support system, and more.

If you’ve been in that space, what has it taught you?

And if you’re in that hallway right now — whether you’re healing from a launch that didn’t land, or questioning if you’re meant to keep going with your business — please know you are not alone. That hallway might feel cold, lonely, or downright terrifying. Yet it’s not a dead end. It’s simply a pause.

When you give yourself permission to rest here, to listen, to reconnect with your purpose, you might discover what your next chapter will look like. Maybe you’ll see a clearer path to serve your dream clients. Maybe a fresh idea will bubble up. Maybe, just maybe, this hallway is preparing you for a business that feels more aligned, more ease-filled, and more true than anything you’ve built before.

Remember, the next time you find yourself in the liminal hallway, try to view it as a sacred space — a time to reconnect with yourself, your creativity, and discover or rediscover your values, purpose, and what you came here to be, do, and have.

If you’re in the hallway, I’d love to hear from you — comment below and tell me where you are, and what you’re discovering about yourself there.

Paragraph I’m Pondering

“Today, let someone give to you. Let someone do something nice for you. Let someone give you a compliment or tell you something good about yourself. Let someone help you. Then, stand there and take it. Take it in. Feel it. Know that you are worthy and deserving. Do not apologize. Do not say, “You shouldn’t have.” Do not feel guilty, afraid, ashamed, or panicky. Do not immediately try to give something back. Just say, “Thank you.” Today, I will let myself receive one thing from someone else, and I will let myself be comfortable with that.”
~ Melody Beattie

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“My impact on the world is meaningful, and I inspire others to live their best lives.”
“I honor my mind, body, and spirit by nurturing myself daily.”
“I am a visionary leader. My discipline, creativity, and passion fuel my greatness.

Book Review

If you want a boost of creativity, you can always check out this book—
Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon.
Can’t get it in time? Find the “Book Summarizer” GPT on ChatGPT and give it this title. Ask it for some inspiration from the book to spark your creativity until your book arrives. 🙂
And if you need any guidance on ChatGPT – shoot me a note – happy to be your guide.

Cool Stuff

If you always asked the question, “Why in the world is it called ‘iceberg lettuce ‘?” Then, you’ll need to click here.
If you’ve ever wondered why people have out-of-body experiences, science can now tell us. Hmmm…
Love this good news story, which features how Instagram is saving a small “ghost” town in Italy by showcasing its street art….

AI Info and Resources

Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, now lets users build and share AI-powered apps via chat – no coding or API needed. This is big cuz this means with a free account, you can use this feature. Plus, Claude, in my experience, is a much better writer than ChatGPT. Check out this article for more.
The Rise of AI Agents in the Fashion Industry. LVMH says it’s building AI agents to give customers more luxury experiences. Hmmm….
If you like taking pics on your phone like I do, check out this free app from Adobe—Project Indigo. It turns your iPhone into an AI-powered DSLR camera. Pretty cool.

Weekly Photos

Always good to start the pics off with Emma smiling. I have to share that she hasn’t been well lately. Doctors are doing all they can. They are still unsure of the issue. And, looks like she’s doing better and still her usual ole self.
Loved seeing this deer on my walk this week. I love how they just stop and stare at you. We talk for a minute, and then she moves on.
These next two photos are a quick series – Emma’s new sleeping hideaway. It’s in a teeny corner of my office. I think she likes it cuz it’s an orthopedic bed. She is 11 years old now.
This is a bit closer. I’m always trying to zoom in and do different angles with my pics before I bore myself with the same ole ones each week.
This was kind of crazy, how the moisture on the concrete was exactly a heart, and there were two leaves inside playing along too. Mother nature, love your surprises – thank you!
Along the Sacramento trail walk we do, it also goes under the train trestle, which makes for an interesting shot because of the curve in the track that follows the lake.
Always a good time for a Northern CA sunrise shot. With all the clouds, I kind of liked it. Usually this time of year we have no clouds cuz of all the heat. Love surprises!

NOTE: If you’re keen to discover more about how AI can impact your marketing, I’m happy to share how I’m using it to help me in my business. To date, everyone I’ve shared this with is telling me to sell these calls; I might do so later on. At this point, I don’t want to. I’d rather help you who has faithfully been reading my emails each week. Hit reply, and we can set up a call; I can share everything I know with you. Or click here to schedule time on my calendar. I’m not selling anything, I promise. I just want to help. It’s fun for me to share what I’m learning…

NEW: P.S. This is me being bold and giving you an invitation. 🙂 I’m going to run the Soulful Marketing Accelerator Cohort again. If you’re longing for like-minded community and ready to move through your fears to grow a purpose-driven business rooted in authenticity and aligned with your dream clients… Welllll. Go here to be first in line when I reopen the doors again. Would love to have you.

P.S.S. Whenever You’re Ready: Here are 3 Ways I can make an impact on creating greater success in your business using marketing that’s aligned with your mission and values without feeling like you’re selling your soul.

1. Make Money Now Sheet – It’s one of the bonuses in my 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. I wanted to give it to you for free to help you create more success.

2. Love Books Like I Do? – I’m always reviewing the best nonfiction books – Where Buddha Meets Business.

3. Get my proven 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. It gives you the framework you need to implement authentic and connected marketing using online customer experiences and launching your products, services, or courses. It will help you create greater success.

It’s a simple system, especially if you love to read like me. There’s no video or audio. Plus, you get my proven templates, tools, and worksheets, all with tremendous value. And I’m pricing it incredibly low so it can be more accessible to more people. 🙂

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