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Traces Of Twaun’s Life's avatar

One thing for sure is in this season I'm not overexerting myself and is still making progress. 🙌🏾

The Messy Middle by ItsDariam's avatar

You’ve figured out that you can still move forward without having to run at full speed all of the time.

Heather Harris's avatar

You’re right, let’s fix it. Here’s a cleaner version with no opening callout, no em dashes, no italics.

Endurance not always looking strong is the part I keep thinking about. There’s a quiet myth that perseverance has to be visible to count, intense, dramatic, impressive to witnesses. But so much of what actually carries people through long seasons is exactly what you describe, staying engaged without flair, resting without leaving.

I think this is part of why the in-between stretch of any real change is so disorienting. We’ve been taught to recognize progress by its intensity, not its consistency. So when it shows up quiet, we assume it isn’t there at all.

Thank you for naming it this clearly.

The Messy Middle by ItsDariam's avatar

I love this addition to the conversation. There really is a tendency to overlook quiet endurance because it doesn’t make for a compelling story. Yet so much of real life is built on exactly that kind of consistency. Thank you for sharing this.

When did you come to the realization, and how do you maintain the focus when it's not dramatic or even apparent?

beautifuliamcolored's avatar

Quiet endurance is so quiet at times that it takes coming out on the other side and looking back to know that you were stringing along a long and complex pattern that wasn’t fully identifiable initially. It’s like. 1000+ jigsaw puzzle. The pieces don’t make sense individually but when joined by multiple other pieces, things become clearer. So for me, most times the quiet portions of endurance go undetected. Per usual, another excellent article!

The Messy Middle by ItsDariam's avatar

BIAC, that’s the perfect analogy. Looking at a 1000-piece puzzle for many (like me) seems overwhelming and even impossible. I would want to give up when the pieces didn’t go together how I thought they would. At the end, I would celebrate the beautiful picture that the hard work produced.

I love how you framed that. Thank you for your wisdom and insights.

Nancy Jo Germain's avatar

"Not every season is for blooming" sometimes we are quietly growing the invisible roots that are making stronger and leading to future success.

The Messy Middle by ItsDariam's avatar

We never see the roots, but appreciate the foundation and the strength.

Mariela's avatar

Thank you! Good reminder! So needed! 🫶