Let It Take the Time It Needs
Trusting the Liminal Space
Some things just take time.
The answers you wished you had and the clarity you crave may need time to marinate. May need space to gently unfold. Sometimes, we want to know the answers right away. It feels certain and safe and a relief. But sometimes, the answers don’t arrive when we want them to…and that’s ok.
The body and nervous system move at a different pace than the mind. When you tune into it, it asks you to slow down.
There are moments when decisions need to be made. A deadline is near and an inner urgency bubbles up. There’s pressure to choose quickly. Is it this or that? Is it yes or no? But needing time and space is a decision too. Waiting is a choice.
There’s something sacred about the in-between. The space between the question and answer. The space between where you were and where you’re going. The transition. The threshold. The doorway. It can feel uncomfortable and uncertain but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It may be exactly where you need to be. It’s better to pause and listen than to charge ahead in a direction that you might end up not liking.
I’ve been sitting in that space recently. Last week, I wrote a long Substack post…probably 2-3 times longer than anything I’ve shared before about a question I’ve been trying to answer for 3 years already. I recorded it and queued it up to publish, but something felt off.
So I rewrote everything from another angle and lens. It felt better, but still not quite right. Something wasn’t landing accurately but I couldn’t figure it out.
I kept on working at it. Then I realized that what I need right now isn’t more editing. It’s space. Maybe the clarity, the answer, the essence will come not from effort, but from stepping away from it for a bit. I think this is something we can often forget to do when we’re pushing forward with a goal in mind.
A few weeks ago, I was listening to an interview with Benny Blanco, a music producer and songwriter. He spoke about his creative process, sharing early demos and the many evolutions a song would go through, layer by layer until it finally felt complete and ready to be released. Some songs came together in a few days and some took years, even as long as 8 years for the tune, artist, and everything to align. Wow! And it was a big hit.
That interview stayed with me. It gave me permission to let things take their time to unfold. Clarity, creativity, and truth sometimes have their own pace like the songs he worked on.
We just have to trust the process and timing. Honor the pauses, stillness, slowness. Time and space are some of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and others.
So, if you’re in a space of not knowing…take a breath. You don’t have to rush. You’re not behind. You’re simply in the unfolding. Be patient.
Let it take the time it needs.
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