I had an interesting conversation with one of my girlfriends tonight about “The Messy Middle.” I must admit, since the exciting launch of my blog I’ve been suffering from a bit of writer's block. For the first quarter of the year, I was in a private bubble of writing and purging all of this information I wanted to share with the world, but after the launch, I was faced with new projects like learning SEO and honing new skills on the marketing side that are not as exciting to me as writing. I was sharing this rut that I have found myself in with a dear friend of mine tonight when she reminded me of what one of our favorite authors, Glennon Doyle, calls “the messy middle.” Everyone loves the thrill of the beginning and the rewards of the end, but the “messy middle”, she shares, is the often secret struggle where all of the magic happens. It is not easy, or fun, but a necessary means to get to where we want to go.

I think many people (including myself) lose focus when it stops being fun and exciting, but as my friend reminded me tonight, jobs are not always fun. Sometimes we just need to accomplish the task at hand to reach our end goal. She also reminded me that this scenario in itself would make a great blog post because it is a lesson so many of us need. Life isn’t always the exciting new beginning or the glorious after photo. Sometimes it is the work we do behind the scenes on our marriage. Or the books we read to become better parents. Or the boring courses we take to learn about SEO (I asked if I could just hire someone to do this for me, to which my husband replied “Sure, once you start making some money!”).

I find it so tedious to go back and work on changing the words in the first and last sentences of blogs I have already written or moving photos to a more optimal position on the page. However, if this will propel my blog to a more favorable ranking on Google, then I guess it will be time well spent. I also get overwhelmed by learning multiple skills at once. While I am reading a book about SEO, I am also worrying about what I am not currently learning about Instagram marketing. I feel as if I would rather do nothing than one thing at a time, but burying my head in the sand will not get me anywhere. I need to endure the messy middle.

I feel like this sentiment rings true with all of the struggles in life. We would all love for our kids to know their ABC’s on the first day of Preschool, but this takes some effort as parents. We all want happy loving marriages, but we have to tackle every obstacle that comes our way and do the work to maintain our relationship. We want to be fit and healthy, but have to find a balance between the bagels and the gym days. The messy middle. Where the magic happens. It reminds me of my favorite anonymous quote. “The difference between where you are and where you want to be is what you do.”

My conversation tonight reminded me that 1) wine & cheese nights with your besties should be a monthly priority. 2) Being scheduled and diligent with your tasks will lead to a positive result. And most importantly 3) Sometimes work is work. Hopefully, we are lucky enough to do something we love and the majority is also fun and rewarding, but sometimes we just need to face the task at hand, complete it, and move on. So if anyone is looking for me, I will be in the messy middle for the foreseeable future… optimizing my old blog posts and taking courses on Instagram marketing. But I will also be writing what inspires me at least once or twice a week to keep the blog and my writing flow moving along. If you are reading my blog posts and enjoy what you read, please leave me a comment or give me a like on Facebook or Instagram!