28 Apr Mindset Mastery: Navigating The In-Between
There was a time in my life when I doubted that I’d ever make it out of the ‘In-Between.’ I was working twelve-hour night shifts in the intensive care unit that even on a good night was not just twelve hours. Some nights, if everything went well, we’d punch out by hour thirteen and, if all hell had broken loose, we could count on it turning into fifteen.
I’d pull out of the parking lot of the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in downtown Baltimore City, the morning sunrise burning my eyes, wondering what I was doing with my life. A right turn onto West Lombard Street, a few blocks more to I-395, a merge onto I-95 and 13 long miles home. Windows down, radio loud, struggling to keep my eyes open and not drift off to sleep while I was driving. Six hours later after falling into my bed I’d wake up and start the process all over again.
I had not bargained for a career that would leave me feeling incredibly fulfilled morally but depleted mentally and physically. Yes, we nurses and doctors were saving lives but behind closed doors our lives were hardly the picture of health we promoted. We skipped breaks. We ate junk. We slept on chairs during snowstorms because we were “mandatory” personnel.
I knew something had to change. I knew what, but I didn’t know how.
And that’s the part no one really talks about: the ache of the ‘In-Between.’
I remember asking myself simple but heavy questions in those moments:
- What if this isn’t all there is for me?
- What would my life look like if it felt lighter, freer, healthier?
- If I could design a different day, what would it include?
- What am I longing for that I’ve been too exhausted to even name?
At first, I didn’t have the answers. But the questions themselves became tiny lanterns lighting my way out.
And slowly, through that foggy space, I started using my imagination as a tool for survival. I didn’t call it visualization back then. It was more like daydreaming in the car, driving that same 13 miles home after a brutal night shift. I’d picture myself somewhere else, maybe sitting at a sunny cafe writing, or teaching health and wellness instead of patching up trauma after trauma.
That small, flickering habit of imaginative thinking became the foundation for something bigger.
I started creating vision boards, tearing pages from magazines, collecting images that stirred something awake inside me: oceans, books, smiling faces, healthy meals, people moving joyfully. Even though I still didn’t know “how,” I was beginning to define “what” with greater clarity.
Soon after, I realized an important truth: wishing isn’t a strategy.
I needed a roadmap, even if it was rough and ugly at first.
So I sketched out a simple plan with tiny, achievable steps that moved me an inch closer to the life I envisioned:
- Research other careers in health and wellness.
- Take one course at the community college.
- Save a little from each paycheck for future certifications.
- Start journaling regularly to track my ideas and wins.
- Set one small goal each month that aligned with the bigger dream.
It didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t happen easily.
But it happened because I honored the in-between.
I treated the space between where I was and where I wanted to be not as a void, but as a vital, sacred stretch of my story.
Mindset Mastery: Reset & Reflect On The In-Between
If you’re in the in-between right now, know this: You are not lost. You are not failing. You are building your bridge. One thought, one dream, one small courageous step at a time.
Here are a few journal prompts you can use this week to help you move through your own in-between space:
- What part of your life feels the heaviest right now? (Name it honestly. Awareness is the first act of power.)
- If you could change just one small thing about your current situation, what would it be? (Focus on what’s within your control.)
- What images, words, or feelings capture the life you long to live? (Collect them. Build a vision board or journal page.)
- What’s one small action you could take this week to honor your dream, even if you don’t feel ready? (Small steps count.)
- Who can you invite into your journey for support, encouragement, or accountability? (You don’t have to build your bridge alone.)
Your Next Inspired Step to Navigate The In-Between:
You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Find out how the in-between may have you feeling stuck and how to move through it with clarity, courage, and confidence.
Join us inside The Seva Circle where you’ll turn self-doubt into self-trust and take inspired action toward the life you deserve.
Because remember Reader, the first step out of the in-between isn’t massive…it’s intentional. One small rooted step can change everything. Join us and take yours today.
Be well, be love(d), and be good to yourself,
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