Yesterday, I wrote about how it feels like I am emerging from the liminal space, and through taking some new kinds of risks, I am learning more about what works for me and what doesn’t. These risks are also helping me create a new sense of community for myself. Today’s post expands on how much this new community means to me.

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100 Liminal Days is an experimental project of embracing my current transitional season after exiting my business by sharing an honest, real-time account of my self-initiation experience in daily posts. I’m using The Artist’s Way as a guiding tool, and sending shorter weekly recaps only via my newsletter. Visit Day 1/100 to learn more and sign up to get the weekly recaps delivered to your inbox.

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True Community Is Made of Reciprocal Relationships

I mean, I had community for many years – my business put me in circles and spaces with professionals in a wide range of industries. My business was offering administrative support – something that every business, in every industry, at every level needs – allowing me to quite literally see behind the scenes of a broad spectrum of companies. This insight made it easier for me to connect and relate to so many different types of leaders, and I made it a high priority to really get to know others.

I wanted to understand their challenges, what excites them, and their growth goals because my goal was to help them overcome those challenges and achieve more of what they dreamed to do with their lives. This happened with our clients, but it was just as much a priority for me to serve my employees and the freelance virtual assistants we partnered with to provide these services. So, naturally, this drive to get to know others has helped me build meaningful connections with hundreds of people in an array of spaces.

This community is still there for me, but what I have to bring to the relationship has shifted. And in business, the way we spend our time counts in dollars, so I’ve quietly withdrawn myself from engagement with most of those business contacts out of respect for their time and energy.

The thing is, that isolation caused some loneliness. I have started back at square one in terms of developing reciprocal relationships within a community.

And then I gave myself an initiation. 100 Liminal Days.

Calling In My New Community

I didn’t share anything about this project on social media until Day 49/100 because I wasn’t doing this for likes or even to grow my email list. I wasn’t trying to build anything or get my marketing right. I just wanted to understand how I ought to spend my time and energy in order to make money. I chose to do that publicly because I assumed there are other people out there thirsty for richer education and experiences, not the typical concise soundbites of advice written for search engine optimization and algorithms.

But I kept what I was doing quiet at first. Partly because I was afraid of being viewed as falling out of touch or being weird, but also because I admittedly could see how this has been a self-centered project. I’m talking about myself every day – my experiences, my inner world, my fears and desires. “Who cares?” I thought.

I had about 30 people on my email list – a few close friends, but most were from my book launch giveaway event this past summer. I decided to include those people in on this from the beginning, offering a very clear opportunity to opt out if it wasn’t for them. And surprisingly, the majority of them stayed.

But the reason I finally shared something on social media for the first time just four weeks ago was because I began to see the value for others in what I am doing with this project. Yes, it’s about me and my personal struggles and desires, but as I’m learning how to navigate this liminal space, the story being shared here is offering a framework. Stability, steps, and what to expect in any kind of “what’s next” moment we may find ourselves in. We’re figuring this out together.

Thank You For Being Here

Thank you to those of you who have emailed me to share how this resonates and to share your story. Thank you to those of you who have opened every email, every week. Thank you to those who have called to tell me about your own liminal season. Thank you to those of you I don’t know yet, but who are watching my qigong training videos, reading the blog, or connecting on social media. I see you, and I see why you are here.

Because we all need community, and there’s something special about bonding over common challenges. Feeling lost and alone is much worse than just feeling lost.

I think this element of community is a key part of how we emerge from the liminal space. Being here in my liminal space has been isolating, but it needed to be at first. I needed to look inward. It’s a personal process. But as I am deepening my understanding of who I am, what I want, and where I am going, I’m excited to look up and see that I have good company.

I sign off each of my email newsletters with the same closing line: “Thank you for being here.”

Truly, thank you for being here. You are helping me make this wild ride worth it.

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Weekly recaps of 100 Liminal Days are emailed on Tuesdays only to my newsletter subscribers. If you want the summaries, share your email here to get on the list. You’ll also instantly receive a free Notion template I use every single day to track my habits and reflect on the day.