Embrace the Limbo!

In 2001, when the soul of the U.S. was shaken to its core through unimaginable acts of violence and hatred, I was working to save the Saint Louis Symphony from bankruptcy.  We had just launched a monumental campaign designed to save the 100+ year old icon. The finances were so bad, in fact, that we didn’t have a lot of time to wait until the world calmed down to execute on our plan.  But we stopped and embraced the limbo. We refocused and then we rallied. We decided to reframe the campaign in a way that was 100% inclusive of all walks of life in St. Louis. We made it the everyman/woman’s campaign. And we succeeded. We met and exceeded our goal. The specifics are too lengthy to explain in this blog post, but the message is important. The Symphony campaign worked because, at a time of fear when the world stopped, we embraced the pause, and refocused our efforts on unity and support of one another and hope. We focused on the present and the future and what we could build together. We embraced the limbo.

There is something to be said for limbo. No, not the contortionist dance under the pole (although that can be fun!). Limbo, meaning the space that uncertain time provides us. We are told to stay home, limit our exposure to others, be cautious. All fear-based mentalities, when in fact this time when the world is forcing us to slow down, is a gift. We almost never get the opportunity to slow down as mandated by our bosses, so use it wisely!  That 45-minute commute can be used to simply sit and reflect. That recently canceled event can provide you with four hours you couldn’t imagine having.

My very wise friend Chip Conley refers to this as liminality – a space and time of uncertainty during transition. We talked a lot about liminality at the Modern Elder Academy, specifically as it refers to understanding yourself as a part of the transitional process.

Every day, we awake to uncertainty. Fear is being driven into our heads by endless social media posts about disease, war, enemies, and hatred.  But we have choices. We can choose to allow the fear to paralyze us, or we can choose to pause, embrace the limbo and move forward, and focus on working together with our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors and organizations toward a better today and a better future. 

Breathe. Go outside and spend time in nature. Reflect on the beauty that surrounds us. Reflect on time and how you can use these gifts wisely.  Reflect on your career and what is important to you. Craft a plan. Or just reflect. 

Embrace the limbo.