16. Embracing the Messy Middle

Trina Gray discusses the concept of “embracing the messy middle” in her podcast episode. She emphasizes that change is hard initially, messy in the middle, and beautiful at the end, quoting Robin Sharma. Trina shares practical tips for navigating life’s transitions: creating routine to bring familiarity, and envisioning a beautiful end to stay motivated. She applies these principles to various life aspects, including work, relationships, and health, encouraging listeners to find consistency and visualize positive outcomes. Trina aims to help women build a “calm and confident toolbox” for better living.

“Look for what is constant, to create sameness, to embrace routine when life feels messy, to tidy up the parts of your day that you can so the messy parts don’t make you so undone.” – Trina

Topics:

Understanding the Messy Middle

  • Trina explains that the concept of the messy middle is relevant to all ages and life stages, providing examples like college students, young professionals, parents, and retirees.
  • The definition of the messy middle is provided, highlighting its universality in various life aspects.
  • Trina acknowledges her scratchy voice due to a cold and expresses her commitment to delivering the podcast consistently.
  • The episode’s theme is rooted in a quote by Robin Sharma: “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.”

Navigating Change and the Messy Middle

  • Trina discusses the importance of managing change, whether by choice or circumstance, and the emotional and practical challenges it brings.
  • She shares her personal experience of adapting the Robin Sharma quote to “beautiful at the end” and its significance in her life and coaching practice.
  • Trina emphasizes the need to envision a more beautiful end to navigate the messy middle effectively.
  • She introduces the first tip for managing the messy middle: looking for what is constant and creating routine to bring familiarity and stability.

Practical Tips for Managing the Messy Middle

  • Trina provides a second tip: envisioning a beautiful end or new beginning to motivate and guide through the messy middle.
  • She shares a conversation with a young entrepreneur and mother, explaining the podcast’s goal of helping listeners build a calm and confident toolbox for better living.
  • Trina discusses the importance of managing change in various life aspects, including work, relationships, and health.
  • She highlights the significance of creating routine and familiarity to navigate the messy middle in different life areas.

Applying Tips to Different Life Areas

  • Trina applies the first tip to work-related changes, suggesting creating routine and familiarity to manage new responsibilities and environments.
  • The second tip is applied to relationships, encouraging envisioning a beautiful next chapter to maintain hope and motivation.
  • Trina discusses the challenges of moving to a new city and the importance of routine and familiar activities to ease the transition.
  • She addresses health changes, emphasizing the importance of routine and envisioning a healthy future to manage health issues effectively.

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Trina Gray

Mentor, Speaker, Entrepreneur

Host of the Calm & Confident Podcast

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