Becoming Reflections

There’s a part of the process that’s essential, yet rarely discussed: the challenging and uncertain middle phase, where doubt often lingers.

Not the beginning.

Not the breakthrough.

The Part In Between

It's the part in between.

The part where you’ve already started…

But it still doesn’t feel solid.

You showed up.

You took the first step.

You did the thing you weren’t sure you could do.

And somehow…

You still feel unsure.

I’ve been noticing this in my half-marathon training.

But I see it outside of running, too.

When I started learning new skills to build my coaching practice, everything felt unfamiliar… even after the initial excitement wore off.

Starting used to feel like the hardest part.

But what surprised me… is what happens after.

This Is Where Doubt Shows Up

There are moments during my run when my body is moving…

But my mind is questioning everything.

Can I keep going?

Am I doing enough?

What if I don’t finish?

And it catches me off guard every time.

Because I’ve already started.

We don’t expect doubt after we begin.

We think once we take the first step, something will click.

That it will feel easier.

More certain.

But that’s not always how it works.

Sometimes the middle is just as uncomfortable.

Not because you’re doing something wrong,

But because you’re doing something new.

This middle stage, the period filled with uncertainty after starting, is what I wish more people talked about.

The part where:

• You’re showing up, but still questioning yourself.

• You’re moving forward, but it still doesn’t feel natural.

• You’re doing the work… but it hasn’t fully settled into who you are.

There’s nothing wrong with you in this space.

This is what it feels like to build something you’ve never sustained before.

I’m noticing that momentum doesn’t always feel strong or motivating.

Sometimes it looks like:

Continuing when you’d rather stop

Staying with something that still feels unfamiliar

Taking the next step… without the reassurance you thought you’d have by now

And if I’m honest…

This is the part that requires the most trust.

Not the start.

But the decision to keep going when it still feels uneasy.

Something Is Still Happening Here

But something is happening here.

Even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.

Every time you stay with it…

You’re building a different kind of relationship with yourself.

One that says:

“I don’t need to feel fully confident to continue.”

And slowly, almost quietly, things begin to shift.

Not all at once.

Not in a big, obvious way.

But in small moments where you realize:

You didn’t stop

You didn’t quit

You stayed

If you’re in this part right now…

Where you’ve already started, but it still feels shaky…

If you’re in this challenging middle phase, I want you to know:

Not a sign that something isn’t working.

Not a sign you can’t do it.

It’s simply a sign you’re in the middle.

And the middle... asks for something different than the start.

Stay with it.

This is a space I often hold with people, learning how to stay with themselves in the middle.