3 Ways to Make the Most of Uncertain Times

Losing a job, taking on a new challenge, preparing to launch a project, moving to a new country – these transitions create what anthropologists call “liminal spaces” – the fertile but uncomfortable in-betweens where transformation happens.

Liminality (from the Latin word līmen, “threshold”) is the ambiguity that emerges in the middle of a fundamental transition. Liminality is the “in-between”, where the space and the participants no longer hold their past status, but have not yet fully transformed to their post-transition self.

Think about a student who just submitted their last essay but hasn’t graduated yet, or a couple who’s engaged but not married. These are moments suspended between what was and what will be. And the way we respond to those moments can determine the trajectory of our lives.

The Power of the In-Between

What happens in liminal spaces? Doubt, discomfort, unfamiliarity, anxiety. Our brains typically resist these uncertain states. Fear of the unknown is an evolutionary mechanism designed to protect us from potential risks.

Yet these spaces can also foster growth, change, and discovery. When we’re neither here nor there, we’re free from the constraints of our established identity and open to new possibilities.

That’s why some people thrive in liminality, constantly seeking new transformations, changing careers, moving places, pursuing surprising ideas. And this is a mindset we can all learn to adopt.

This edge of comfort is where creativity flourishes. As neuroscientist Gregory Berns notes, “only when you consciously confront your brain’s reliance on categories will you be able to imagine outside of its boundaries.”

Liminal creativity is new ideas emerging from the unknown, identities changing through challenges, innovations sprouting in the midst of chaos, new beginnings built from the remains of failures.

How to Leverage the Liminal

Life is a creative adventure that invites us to become comfortable with discomfort, a journey where we continually experiment, make mistakes, learn, and grow.

Some of the biggest turning points in our story happen in the uncomfortable yet liberating liminal spaces where we are free to express our creativity.

Here are three ways you can embrace an experimental mindset and make the most of those liminal spaces:

1. Get in the flow. When everything shifts around you, the only thing you truly control is your attention. Let your ever-changing world fuel your inspiration without becoming a distraction. Ask yourself: Where do I want to funnel my creative energy? Then focus on the task while letting go of the illusion of control over everything else.

2. Reinvent yourself. One of my favorite comics says: “It takes about seven years to master something. If you live to be 88, after age 11, you have 11 opportunities to be great at something. Those are your lifetimes. Use them.” Learn something new. Change careers. Take a risk. Reimagine your identity. Live all of your lifetimes.

3. Document the change. Liminal spaces trigger powerful transformations, but your future self may forget the journey. Whether through journaling, photography, or voice memos, capture your evolution as it happens. This metacognitive practice will not only preserve memories but also reveal patterns in how you navigate change, becoming a resource for future transitions.

The ideas and identities that are born in the chaos of change are ours to forge. Liminal creativity can help carve a path from disorientation to discovery, from uncertainty to curiosity, from fear to innovation. It can turn scary situations into transformational experiences of self-discovery.

So, whenever you find yourself in one of life's in-betweens, remember: don't just wait to become something new – actively explore and create within what might be the most fertile creative space you'll ever inhabit.

Packy McCormick • Existential Optimism

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