What happens in the middle of transformation?

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.”

One of my all-time favorite quote, a true gem from Buckminster Fuller and certainly one of the best ways I've heard to describe the process of transformation.

I've been immersed in the world of transformation for years: studying, witnessing, supporting, challenging and undergoing several of my own. All that is to say, I know a good transformation when I see one.

We are collectively in a very particular part of a transformation process known for its incredibly technical term: "the middle."

The beginning of a transformation starts with awareness.

The awareness tells us that old story is no longer acceptable.

The end of course is beautiful butterfly.

But. The new story is not yet here. No butteryfly.

From that place of awareness and rejection of the old, we enter "the middle" which is where we are today. We're not a caterpillar anymore. And we're not a butterfly yet. We're in the cocoon phase. It may look and feel like nothing is going on, but massive changes are happening.

This transformation is happening at the societal level. We are collectively rejecting the old stories. We have ideas and visions for what the new stories could look like. We want to be there. And yet we're not.

Interestingly and not surprisingly, I find myself in the middle (to end, hopefully?) of a personal transformation, and the company I just started working with also happens to be in the middle. Old story no longer serves. New story not yet here.

In a world of an ever increasing desire for instant gratification, it's critical to understand that there are no shortcuts in transformation. Trust me. I've tried. And failed. Many times.

We are in the middle. Trust that massive changes are happening. Be patient and loving with ourselves and those who haven't spent as much time in the cocoon. Continue to put in the work so that we can emerge anew as a beautiful butterfly.