Are You In Limbo?

Limbo: (Clause 4) an intermediate place or state; a state of uncertainty

Let’s see, what is in limbo right now…?
For a start, the global financial system is in limbo. The economy and many corporations feel they are in limbo. If you lost your job and are looking for new one, you are in limbo. The stock market is in limbo – in between two trends. The Middle East is in limbo. The Obama administration is still in limbo for a few more days. Even NASA is in limbo. India – Pakistan seems to be in limbo. Large parts of Africa are in limbo. You get the idea… This planet is largely in limbo.

The question is – are you in limbo? Chances are that if you are not, you will likely be by tomorrow, at least in one aspect of your life or another. In between jobs. In between homes. In between relationships. In between one clarity and the next. Between one peak and the next.

You have to become very good at managing the limbo state. Limbo is the point where you are no longer in the safety of what was known and have not found yet a new settlement or equilibrium. It might just be the nature of life in the foreseeable future. Perhaps this was life all along but you hadn’t noticed. The point is, you’ve got to develop an indestructible core that sustains you through the limbo state. A sense of clarity about who you are and what’s important for you. A confidence and self esteem not subject to the marketplace of employability. Resourcefulness. Resilience. Gumption. Chutzpa. Tons of optimism. And a good and wide network of friends. Learn to become the answer to the questions around you. You will then never be alone. You will never be left without work.  And you will not lose the sense of self in the state of limbo.

© Aviv Shahar