The messy middle

Have you ever started on a new venture filled with excitement and adventure at its onset? Perhaps it was a project that you were tasked to perform or one that you yourself initiated. I can think of several in my own life like completing a dissertation or writing my first book. At first I approached the task with enthusiasm with my eye on the destination. But, as time passed, my excitement and sense of adventure waned. Welcome to the messy middle. This was the time when my creativity came forth in ways of avoiding working on the project. I told myself that what I was doing had become boring and I needed to fill my time with activities that would hold my attention. That could even include my need to play video games for hours on end. What was I truly avoiding? Could it have been my fear of failure or my fear of success? When I was willing to address that fear, I was able to move forward with completing the project. Afterwards I asked myself why I had wasted so much time. When I reached my messy middle I could have identified one small step that would have taken me closer to my goal. Then I could have acted upon it until I reached the finish line. What have you done when you found yourself in the messy middle?