Episode 25: “The Messy Middle: Why Most Quit — But Change Chasers Keep Going”

The middle of your change journey is the toughest, messiest, and most frustrating part — and guess what? Most people quit right here. But not you. In this episode of Change Chasers, we expose the brutal truth about the messy middle and why growth and consistency are your secret weapons for lasting change. Get ready for bold truths, no fluff motivation, and practical tips to help you stay locked in when giving up feels easiest. If you’re ready to own your messy middle and keep chasing change with relentless grit, this episode is for you.

#ChangeChasers #MessyMiddle #GrowthMindset #ConsistencyIsKey #DontQuit #KeepGoing #Relentless #PodcastEpisode

Faith in Action // Change in Motion

Transcript

0:20

Well, hey, hey, change chasers. Welcome back y'all. Hitting you with, this is the podcast where we don't just chase change y'all. We hunt it down, right? We wrestle it into submission and then we keep moving no matter what. That is the goal, right? We are growing as we are going. I'm Mandy, and today we're getting real about the part that no one talks about. As change chasers, though, we're going to go there. We're going to talk about it. And that is the messy middle. The messy middle, y'all. So listen up. If you are someone who starts strong. But fizzles out before the finish line. Then this episode will shake you up because here's the hot truth. Most people quit right in the middle. They won't change, but they don't want to work the messy middle demands. So sweet. Friends, if you are ready to get uncomfortable and lean in to growth and consistency, then you are in the right place for today's episode. I think it will bless you if you truly do want to continue to pursue those dreams and those goals and even the divine assignments that you. Truly feel in your spirit, your mind, and your soul that you are called and you are created to do. Then y'all, let's jump in and let's just go ahead and get after it hot. Take number one, the ugly truth about the messy middle. All right, we're gonna go ahead and just. Cut the fluff. Right? We're gonna cut the fluff because the messy middle is the dumpster fire. We'll just go ahead and say what it is. It is the dumpster fire phase of any change journey. It's where motivation has tanked. It's where progress slows way down. Right. And it's where your brain screams. What's the point y'all? Here's the kicker. That middle sucks on purpose. It's designed to break you. It's designed to separate the quitters from the true change chasers. You start a diet first week, woo-hoo. You're pump, you're doing the thing. You are crushing it. Then by week three, you want pizza, right? You want Netflix, and you just want to bend your feelings. Learning a new skill. Beginner energy gets you all pumped up. You're like, let's go. I am learning how to do this, that, and some more stuff. You get to level two though, and that is when the wall hits, right? You just run, boom, right straight smack dab into the wall, and suddenly you feel stuck. You feel frustrated, and then you even start wondering if you are wasting your time. The messy middle, y'all. It really is real. And if we're not careful, our momentum will get completely just sucked right on out of us if we do not continue to persevere and continue to make it past the middle so that we can get to that end goal. Right? So we're gonna jump in on this hot take. If, if you're not struggling in the middle, then I'm gonna, I'm gonna hit you with my thoughts then. You're probably not growing because I think that growth, there's growing pains, right? We have heard that expression before. I really think there's so much truth to that. And so with that said, I believe in hot take number two for today's episode of it being growth and consistency. I think those two things are some secret weapons that we can lean into, really, truly growth and consistency. Y'all. That's where warriors show up. It's where women and men who say, mm-hmm buy cracks. I am gonna get this done. I'm going to achieve this. Because the reality of it is that growth isn't a lightning bolt, y'all. It's a grind. It's slow, it's steady, and sometimes it's even invisible. The messy middle demands, consistency showing up day after day when you don't feel like it. That's where the magic really happens though. Forget motivation. Motivation is a lie. It's a spark, not a flame. Consistency is the fuel that keeps the fire burning. Every small wind, I think it compounds. You don't suddenly become a pro at anything. You become a pro one stubborn, messy day at a time. And here's a bold claim. If you're chasing big change without embracing the messy middle, you're just chasing a fantasy because real change chasers get messy. They stay consistent, and they build unstoppable momentum hot. Take number three, how to not give up when you want to. Everyone wants to quit when the middle gets messy. Here's the mindset shift. The messy middle is where winners are made. So thinking about how do we get there? How do we, how do we accomplish that end goal? Well, step one to really be real is to stop romanticizing that end goal. The goal is the byproduct of your grind, not your motivation. Number two is thinking about locking in your why. Why did you start this? Because when the middle hits, you'll need that answer. You'll need it just like you need air and water, right? It's a survival mindset that you're going to need to know and to be able to clinging to your why. Number three, thinking about build your consistency muscle. You want a shortcut? Well, you know, I keep learning as I'm trying to do the next thing and all of these goals and everything, y'all, there's not shortcuts. There just isn't one. You have to show up, you have to put in the work, and then you gotta hit repeat and do it again and again and again, and then you gotta adjust. But the reality is that you just cannot quit. Number four, I think about celebrating the tiny wins we've talked about. Shift, shake, and celebrate. We had that episode back, oh goodness, a good handful of episodes ago. But just thinking about like celebrating some tiny wins so we can continue to build momentum, right? And forward motion. And so when I think about our progress and how important it is to recognize it, no matter even how small it is, a weapon that we give ourselves as a tool. To not quit, resist the quitting. Right. And so then also just really truly being intentional to surround ourselves with other change chasers, with accountability partners and community folks who are coming in and creating a safe space for us to be a part of. Keeping us from throwing in the towel, so to speak. And so continuing to lean in, continuing to trust yourself and all that you feel in your heart that is supposed to be a part of your story. Don't lose the momentum even in the messy middle. That's my encouragement to you guys today, is so that you will continue to show up, put in the work, do what you know. That you can do instead of focusing on maybe some things that you hadn't just quite figured out yet, continuing to put in the grind every single day, and you never know when your day one or your one day will come to be. Right? Your one day. Comes by that day one adventure with your willingness to say, okay, I'm going to continue to persevere through the messy middle, because real talk, the messy middle is coming for you. Will you back down or will you lean in? Will you grow and will you stay consistent? Sweet friends, you're listening to a podcast about chasing change. So you know what? I am betting on you. So with that said, here's your challenge for this episode. I want you to pick one small action today, just one that'll make me happy. Um, but just one thing and do it, and then I want you to do it again tomorrow. Then the next day I want you to repeat it and the next day repeat it, and so on and so forth, because that's how change chasers win. I'm all about winning, aren't y'all. The reality of it is, is that if we continue to believe in ourselves, y'all, I truly believe that's over half the battle. I do hope that this episode has encouraged you. If you are in the messy middle, keep on keeping on. Don't give up. You got this. I hope that you will share this with someone who may be stuck in their messy middle to bring some encouragement to them as well. And if you haven't subscribed, if you'll please do so. It helps with the algorithms and all of that for podcast lingo and talk. As I'm learning how all of this works, the more and more that I am doing this. Again, I thank you for the gift of your time with listening. Let's keep working and doing, and y'all, let's keep building. The movement from within ourself so that we can be relentless. Change chasers. Who never, ever quit? Until next time, sweet Friends, I want to encourage you and knowing. That I am cheering you on from wherever you are, right here in a small town in northwest Georgia. I hope that you will keep chasing change, keep growing, and remember the messy middle doesn't stand a chance against you. You've got this. Let's keep chasing change. Sweet friends and y'all, let's keep living with purpose. Goodbye sweet friends.