Limbo Land
Again and again, a topic many of my clients are bringing to our coaching conversations is feeling like they’re “in limbo”, that space in between now and the future, waiting for things to happen.
Waiting for a promised promotion.
Waiting for the end of a contract, or a contract extension.
Waiting for a child to go off to college, a house to sell, clarity on a diagnosis.
Waiting for a decision about the status of a key project.
Waiting for the fallout from an anticipated acquisition.
Waiting until a new job is secured.
Merriam-Webster defines limbo as “a place or state of restraint or confinement, a place or state of neglect or oblivion, an intermediate or transitional place or state, a state of uncertainty.”
What I find most interesting about this definition is the second part “a place or state of neglect or oblivion”. As we unpack the impact of waiting, my client often finds that there’s an unplanned cost to being in this state of uncertainty…the cost of neglecting the areas where they do have control, where they do have agency.
Waiting to get the green light on the big project means putting the small projects on hold, too, in case they might need to be put down when the big one gets picked back up.
Waiting to land a new job means postponing the home project because it would take time away from “doing the work” of applying for roles and prepping for interviews.
Waiting on the possibility of a contract extension means delaying looking for the next opportunity.
Sometimes, intentionally postponing one thing while getting clarity on another makes sense (why start preparing dinner when there’s a good chance of going out to eat?), but often reclaiming our agency in one part of our life can be empowering when we’re facing major uncertainty in another.
So my question for you, dear reader, is this…
Where are you in limbo in your life?
And what is leaning into that sense of limbo costing you?
Where can you reclaim your agency?
September 3, 2026
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
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