The Liminal Space

Cocooning in the Space Between the Old and the New

Here we are mid-festive season, the liminality between the aftermath of the busyness of Christmas preparations, and before the busyness of another new year. Yet for some, the return to work has already begun, and for others a sense of hibernating. I am definitely amongst the latter.

There is always that liminal space when we transition from one season to the next, one chapter in our life to the next, and even from sleeping to wake into a new day. It is in the liminal that we allow ourselves that space to be, to process, and to shed the old and recharge for the new.

So as you are preparing for the new, what is your new to be? January tends to be a starting block where we write our lists of 'shoulds' with the possible voice inside already making us doubt if we can. Yet it is in our will to progress that we can build momentum. What we must do next is just start and from there take small steps to help reach our goal and our vision to make the new a part of us for the future.

A new year, a new chapter? What do you want to bring into the new and take action towards? Of what shall you let go?

Should Vs Want

I recently read the wonderful 'Bullet Journal Method' book by Ryder Carroll. In it he writes about the difference between our intent in the 'Doing' Vs 'Should' V's 'Want' - what shoulds are we burdening ourselves, that may never get done? And what are we doing out of obligation that maybe getting in the way of what we actually want to be doing?

Advance Planning & Legacy Building Presentations

I am fortunate to have had two great opportunities over the past month, thanks to The Senior Times magazine and Everlake Wealth Management Advisors Podcast - please do check them out (by clicking on the links).

Thanks to the Lifting the Lid Festival of Death and Dying, I was fortunate to present a workshop on Legacy which you can access on YouTube at Legacy Building

My own goal for the year to come is to develop discipline in writing and also up my focus on engaging in conversation with others about advance planning and changing the narrative of fear into one of consideration and true appreciation of life and legacy. I have also just set up a personal Substack to give me the opportunity to write about a variety of topics so if you are there and would like to follow please join me 

New Offers

While my mission is to engage everyone with the importance of advance planning, the main word I get back from people is 'should'. Should do, don't have time, don't feel the need yet, not yet ready.

So, instead of leaving advance planning in the 'should' column, I invite you to join me with my new-to-launch Life, Death, Legacy weekly guides, which start this coming Sunday, 4th January 2026. These weekly guides will focus on one specific area each week and help you want to take bite size steps towards getting your advance plans in place. You can learn more and sign up here

To get more indepth in developing your own advance plans I am also offering a 6-week Legacy Building programme which will start in the coming months. The waitlist is open so you can sign up here

The Living Legacy website is now pretty close to completion so I invite you to come explore at www.livinglegacy.ie There are new brochures with audio (so you will hear my dulcit tones) to help give you a flavour of how this work will help you whether you are an individual, family, business, or community group.

2026 - 1st Quarter

I am delighted to be working with the Donegal Local Development Company again for this first quarter of 2026 with both a 12-week Succession Planning programme with their non-profit clients, and also an Advance Planning workshop for their community group clients. A new client I am thrilled to start working with in January is the Community Wetlands Forum that work to protect Ireland's peatlands. They are working on protecting the legacy of peatlands by ensuring succession planning for the groups that manage these important landscapes. To learn more about the CWF please check them out at https://communitywetlandsforum.ie 

I will also be guest speaker at Everlake Wealth Management Advisors client event at the end of January, focusing on Legacy Building. I am pleased to continue partnering with the Irish Hospice Foundation, to promote their Think Ahead packs.

And as ever I will be continuing to support my individual clients through coaching and also concierge advance planning support.

For 2026 I will be working on developing new toolkits and online programmes so please do let me know your specific requests to help you get your advance plans in place.

But for now, as we take the rest of this week to hopefully rest and recharge for the year to come, I invite you to reflect on 2025 - what brought you joy, what brought you sadness, who is no longer present in your life that you want to remember, and what have you held dear from this year that will hopefully guide you in the year to come?

Our year is never just one event, one gain, one loss, but a culmination of so much. So in this liminal space moving out of one year into the next, I wish you calm, fulfilment and acknowledgement in who you are as you read this and all that has brought you to where you are right now, and how this inspires you to consider what you want for your future.

Wishing you every success for 2026. I look forward to sharing the journey.

Jen

Jennifer McConnell (Founder, Living Legacy)

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