I’ve had more free time than ever this year, having let a major relationship (read: my marriage) go. Post tears and drama, I made a bunch of space for life itself to hijack my existence.
Time for stargazing. (Literal, actual stargazing, as well as reading People magazine at the bookstore.)
Time for watching movies, reading books, and taking long walks. For dreaming.
For long silences. For helping my friends actualize their treasured projects.
For letting the next thing make itself known.
I could have crammed my life with work, work, and more work to distract myself, but I actively made space for the next big thing. It was a conscious choice. It’s led to me being a few pounds heavier, a shit-ton happier, and a whole lot lighter in spirit. And it begs the question…
What are you making space for?
It’s a question no one likes. When I’m talking with peeps 1-on-1, I spend a lot of time hearing about people’s deepest desires. Their quiet goals and their hidden agendas. They’re writing children’s books, they’re starting crazy-awesome companies, they’re planning events, they’re making gorgeous art. They’re tweaking their businesses to suit their evolving needs.
Again and again, I find that those people who are dying to finish the book, wrap up the website, overhaul the details, arrange the event, or tighten up the budget are actively making space for good things in their lives.
They’re rearranging their schedules and cleaning their calendars to make room. Other people are stuck in Pinteresting mode, dreaming and planning without putting anything into action. Not because they’re lazy, tired, disinterested, incapable, or [insert negative adjective here], but because they aren’t making enough space for the incredible stuff to grab their lives by the collars and shake ’em.
If you’re working seven days a week, where are you going to find those extra three hours for writing? If you’ve got to shuttle your kids all over the state for sports competitions, when are you going to plan the debut gala for your artwork?
If you’re sleeping three hours a night, why in the everloving hell would you miss a nap in order to work on that project?
We’re all actively shaping and then using our time to the best of our abilities. We’re all teaching people how to treat us. We’re all doing the best we can.
I know. I’m not here to make you feel like a failure. But I’ve gotta ask: what are you making space for?
What are you actively carving room for into your life?
It’s a pain-in-the-ass question. It’s easier to say you’re too busy to worry about this. You’re a victim of the modern age. You’re tired, you haven’t got time, you’re overwhelmed.
But it’s not going away, and you’ll get to it eventually, even if it’s 30 or 40 or 50 years from now: what are you making space for?
Business, personal, big, small. A recording contract or a single YouTube video that you find the courage to put online. What are you making space for? A whole book, a single poem. One small change or a sweeping series of declarations.
No matter how you choose to do it, I dare you to make some space today.
And if your phone eats up all your free time, pick up Space to help you cut your phone time by 50% or more. You’ll get back 2-3 hours a day, which means 14+ hours per week to work on your next project.
