So this idea of SPACE has been coming up A LOT for me these past few months (probably much, much longer, but I’m just more aware of it now) …

Then my yoga teacher shared something this week that made this idea truly bubble up and inspired me to write this post. While we were in a full state of flowy bliss, he shared this gem with the 25 students:

“Never waver in maintaining spaciousness in your life.”

That idea stayed in my head for the rest of the class … it became my theme, the thought that has influenced much of my life, work and focus this week.

Ahh … spaciousness. What is it, really? Room to breathe, room to grow, room to be, room to explore, room for adventure, room for opening up, room for magic and shifts to happen.

The problem is that too often we pack our lives and schedules with so much routine, stuff, and busyness that we lose the power that SPACE gives us.

We put ourselves on autopilot and are so driven by our to-do lists … that we stop thinking BIG-PICTURE and end up doing a lot of things that really would be better suited for our to-don’t list.

Your to-don’t list is comprised of things that you’re doing just because you’ve always done them … not necessarily because you want to or that they even make the most sense. These to-don’ts also don’t get you any closer to creating your ideal life and legacy. Quite simply, they are a waste of your valuable time and energy.

I’ve discovered the following truth: You MUST create spaciousness in your life and guard it with vigilance (this is a toughie, but you’re up to the challenge!). It will make a massive impact on your life, business, career, family, health, dreams.

So how do you create this SPACE? Here are 5 tips to get you moving:

• Create a morning ritual: The first part of the day truly sets the tone for the rest of your day. Are you running around like a maniac to get out the door? Or have you created some sort of morning ritual to get you going on the right foot? Having more SPACE in the morning might mean getting up earlier. Before you hit the snooze button, hear me out. Rituals don’t need to take a ton of time. Investing 5 minutes can truly change your life. I created a audio called “5 Minutes to Feel More Sane, Smart, Sexy & Successful” that’s all about the power of morning rituals. You can download it for free here.
• Make your schedule your strategic partner: Okay, here’s the deal. You need room in your life for “free days” to focus and visualize, and also to play. Like when we were kids and needed recess and free time, we need that as adults, too. Your calendaring system can be immensely helpful with this. The three categories I use that I’ve learned from some of my mentors: FOCUS, FLEX, OPEN.
  • Focus is for long-term strategic planning and brainstorming about the vision for your business and career. This is the time you spend ON your business/career (not in it). This is NOT busy work … this is time to think, explore, doodle, create, make connections, network, market, learn. This is the most important part of your work life.
  • Flex time goes to all of the activities that make you money/success (whatever this looks like in your world) in the short-term. This is typically your to-do list. Working with clients, managing projects, launching a new initiative, sending out invoices.  These activities tend to take the bulk of your work time, but NOT all of it. Leave time to THINK. Leave time to FOCUS (and to play of course!).
  • Open time is anything non-work related. Essential to balanced, healthy living. Make sure you have PLENTY of this in your life … and be very disciplined about sticking to your plan. Also – have days where you have NOTHING scheduled and allow yourself to truly go with the flow to see where the day takes you. You’ll be amazed.
  • I recommend that you chunk your time so that you’re not running all over the place from focus, flex and open. You need real blocks of time to dive into these different energetic states so think through how you schedule your time. Oh and do the things that you REALLY want to do. If it feels like a drag, it probably is. So get good at turning down requests and listening to your gut instinct about what is the best use of YOUR time (your most valuable asset).
• Don’t try to cheat time: Are you one of those gals who is always pushing it to make it to your appointments and meetings? Like it really takes 15 minutes, but you think maybe you can make it in 10 today? (I have SO fallen into this camp!)  How much stress does that bring you? What would it be like to arrive a few minutes EARLY and have some space to breathe, appreciate the scenery and make a new discovery along the way?
• Look for opportunities to RETREAT: Retreating is a true passion of mine. It all started in college when my leadership team from my public relations society would go on twice a year retreats to strategize our mission, offerings and approach. There was a reason we were the largest chapter in the nation and were the recipients of prestigious awards: we understood the power of retreats to get us out of the everyday and think clearly about where we were going and why. Since then, I’ve participated in and led as many retreat-type experiences as I can … with each one having a major impact on my life and the people I work with. How can you leverage a retreat to shift you into a new chapter? There’s one for just about every topic you can think of and I HIGHLY recommend you think about giving yourself this gift.
  • To play on this theme, stay tuned for more information about the inaugural Retreat for Goddesses happening August 19 – 21 in the Berkshire Foothills of Western Massachusetts. It’s going to be amazing! And if you’re ready for a private retreat to help you find the shortest path to success, check out my newest offering here. It’s a day like no other for a handful of savvy women-on-a-mission ready to take decisive action and create powerful, transformative results.
• Purge and simplify! Go through your home and office and get rid of anything you don’t need or love. Let go of the clutter, let go of the past. Just having extra space to live and breathe will do you SO well. I went through my closet this week and it feels so much better to walk into that space now. You’re essentially making room for new opportunities, experiences and things to enter your life.

** So I’m curious. How do you create SPACIOUSNESS in your life? Share in the comments section below. I’ll see you there! **