Most folks seek out my coaching to help them achieve success in their professional and personal lives. Typically, one of the key obstacles in their way is white space, both mental and physical.
We spend many years gathering and holding on to wants and needs that we thought were critical to our lives, such as; I want and need the next promotion, I want and need a bigger house, I want and need more stuff, etc. For years, I was striving for the next promotion. I was doing everything I needed to get that coveted title, status and associated perks. However, it wasn’t turning out as planned and I was beyond frustrated. I created massive amounts of internal strife for myself.
When I began to realize that my career was headed in a new and different direction, it became evident that in order to create white space for the new, I had to let go of the old. Letting go of the old meant accepting the unachieved. Accepting that I was not going to achieve something I set out to do, something I invested time and energy in. This was not easy. And while I knew where I was headed would be rewarding and fulfilling, I still had this nagging sense of defeat. People would know – and I would know – that I just didn’t get there.
Interestingly enough, once I finally let go and freed that mental space, I began to feel lighter and less encumbered. I did have to mourn the loss of the unachieved, but once I did, it was as if a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I freed myself from something that ultimately wasn’t really that important to me: I realized, I wanted the promotion because it was there, not because it would make my life more fulfilled.
Letting go not only frees up mental space but it also has an impact on our physical wellbeing. As we hold onto too many things that aren’t meaningful we create stress in our bodies and lives. It can manifest itself in many ways: as we get older it can get worsen because our bodies naturally begin to break down (sad but true). It is a compounding effect that can cause irreparable harm if you don’t address it early. As I shed the things that weren’t serving me, it became evident in how I look: and I’ve had more people comment how “different” I look than ever before. And more than that, I’m standing up straighter, seem more relaxed and feel happy. I’m less burdened emotionally and physically.
As we get older, there is more that we have to mourn and let go of in order to create white space for our success. I leave you with a few questions to answer.
What do you want to achieve?
What are you’re holding on to that isn’t meaningful anymore?
What is weighing you down vs. lifting you up?