How quickly does life get away from you?
You find yourself saying yes to too many people, and regretting it later. Your schedule feels full of obligations and must-do’s, and you start resenting not having the time and space for what’s truly meaningful.
You could keep going with the 
daily grind… but what kind of legacy will you leave behind?
daily grind… but what kind of legacy will you leave behind?How you’re spending your time and energy…are you creating the memories and impact you’ll treasure in your family and sphere of influence in 30 years?
“But I just don’t have time for this!” you protest.
I hear you.
Changemaker, the truth is, if you want a meaningful life, you don’t have time NOT to make some shifts.
In this video and below I’ve listed 6 areas you can create space for inspiration and alignment to live your purpose unapologetically.
#1 Create breathing room mentally
In Storybrand podcast #40, cohost J.J. Peters described a season when he was writing his book. During that season he took 45-minute walks every morning. He couldn’t just sit down and write. It was the space he needed to work through his ideas and thoughts, and welcome new creativity apart from all the ideas and voices around him.
His intentionality around that reminds me of how easy it is to get sucked into the business of the day. Before you know it, everyone else owns your time and attention. Even your ideas get saturated by the competition.
Whether you are an artist, a parent, a coach or a leader, creating space to let your own thoughts surface is essential to ensure you’re being true to yourself. It keeps you as the CEO of your creativity, values and the vision for your life and your influence.
Here are simple ways you can refresh and refocus your soul. What do you crave most today?
- Nature walks
- Morning walks when no one else is up yet
- Sitting by a lake or water
- Your driving commute or road trips, turning off the radio
- Running, yoga or stretching
- Stillness with soaking music or meditation music
- Journalling
#2 Create space in your budget and resources
Years ago I used to be called the Money Nazi.
I saved every extra penny. Budgeted every item. Rarely splurged. Never went for coffee or out with friends because I saw it as a waste of money instead of an opportunity to build relationships.
I was frugal – yet stressed out.
I sacrificed and saved for my first house from the limited income that even amazed personal finance advisors at the bank. Yet I still didn’t reach my goals.
Since being married a few years ago, I’ve surrendered my attitude and control of how I think money should be spent. We budget well — and fix it when we don’t stick to the budget. Debt creeps up for a while – but then money turns up in unexpected places to clear it off so we can give and do what matters.
I’m not sure what your money perspective or habits are, but I hope you experience the transformation that has steadily been forming in me.
May you see the abundance available to you.
Not through what you deserve or are entitled to. Not based on your worth or what you have to offer. But because everything comes from God and his resources are endless. When you have that spirit, you open your hands to give, invest more readily and you receive returns with delight.
Need some tools for a financial makeover or tweaking? Here is a couple to try:
#3 Create space in your environment
Don’t you love that feeling when you walk into your house and everything is tidy and clean and clutter-free?
peaceful
refreshed
relaxed
liberated
Me too.
That’s why is hasn’t surprised me to find out real-life stories and science behind how a clutter-free environment enhances creativity and revitalization.
Tidying and decluttering can
- release depression and anxiety — just read Allie Casazza’s story
- help with weight loss according to expert Marie Kondo in The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up
- free up the decision-making part of your brain for other things
- prompt you to also let go of other beliefs and what-ifs that limit your potential
- open extra time you might otherwise spend looking for, moving around or fixing things
When you’ve got a lot to do, tidying and decluttering can be a procrastination technique. But maybe your mind is craving something more than avoidance.
Decluttering take also a HECK of a lot of time (or is that just me?)! It feels counterintuitive to spend time purging when you have more meaningful things to do.
But reading the stories and research has convinced me that investing time in creating more space in my environment and create the freedom to focus on your purpose.
What clutter is distracting you from a more meaningful life?
#4 Create space in your outlook
It hasn’t been until the past couple years that I realized how much a confining perspective can restrain or distract your productivity.
It’s not like you want a confining outlook. So what is contributing to the way you see yourself and your potential? Here’s what it has looked like for me and others I’ve talked to:
Physically
…living in an apartment for years, crammed with home office equipment and baby supplies cramped my ability to dream big but moving to the new home be bought (with a patio!) offers to dream bigger.
…having clothes that don’t fit well or that aren’t *me* wears down my confidence and focused energy yet clothes I love help me feel comfortable being ME.
Emotionally
… labels or words spoken over one woman had her believing she was dumb even in her 50’s, when she was a beautiful, talented woman with a heart to help.
… a client with a powerful calling continually self-sabotaged her worth and success partly because she focused on her weakness. When she saw that flip side of her weakness was really the strength that made her shine in other areas, she began to see her purpose in a liberating way.
Mentally
…a limiting belief that “I can’t do this as well as she can” held me back for years from diving unapologetically into my passion and calling, and became a self-fulling prophecy.
… one coach I had was raised to believe that it was unspiritual to make a lot of money or own big possessions like a house. After facing and releasing this belief, he now influences transformation in leaders of thousands.
What eats away at your confidence? How can you start freeing up that space for more meaningful energy?
#5 Create space in your calendar
If you wrote down in a calendar every single thing you do in a day and week, what would show up?
When your calendar is crowded without purpose or too many priorities, it drains your energy, keeps you from connecting with what truly matters, and it ends up consuming you with guilt or resentment. I’ve been there!
Here are ways you can shift space in your calendar for things that matter.
- Call someone today to cancel a commitment that drains your energy
- Create a Sabbath day or afternoon — a regular time to delight in life the beauty around you and to remind yourself that you are NOT a slave to life
- Set consistent days to do regular tasks that need to get done so that you aren’t scrambling (such as doing laundry on Saturdays while you can do XYZ; go grocery shopping at 9 pm on Thursdays when navigating traffic and line-ups take half the time)
- Choose a focus for each hour instead of multi-tasking, so that you can be fully present and maximize that time.
- Outsource repetitive tasks that don’t have to by you so you can focus on what truly matters
What are the best ways you’ve discovered to create pockets of margin in your schedule?
#6 Create space for relationships
When I was single, my single friends were scared that our friendships would change when I got married. And most did.
When I was pregnant, my friends who were parents told me my relationships would change. They were right.
When I got serious about my calling and personal growth, and threw myself into my business, no one warned me that my relationships would change.
But they did change.
Because I realized what I had heard since a child was true: you become like the people you hang around with. Who you hang out with matters.
Juggling time amongst family, your little ones, your #madeformore passion, your income source — everything that’s important to you — means being laser-focused on the time you have for relationships.
Who are the people who accept you for YOU and encourage you in your dreams and purpose?
Now what?
Of course, the point of creating space is to make room for what’s meaningful and lasting. If you don’t stay clear on why that is so important to you, your time and attention will quickly get cluttered again.
What are you making room for? Why is that important to you?
