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Just published: Martha Treat #200
Loving the Empty Spaces
In NYC years ago a wonderful client of mine shared with me her fear of completing because she saw it as dying. I understood it. A boss of mine told me the piles of paper on her desk communicated that she was busy, and that perception protected her job. I related to that as well.
The idea of completing everything on our lists is both exhilarating and uncomfortable. If everything is done, what do I do next and what will people think of me if it looks like I have nothing to do? One can label “nothing to do” as either an unsafe place or a creative opportunity. In my experience the latter works best.
For many the empty spaces get filled quickly as we are more comfortable with having more than we can complete than having nothing to do. People who retire often experience the discomfort of so much free time and then seem to find their way into lots of activity filling the space.
I understand how having a full to overflowing plate produces an illusionary feeling of comfort. We like feeling needed, involved and valued. When the pressure subsides and we have less to do, it isn’t long before we fill our plates with more than we could possibly complete, simply because it is familiar.
Wide open space can be intimidating because the adrenaline stimulus of activity is missing. As a writer I often experience slight anxiety (or excitement) when I face a blank page not having a clue what I’m about to write. Over time I have learned to trust the adventure of something new always appearing and am grateful for opening to the emptiness.
I am often honored and surprised by the shifts in my own consciousness that take place when I allow the empty space of an open schedule, a clear table, an extended gaze out the window to inform me.
In my life I have had three solitary vacations where I had only empty space. After the first one, a colleague who noticed my inner contentment (and assuming I met a guy) said to me, what’s his name? For me the empty space was the relationship.
I know the well-spring of nourishment that comes from even a couple of hours alone, welcoming forward the unknown onto a blank page. It is the empty spaces that invite creativity and inspiration.
Imagine the undiscovered gems we might miss without giving ourselves empty space.
Martha Invitations
1. Choose one weekend day and schedule nothing and see what the day brings you.
2. Take one hour and be with you and see what emerges.
3. Schedule “empty space” on your calendar and let it advise you how to use it.
Martha
virginia@msia.org
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Read Previous Treats:
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2019
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2018
Treat #197 The Tiny Finishings
Treat #196 Emergency,Crisis,Fire Treat #195 Mastership Treat #194 It Works Every Time Treat #193 Let the Stuffing Be Gone Treat #192 Whole Focus Treat #191 The One Thing Not to Complete Treat #190 Just Keep It Flowing Treat #189 In Between Time Treat #188 What is Stealing Your Energy? Treat #187 To Skim or Not to Skim Treat #186 I Love January |
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2017
Treat #185 Both Hands Please
Treat #184 I'll Remember Treat #183 Creating New Doing Paths Treat #182 A Habit Worth Quitting Treat #181 Eclipse of Action Treat #180 Forgive Me for Multitasking Treat #179 What are You Looking At? Treat #178 Are you Squishing Snails? Treat #177 Relaxing the Grip Treat #176 All the Time in the World Treat #175 When is Enough . . . Enough Treat #174 Engaging Yourself to Completion |
2016
Treat #173 A Kink in the Works
Treat #172 What's Stopping You? Treat #171 All of Ours to Do Treat #170 Attitude Adjustment Treat #169 IN Consciousness Treat #168 Completing Past our Reactions Treat #167 Keep Your Dog Leash Treat #166 The Essential Piece Treat #165 Day is Done Treat #164 Do-Nothing Time Treat #163 Curbside Calm Treat #162 Pile-Up |
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2015:
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2014:
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Treat #161 Gentle Doing
Treat #160 Freedom in the Discipline Treat #159 Finding New Routes Treat #158 Keeping the Awe Alive Treat #157 "Finishiative" Treat #156 The Exquisite Sound of the Moment Treat #155 Up-to-the-minute Treat #154 Uninviting Interruptions Treat #153 What's bugging you Treat #152 Competing Attention Treat #151 Our Inner Awareness Treat #150 Spontaneously Fresh and Alive |
Treat #149 Without the Push
Treat #148 100% With... Treat #147 Are You Signaling? Treat #146 What is Pulling on Your Attention? Treat #145 Gathering Ourselves Out of Overwhelm Treat #144 Wonderings – Another Kind of Incomplete Treat #143 Asking – A New Form of Delegating Treat #142 Split Attention Payback Treat #141 Getting All the Way In To Doing Treat #140 Willingness to Look Treat #139 Follow Yourself Around Treat #138 A New Kind of Flow |
2013:
Treat #137 Well Done
Treat #136 Moving from all-at-once to one-at-a-time
Treat #135 All the Way Through to Completion
Treat #134 Out of Control Into Freedom
Treat #133 The Present Processor
Treat #136 Moving from all-at-once to one-at-a-time
Treat #135 All the Way Through to Completion
Treat #134 Out of Control Into Freedom
Treat #133 The Present Processor