Photo: D. Paul Graham, “Solitude of Sarah” circa 2018

“Monday 5 Things”™….. Making Space …..

I have been pondering space of late. Not the type of space that Branson and Bezos went to; although given the opportunity and the cash flow to do so, I’d be there in heartbeat. Rather, I have been thinking a lot about the space in my life. What and who I fill it with. What needs to be removed and replaced? Who should I create more space for in my life? At the risk of sounding platitudinal, this morning’s M5T reflects on some of the things I want to make more space for in my life.

1. Make space to start.

Just Start. Start showing up. Be there for other people that matter to you. Start being more compassionate. Start following up. Consciously decide to start what you have been avoiding, Start being intentional in all you do, all you think about, how you treat others. See number 5. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” ~ Mark Twain.

2. Make space for opportunities.

Declutter all that takes up space in your life, and in your thoughts. Nurture the positive voices in your mind. Eliminate the toxic in your life. Take time to really look around you; pay attention to what you see. Build on your passions, follow your dreams. Read, research, and redirect as necessary. Actively listen to others. Know where your time is spent. Walk into a room like you own it. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.

3. Make space for silence.

Even if for a few minutes, give yourself the gift of making some time to just be quiet. Put aside the relentless clamor of social media. Put the phone down, step away from your computer and email. Learn to listen to answers that can only be found in your silence. Embrace the silence that allows you reflect, relax, realign, reboot, recover, and recede and rebuild as necessary. Respect that still small voice that is uniquely yours. Learn to be comfortable with your thoughts. Breath. “Listen to silence. It has so much to say.” ~ Rumi

4. Make space to create.

Foster your curiosity. Ask questions; lots of them. Allow yourself to generate ideas and plot out plans. Write something, doodle something, photograph something for yourself every day. Take risks and give yourself permission to fail. Play. Laugh. Love. Refuse to stop producing and editing. Challenge yourself to change a part of your routine every day. Revive what and how you look at and how you listen to the most common of things around you. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ~ Maya Angelou

5. Make space for yourself.

Look past the good and push for the best for your life. Learn to say no. Muse on all that you are grateful for in your life. Be ruthless in eliminating bad mental habits and toxic people in your life. Know your value, to yourself and to others. Refuse to limit yourself. Abhor mediocrity. Spoil yourself and luxuriate without excuses to anyone. Celebrate your victories, big or small. “Always make room for the unexpected in yourself.” ~ Steve Martin

Here’s to a week of making room for the most important things in your life.

© 2021 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

D. Paul Graham is passionate about people, culture, photography and business. He has embraced his wanderlust with his travels around the globe and is at peace with his need for spirited drives in all things automotive.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is also a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can be found on Instagram @dpgraham and atwww.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com