The last week has been a week of difficult things so this weekend I have consciously and deliberately done as little as possible... yet at the same time I made big progress on one thing that had been on my to do list for a while. 

How is this possible? 

First, let's explore how I handled my week of difficult things. There were some unexpected things that happened which I had no control over in terms of the issue and the solution. There was also a few items that were set back and one thing completed leaving me with more space in my calendar than I would usually like. And on top of it all my cough and cold was lingering! 

Let's just say it was a hard week to remain engaged in the things that were important. 

I had a session with my own coaching supervisor on Friday and I unexpectedly started to discuss the above. In our conversation it became clear that while on one level the week felt difficult, on another I was still able to get things done. 

And I wanted to know how that was happening, because if I knew that then I could help others to do the same. 

What I realised was that the reason I was able to plod along and keep going in a difficult week is because I did not make the problems mine - I very consciously and deliberately decided not to own the issues I was presented with, even if they were partly mine. 

By externalising the various things I juggled with last week I was able to pay more attention to the issue at hand and not respond to how I was feeling. It is important to note that there is a time and place for dealing with how we feel and what we are sensing in relation to something... it is just for me that was not going to be useful last week. 

Creating some distance enabled me to be focused on what I could ask to enable expanded awareness, identify a greater range of solutions, and to also create space for new ideas and solutions to emerge. 

Do you ever have a week when it feels as if your to do list is getting longer and you have more problems to resolve than you have space for?

If that happens I urge you to consider how you can create space for just allowing them to be, with no agenda, no desire to create solutions or to fix things, and to simply be... even if that is with yourself. 

This idea of creating space between you and issues/problems/projects etc is what enables new insights and solutions to emerge. 

As you go into new week I urge you to take a few minutes to pause and make space for nothing... space with no agenda, no need to do anything. 

Doing this every now and then is a really powerful way of getting clarity on whatever it is you are thinking about right now! 

When I seek to create that kind of space I tend to listen to a short breathing video (this one is 4 mins long) which slows the breath. The 4 7 8 technique is short and effective. It helps to focus your attention on your breath and therefore not the the thoughts in your mind, especially when you have a lot going on.

I urge you to give it a go and let me know what emerges for you. 

Until next time,

Saiyyidah 

The Space