The Importance of Empty Space In Your Life
Empty Space is Powerful
Author and professional speaker Terry Hershey writes in his book, The Power of Pause, that our lives can become too full. So full, in fact, we forget to remember that empty space is not a bad thing. In fact, empty space is essential to living a peace-filled life.
Zen Wisdom
Hershey tells the story of a stressed businessman who decides to visit a Zen master. He is seeking guidance and wisdom. The Zen master meets with the businessman and offers him tea. The Zen master fills the cup of tea to the top yet continues to pour as the tea spills onto the table. The businessman tells the Zen master “Please stop. The cup is full and it will not hold anymore.”
The Word Empty Defined
There are synonyms that can better help describe the word empty. Words like: expanse, opening, allowance and gap. Antonyms might include, busy, filled, populated and overflowing. Yet, no matter how we define the word empty, in absolute fact, if something is empty, then it is not full. How do we create more empty space in our everyday lives?
Allow Empty Space To Move In
Welcome empty space into the mind when the day has ended. Open the door to empty space when thoughts and the world are spinning out of control. Meditate. Listen to music. Walk in nature. Keep the cup from overflowing. By allowing empty space in, we take the first step to creating a more peace-centered life.
Create Empty Space At Home
Help generate empty space in your home by eliminating clutter and organizing your living environment. Marketing ploys entice us to buy this or that, get the latest or the newest and to engage the “everybody must have it” mentality that supervenes. It takes great awareness to be empty, and in essence, live a minimalist way of life. Declutter your living space, clean it up, move it out, and make room to truly live.
A writer will create what is called ”white space” in a book by writing shorter paragraphs, using margins or leaving room between the lines.
The “white space” allows the reader the opportunity to rest their eyes and completely take in the written word. Much like a writer who crafts his/her own “white space”, we can create that same nuance in our homes. Create a place for the mind at rest.
Find Empty Space by Learning To Say No
How does learning to say no help create empty space? When we fail to set boundaries with people in our lives, we open our mind and heart to mental and emotional clutter. Our cup overflows with everyone else’s demands, manipulations, and expectations. Learning to say no establishes a healthy boundary, a line in the sand that helps protect peace of mind.
Is your cup overflowing or is there room for some empty space?
