3247: Why the White Space in Our Life Matters by Brian Gardner of No Sidebar on Mindfulness

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 3247 Why the White Space in Our Life Matters by Brian Gardner of NoSidebar.com and I'm Justin Malik Happy Friday. This is the award-winning podcast where I read articles to you Hopefully adding a little bit of inspiration, motivation or happiness to your day

[00:00:21] This is all with permission from the websites by the way And we keep this intro nice and short so let's get right to it as we optimize your life Why the White Space in Our Life Matters by Brian Gardner of NoSidebar.com

[00:00:40] We are overwhelmed and distracted by notifications from our phones, tablets and computers We also like to blame those devices for the busy lives we lead While they're partly to blame, we really need to look in the mirror

[00:00:55] A few weeks ago we wrote about busyness and how it has a tendency to crush our soul I have to admit I resonated pretty heavily with something Claire confessed quote And then suddenly it hit me. I'm addicted to being busy and quote

[00:01:11] The best thing about being busy is we have the opportunity to undo it We simply need to remember one very important truth The need for less often results in a life of more As much as you might agree and as easy as this sounds

[00:01:28] We're still met with the challenge of carrying this out in our lives And sometimes that's not easy The secret to building a simple life is something I think we already know Is something that we've heard a thousand times in the saying

[00:01:43] Inch by inch it's such a cinch yard by yard It's awfully hard We need to take baby steps and take them one day at a time We need to be intentional with our actions, deliberate with our decisions and quite frankly Live with purpose

[00:02:00] But in order to do this we need stillness and solitude The white space in our life is where the magic happens I encourage you today to find one just one area in your life that you can make a change

[00:02:16] Take one small step towards the life you dream of having And experience the joy I know you desperately long for So turn it off put it down Do not open it and do not answer it For once put yourself first Love yourself and make yourself a priority

[00:02:36] Even for just one day you deserve everything every part of the life you are after Here are five reasons why the white space in our life matters Number one Eliminating the noise allows us to grow

[00:02:51] When you create white space in your life, you remove the distractions that get in the way of who you are And what you want to do It's tough to move towards a goal if you have something weighing you down and holding you back

[00:03:05] In many cases that something isn't physical possessions as we often discuss clutter around here I'm referring to the emotional baggage we carry around that in my opinion Is more crippling than anything we own can be Number two We start seeing the things we've missed

[00:03:25] Once we get rid of the obstacles in our life, whether they be physical or emotional We are able to see the road ahead of us more clearly With an unobstructed path the landscape ahead of us allows us to move forward

[00:03:38] And begin the journey of a simple and joy filled life Number three our movement towards authenticity develops With an open road ahead, we've given ourselves the space and time for reflection

[00:03:54] In these moments, we have the opportunity to look inward and admit things that get missed in the busyness of our lives The vulnerability paves the way for us to do the inner work we need from time to time Number four understanding our priorities allows for opportunities

[00:04:13] When we know who we are and what we are truly meant to do We have the luxury of identifying which path we want to take in life Part of that process is knowing what or who is important to us

[00:04:25] And when we have that figured out a lot of things fall into place And number five we can recalibrate and develop a plan As we set out on our journey for an intentional and joy filled life We can do so with the confidence that our intentions are good

[00:04:44] And that we're living with the right people There's no greater feeling than fulfilling our calling because that is when we are experiencing the type of life We were meant to have It's time to get rid of the excess and focus on the essential

[00:04:58] It's time for the clarity and peace of mind that comes from paring down It's time for the freedom and confidence that come from making our own best choices

[00:05:13] You just listen to the post titled why the white space in our life matters by brian gardener of no sidebar.com And i'll be right back with my commentary Thank you to brian for this short and sweet article

[00:05:26] It's funny how we're taught to be as busy as possible And being tethered to our phones and computers really makes that a lot easier At any given moment we can pull out our phone and become busy answering emails texts checking notifications and on and on

[00:05:46] So many things to do right there in our pocket I did a so-called digital detox fairly recently Around a week of no cell phone no computers and no internet And i found it truly refreshing

[00:06:00] It really has helped me not use my phone right before bed and right when i wake up I'm hoping it lasts because now that i don't do those things anymore I really feel the benefit it just feels so much better

[00:06:14] To not start or end my day with the craziness available right at our fingertips But that's not to say that you need to go a week without devices or the internet But like brian said maybe you can take just one little baby step towards that white space

[00:06:32] Maybe there's some time when you wake up or before going to bed that you can just have some peace of mind A tiny thing to add that could have great benefits

[00:06:43] So let me know if you try it and how it goes. Thank you for being here with me every day And for telling others about this show That's the greatest thing you can do to help out It means a lot

[00:06:53] So thank you again, and i'll be back tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits