Coffee Talk #202: 5 Ways to Make Space

It’s Tuesday! And – the FIRST DAY OF FALL! Let’s celebrate with a chat. Grab some coffee.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d ask you ‘What’s your favorite thing about fall?” Maybe you’d answer the crisp air, the changing leaves, or maybe you’d wax poetic about pumpkin and apple and happy spices. Or, maybe you’d talk about the start of the season of celebration – Spooky Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Even more, maybe you’d say…you don’t like it. That’s valid!

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I love fall. I think I just love changing seasons. I’ve moved 21 times in my life, and every single location has given me the opportunity to witness all 4 seasons. In some locations, winter is longer, in some locations, fall feels a little like summer — but there have always been 4 distinct seasons.

I love the energy of a new season and the opportunity for reflection and renewal that it brings. I shared some hard truths in today’s Coffee Talk Live about this — the idea that if you’re ‘making do,’ you’re not showing up for. yourself, the idea that you NEED to make a physical space for yourself to work and grown, and the idea that if you’re holding onto the belief that life will ‘go back to normal’ soon, you’re out of luck.

Way harsh, Tai. But listen — if you don’t give yourself a good swift kick in the pants every so often, if you don’t challenge yourself even just a little bit, then how will you grow?

If you’re reading this and thinking “I have no need to grow” then maybe we’re not MFEO. And that’s ok! Thanks for your time. If you’re reading this and thinking “YAS QUEEN” then let’s keep chatting.

I put together this list of 5 Ways to MAKE SPACE for yourself. This is the time to show up for you. This is the time to renew, rejoice, to embrace this next chapter in your life.

Let’s make space.

5 Ways to Make Space

1. Remove the clutter. We gotta start here. Out with the old! We don’t have space for holding on to grudges, junk, or bad energy where we’re going. Just like a good spring cleaning, let’s normalize the idea of FALL cleaning, too. Get rid of things that no longer serve you. And if that includes people? It includes people. Thank them for their time and what they brought to you on your journey, wish them luck, and move on. Let’s renew our spaces – physically, socially, and emotionally.

2. Keep a journal. Dear Diary, today I made space. It doesn’t have to be a fancy journal and you don’t even need to write in it everyday. I practice daily BRAIN DUMPING. What?! I have all of these thoughts in my head at the beginning (sometimes end) of the day. I write them all down – the good, the bad, the ugly. Sometimes, I get good ideas and coherent thoughts. Sometimes, it’s a hot mess. But I have gotten into the habit of brain dumping every single day. I like using pen and paper, but you could also simply open a doc on your computer or phone and go for it.

3. Create your own space. This changed my life. In my 11 years of running a business, I never thought to create a dedicated space for it. The ‘on-the-go’ lifestyle of a fitness professional meant that I was teaching all over the place and that I’d use any space I could find to get things organized for classes and clients. Then, a mentor and my YTT course both kept saying ‘make a space. make a space’ and finally, I did it.

I’m so glad that I dedicated space to my work in the house — when the pandemic hit and we were forced to be totally virtual, I already had a space. I didn’t have to waste precious time or energy to make a space–instead, I could focus on providing the things my clients needed and what I needed to do to pivot my business.

If you’re working from home in any capacity, you need dedicated space. Make it — it doesn’t have to be fancy or huge, it just needs to be there.

4. Meditate. Pretty sure I’ll hear ish about this one. ‘I don’t have time to meditate.’ ‘I don’t know how to clear my mind.’ ‘This is all just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.’

I was on that train, too. In my mind, meditation was for those who were healers or kept crystals in every drawer, or for those who were slower paced. I’m so glad I got rid of that line of thinking. Did you know that you don’t actually clear your mind in meditation? You make space for your thoughts by focusing on the breath or on a particular point.

Meditation can help you embrace your emotions & lead you towards a path of understanding. It can help you uncover your thoughts, unpack them even. Try just 5 min a day. I have a few short meditation videos to get you started.

5. Stretch. Here it is! Move your body always ends up on my lists. When you stretch, you’re literally creating space in your body. Stretching is a way of learning about where your tensions exist. When you can identify these tight spaces, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to open them, to release tension, to create relaxation. Can’t we all use a little of this in our lives right now? Need some inspo? Here’s a collection of stretch videos on the Fit with Aundra YouTube page!

How are you making space this season?