Creating The Space To Receive

Creating The Space To Receive

I have to admit it was a bit unnerving.

I’d never seen a message like it before. It was from my email provider telling me that my email account was full. I’d need to delete some emails in order to create space to receive any new emails. The message was all text, it’s lack of any visible corporate identity greatly added to my overall sense of skepticism about the authenticity of the message. But when I realized I could no longer download any new messages I knew something had actually happened. Maybe my account was hacked?

Nope.

I had, in fact, reached the maximum capacity of emails in my inbox.

I’ve never been good at managing my email accounts. I get lots of emails from sources both known and unknown, and it’s always been easier to simply ignore these intrusive emails instead of taking the time to delete them and unsubscribe from distribution lists I never even knew I was a part of. I guess my “ignore them” strategy wasn’t perfect. Over the years, this particular account had accumulated over 92,000 unread messages, which, apparently, leaves no room to download anything new.

After spending quite some time deleting several thousand unread messages, I was able to create enough space for new messages to be received.

Being disconnected from my email was quite uncomfortable. What if there were important messages I needed to receive? My discomfort was directly related to my habitually holding on to what didn’t serve me, which, in this case, created no room to receive.

Once I resolved my email issues, I began to wonder. Are there other areas in my life where holding on was inhibiting my ability to receive?

Perhaps the greatest inhibitor to our ability to receive life’s greatest blessings is embracing a mindset Continue reading “Creating The Space To Receive”

An Emotional Spring Cleaning For The Next Season Of Your Life

An Emotional Spring Cleaning For The Next Season Of Your Life

It’s an annual ritual. As the seasons change and with warmer weather on the way, the content of my closets will also change. Down from the attic come the bins of the lighter clothing. Heading back into the attic are the heavier clothes needed to get through those colder months.

Swapping out the seasonal clothing allows me the chance to look at each item being unpacked. Does the item still fit? Is it something I actually want to wear again? Is it still in good condition? The items I am going to be putting away for the season undergo the same sort of evaluation.

Spring is a great time to reset and re-evaluate.

Not just when it comes to clothing.

It’s also a great time to look deeper into the emotional things we carry with us which we may have outgrown.

No matter the season, we carry our emotions with us year round. Emotions are important barometers which reflect our inner world. I’ve come to appreciate the ability to notice my emotions. To simply step back and observe exactly how I am feeling in any moment without judging myself for having the emotions that I feel.

I discovered that I, like every human, experience a wide range of emotions. Happy, sad, angry, disappointed, bitter, frustrated. Thoughts of doubt, fear, and unworthiness can often arise as well.

Like my process of evaluating my clothing at the end of each season, I also conduct a similar process with my emotions. A sort of an emotional spring cleaning. Through this filtering out process, I will look deeper into my emotions and see if any of them no l Continue reading “An Emotional Spring Cleaning For The Next Season Of Your Life”