Back in 2014, I remember hearing a speaker talk about how, when he was first getting started with his business, he bought a load of empty binders to remind him of how many clients he wanted to have.
Every time he saw those binders, it subtly prompted him to get going (or keep going) with everything he knew he needed to do to start and grow his business. I loved the idea (and the “woo-woo” behind it) so off to Staples I went.
Now, I am not naturally prone to superstition or woo-woo (and I definitely wasn’t back then), but the thing with the binders made sense to both my left and right brains. It was the perfect combination of practical and philosophical.
Because it wasn’t as if the speaker was expecting the binders to fill themselves with new client details. And neither was I. But having something concrete and visual to represent my targets prodded, reminded, and nudged me forward each day.
And as I’ve gotten into the habit of setting goals and targets and then diligently making them happen (I’m at a 100% completion rate after years of learning how to properly set goals and execute on them; there is an art and a science to it), I’ve realized that some of the “magic” behind those empty binders was that they were, well, empty.
I had created a void.
And nature abhors a void.
And what I’ve realized is that whenever we want to bring anything into our lives – better health, deeper relationships, more knowledge, bigger business, anything – we have to make room for it, mentally and physically. We have to create a void so it can then be filled, ideally with something, or someone, better.
Saying no to a dinner invitation creates a void we can fill with learning about something we care about. Spending less time with people who drain us creates a void we can fill by spending more time with people who fuel us. Opening up a new savings account creates a void we can fill by putting some money away each month as we’ve always been wanting to do.
It’s not technically “magic” but it can feel magical. Because when we create space in our lives for the things that are important to us, when we declutter the thoughts, relationships, and activities that no longer serve us, amazing things can come in to take their place.
We just have to guard the gates and make sure we fill the void with things that are worthy of it, and that are worthy of us.
