Appropriate Use of White Space

With my youngest child entering 7th grade this year, the clutter-control and purge of "all-things-related-to elementary school" has been ongoing at my house. This maternal milestone has spurred an upheaval of emotions as we let go of the old and forge ahead into new shades of paint and the next stage of life. The idea of enhancing the feng shui of our home is definitely something I can appreciate, especially if it will bring a sense of calm to us during the limited hours we get to spend at home these days. Using calming shades of paint along with warm tones of lighting and an

appropriate use of white space

are all ways to help clear the mind and promote relaxation. This struck me as the ideal metaphor to use as I prepared to meet with one of my students last week. Her top 5 strengths results are

Adaptability | Harmony | Consistency | Woo | Competition

Berkley is a busy high senior and a talented athlete. She successfully juggles a full schedule of demanding school courses, an exceptional volleyball career and a happy, active social life full of friends. The thing I have always noticed about Berkley is that she seems to be giving 110% with a smile on her face every time I see her.

Knowing what I do about Berkley, I could see how she applies each of her top 5 strengths to help her accomplish things. Adapting to the demands and people in all of her different roles and being a seeker of harmony, I can see how her ability to win others over will naturally create a synergy as she flows through her many different settings throughout her days and weeks. Each of them carries varying demands and expectations.

Berkley has a natural ability to make people feel cared about and important and it's her consistency that makes that come naturally to her. When speaking with her about her strengths, she also seems keenly aware that her competitive nature runs through many areas besides just her love of competing on the volleyball court. It keeps her pushing herself to be her best in all situations. It also seemed to me that her strengths combined in a way to move her to help others be their best, as well. Berkley's natural leadership skills seemed very apparent to me and her genuine desire to lift others up became a common theme as we talked. She spends most of her day surrounded by people.

So, how does this connect to "appropriate use of white space" you ask. Well, one thing that jumped out at me in Berkley's report was this:

"Instinctively, you now and then set aside time to appreciate the loveliness and splendor of your surroundings."

When I asked her if she thought this to be true of herself she disagreed. I don't find that really surprising because she is so busy these days... you see, "white space" can mean a lot of different things. It can mean clearing the clutter from your house so you can feel less overwhelmed with stuff or it can mean clearing it from your mind so you can

think

more

clearly.

I felt I needed to encouraged her to find time throughout her days to take just a few moments to be alone, if even just in her car or her room or her back yard, and enjoy some calm, quiet moments. Even in the midst of a group of people, sometimes we need to remind ourselves to step away, even if just in our minds, and withdrawal from being

IN

the moment and pause, look around, and just breathe. One of my favorite movie scenes is from "The Love of the Game" when Kevin Costner stands on the pitcher's mound in a roaring stadium full of people. While preparing to pitch the ball, he realizes he needs to quiet his mind and focus. This is when he says the key words,

"Clear the mechanism."

Suddenly in his mind he creates a silence that blocks out the chaos so he can focus. He still sees the craziness going on all around him. He just blocks out the noise so he can clear his mind. This is one way that an athlete like Berkley can make use of white space and take a cleansing breath, even in the midst of her senior year. Take a look at your own strengths and how they work in your life. Would you benefit from a little more white space? How do you clear your mechanism?

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If you want to learn more about YOUR strengths I would love to help. Just follow this link to anchoredinstrengths.com and we will get started!