The Power of Empty
Posted on March 01, 2020 by Christina Renzelli, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
Leave space for possibilities to enter your life.
Years ago, as a professional organizer, I worked with a client to remove decades’ worth of clutter and unused possessions from her home. On the final day of the project, she realized she had an entire empty shelf in one of her closets. “What should we put there?” she asked me. When I told her “nothing, leave it empty and see what happens” she was visibly uncomfortable. She agreed to leave it empty, but I could tell she was unsure as to why we would not use the space.
About a week later, a friend asked me what I had planned for the day. When I told her “nothing” she asked, “Won’t you get bored?” The truth was, I hoped I would get bored. I try to leave at least one day per week completely empty. It seems that on those days I have the most fun, and it is a great way to disconnect from all the obligations of busyness. My friend said it would make her nervous to waste an entire day like that, but after some discussion, she agreed to give it a try.
Both conversations made me wonder. “Why are we so uncomfortable with ‘empty?” Is it because we have become so accustomed to being overstuffed, over planned and overwhelmed? What would happen if we let go a little bit?
That question led me to notice all the other things that we keep full, just in case. Sometimes we eat food we don’t even enjoy, just to avoid the feeling of an empty belly. In conversations, we get nervous and fill silence with meaningless chatter just to fill the void. We make mediocre plans to fill the void rather than allowing ourselves to feel the discomfort of boredom. Could these “fillers” just be forms of clutter? What might happen if we allow ourselves some empty space?
My client with the empty shelf called a few days ago with an update. Her empty shelf evolved into an entire empty closet and she is thrilled with the possibilities. Her use of the word “possibilities” struck me. Is that what we are blocking out when we fill up with junk? How can possibilities make it through, when there’s no empty space to land?
I think it is worth a try. Start with an empty shelf and see where it leads. This could mean an empty spot on your calendar, an empty refrigerator so you can feel what foods you really want to eat rather than what you have to eat just because you already bought it. Feel the mild discomfort of empty. In some ways, it is like hitting a reset button, and the possibilities are limitless.
