Growth, progress, and change are all topics I talk about often on here. Today, I want to approach this topic in a different manner. Not only do we have to be willing to grow, we also have to allow room for growth. Plants can’t grow if there’s no room. In the same way, you can’t grow if you don’t allow yourself space.

Like many things, this is something I’m figuring out and working on myself. But creating space is an important part of growth. To change, you have to make the change reasonable. You also have to believe in yourself that you can make the change, and you have to have confidence that the change will work. However, you also have to have the space to change and grow. Let me try to show you what I mean.

I want to get more consistent about going to the gym this year because I want to actively work on losing weight. I’ve found, however, that I struggle to leave home again once I get back from work. It took me longer than it probably should have to figure out how to change. If I struggle to leave my home after returning from work, then the key is to go to the gym before I get home. But instead of using that immediate time to relax and decompress, I had to provide space for time in the gym. I’ve only done it once so far, but so far, that was growth that I really liked. After finishing up at the gym, I can go home. I can then relax or do things needed around the house. Going to the gym after work means less time at home, but it’s longer uninterrupted time than if I were to break it up and go to the gym later.

Sometimes the space you make for growth is small, and sometimes it’s large. It really depends on what you’re trying to do. I am working to create a nighttime routine for myself so I can get more and better sleep, especially on weekdays when I have to be up for work the next day. I have taken to setting an alarm for myself 15 minutes before I go to bed. This way I can make time for my bullet journal and finish up my last projects for the day. After that 15 minutes is up, I have set my phone in a way that it turns into sleep mode. Everything turns to grayscale, and most apps are disabled. I can turn it off as needed. However, I have seen improvements in my sleep since I started doing this. I wear a smartwatch that tracks my sleep because of it’s long battery life. I’ve slept at least 30 minutes extra each night, which is adding up. I am waking up more refreshed in the morning, and I have less of a need for caffeine. But that 15 minute warning to wind down the day is a small space for growth. But the results it is yielding is becoming large.

Plants grow in the space allotted to them, and sometimes they get too big for their containers. But plants can’t grow without space. If you were to plant a seed and then place a heavy book over it, that seed will not be able to grow above the surface. It may develop roots, but it cannot thrive and flourish without space.

Conversely, if the seed is planted, the plant will do its best to find a way. I’m reminded of dandelions and other flowers that grow in sidewalk cracks. We sometimes wonder how that happened, but the seed found even just a little bit of space.

Both can apply to you as well. If you do not allow yourself space to grow, change, or develop, then it will not flourish. It may grow roots and not go away, but it won’t be able to thrive. However, if you plant that seed and give it even the tiniest bit of space, you might find that it’ll grow bigger than you ever expected.

I have a lot I’m working on this year. I know that. But I’m doing my best to allow for space in different ways so that growth can happen. Some of it is rearranging my schedule, some of it is making conscious decisions, and some of it is working on different parts of myself. I’m growing. I’m changing. And I’m allowing room for myself so there’s no determined step as to what that actually looks like. I’m hopeful that by giving myself space to grow, that I will blossom and bloom in more ways than I ever have before.