Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Create More Room for Yourself (S5) S34:E3 Monday
Transcript
- 0:24Well there, hello everyone, and welcome to Inspirations
- 0:28for Your Life, the ever-popular motivational daily
- 0:31show.
- 0:31This is Monday, August 17, 2026, and welcome
- 0:35to the show.
- 0:36If you've been here one time before, five,
- 0:3810, or 100, I want to say welcome,
- 0:41thank you, and of course, welcome back.
- 0:42If this is your first time, of course,
- 0:44a welcome to you as well, and thank
- 0:46you for deciding to join me.
- 0:48If you have not checked out BelieveMeAchieve.com,
- 0:50what are you waiting for?
- 0:51Go check that out as soon as the
- 0:52show is over, not now, and if you
- 0:54need water or something else to drink, feel
- 0:56free to do that, and yes, come on
- 0:59back to the show.
- 1:02All right, so hope everybody's doing well today,
- 1:07and you're ready for some great motivation.
- 1:14All right, so let's get to the show,
- 1:17shall we?
- 1:17Sure.
- 1:18So this is all about building a life.
- 1:23You don't need to escape from Series 5,
- 1:25Show 34.
- 1:25That is what the master topic is for
- 1:28the week.
- 1:30Create more room for yourself, Series 5, Show
- 1:3334, Episode 3.
- 1:35That's today's regular topic.
- 1:38Welcome everyone to the ever-popular Inspirations for
- 1:40Your Life show.
- 1:41I'm John C.
- 1:42Morley, a serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video
- 1:45producer, podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student
- 1:51at Montclair State University, passionate lifelong learner, and
- 1:56so grateful now to be a published author.
- 1:59We often think improving our lives means adding
- 2:04something, another goal, another project, another responsibility,
- 2:10opportunities, et cetera.
- 2:12But what if what you really need isn't
- 2:15more?
- 2:15What if what you need is room?
- 2:17When every minute is scheduled and every quiet
- 2:20moment gets filled, there isn't much space left
- 2:23for thinking creatively, relationships, recovery, or unexpected opportunities.
- 2:29Today we're exploring 30 ways to create more
- 2:32room for yourself without confusing space with laziness.
- 2:36Number one, stop filling every available minute.
- 2:40An open space on your calendar doesn't automatically
- 2:44need an appointment.
- 2:46When every minute gets filled, life becomes a
- 2:49continuous race from one responsibility to another.
- 2:54Number two, leave room between commitments.
- 2:58Back-to-back commitments create pressure.
- 3:01Before anything even goes wrong, give yourself enough
- 3:06space to finish one thing, reset and arrive
- 3:10mentally ready for the next.
- 3:13That's an interesting concept.
- 3:14Number three, create time without an agenda.
- 3:17Not every hour needs an objective.
- 3:19Give yourself occasional time where nothing specific has
- 3:23to be accomplished and see where your attention
- 3:26naturally goes.
- 3:29Number four, stop confusing empty space with laziness.
- 3:33Being busy isn't automatically evidence of progress.
- 3:36Space can be productive in a completely different
- 3:40way because it gives your mind an opportunity
- 3:43to recover and think.
- 3:45There's a concept.
- 3:47Number five, give yourself room to think.
- 3:49Good decisions need more than information.
- 3:54They need reflection.
- 3:56If you're constantly reacting, you may never have
- 3:58enough time to determine what you actually think.
- 4:03Number six, reduce unnecessary commitments.
- 4:06Look at what you've agreed to do.
- 4:09Some commitments matter tremendously.
- 4:13Others may remain on your calendar simply because
- 4:16you've never reconsidered them.
- 4:19Number seven, create physical space around you.
- 4:23Your physical surroundings influence how you feel.
- 4:27Give yourself an environment where you can move.
- 4:30Think and work without constantly feeling crowded.
- 4:35Number eight, stop allowing clutter to compete for
- 4:39attention.
- 4:40Every object, notification pile, and unfinished item can
- 4:43quietly compete for mental attention.
- 4:47Reducing clutter can reduce some of that visual
- 4:49and mental noise.
- 4:52Number nine, make breathing room in your calendar.
- 4:56Don't schedule yourself so tightly that one delayed
- 5:00meeting or unexpected phone call destroys the entire
- 5:03day.
- 5:05Margins give your schedule flexibility.
- 5:08That's important, guys.
- 5:09We have to live by that.
- 5:11Number 10, give good ideas somewhere to arrive.
- 5:16Some of your best ideas may not appear
- 5:19while you're forcing yourself to produce them.
- 5:22Number 11, give your mind enough quiet space
- 5:25for ideas to emerge naturally.
- 5:29Number 11, stop scheduling yourself into exhaustion.
- 5:33I know many people do that, and then
- 5:34they're wondering, why are they so tired?
- 5:36Why can't they do anything?
- 5:37A completely full calendar may look impressive until
- 5:40you have to live inside it.
- 5:42Your schedule should support what you're trying to
- 5:46accomplish without constantly draining you.
- 5:49Number 12, create room for unexpected opportunities.
- 5:54When you're operating at maximum capacity, even a
- 5:58great opportunity can feel like another problem.
- 6:02Space gives you the ability to say yes
- 6:04when something worthwhile unexpectedly appears.
- 6:08That's key, guys.
- 6:10Number 13, let yourself have an unscheduled hour.
- 6:16Have you ever done that before?
- 6:18That's key.
- 6:19Imagine an hour without meetings, errands, calls, or
- 6:26an assignment.
- 6:28Could you do that, or would you be
- 6:30too bogged down because your schedule doesn't permit
- 6:34that type of activity?
- 6:35I'm just being honest.
- 6:37Some people say to me, oh, that's nice,
- 6:39but can you live by that?
- 6:41Can you live by that, or do you
- 6:44always have to be on the go?
- 6:46I think that's a big key, guys, a
- 6:49very, very big key.
- 6:51So you don't have to immediately fill it.
- 6:54Let yourself decide what you need when that
- 6:57hour arrives.
- 6:59Number 14, remove what continually crowds you.
- 7:04Sometimes creating room isn't about better scheduling.
- 7:08It's about removing something that repeatedly consumes time,
- 7:13attention, physical space, or emotional energy.
- 7:17That's important, guys.
- 7:19Number 15, build margin into your week.
- 7:24Again, what I'm trying to say is don't
- 7:26pack everything so tight, and then you wonder
- 7:29why you're tired, why you don't have a
- 7:32breath, okay, why?
- 7:36That's a very important thing, okay, very, very
- 7:42important thing.
- 7:43So build margin into your week.
- 7:46Don't design a week that only works if
- 7:49everything goes perfectly.
- 7:51Leave enough margin to handle delays, changes, opportunities,
- 7:58and the reality that life isn't always predictable.
- 8:03I think that's an important piece, guys, a
- 8:05very important piece.
- 8:07Number 16, stop making every minute productive.
- 8:10I know you probably feel that everything has
- 8:13to have a production, but rest is important
- 8:16too.
- 8:16It's very, very important to have rest, very
- 8:20important.
- 8:21You are allowed to have moments that don't
- 8:25produce a measurable result.
- 8:28You are.
- 8:30A conversation, walk, quiet meal, or time doing
- 8:35absolutely nothing can still have value in your
- 8:38life, okay?
- 8:40Number 17, create room for spontaneous experiences.
- 8:48Some of life's memorable experiences aren't scheduled weeks
- 8:52ahead.
- 8:53Give yourself enough flexibility to occasionally say, that
- 8:59sounds interesting, let's do it.
- 9:02Number 18, give yourself time to process.
- 9:05When something significant happens, don't always immediately move
- 9:10to the next thing.
- 9:12Give yourself time to understand what happened, what
- 9:15you learned, and how you feel about it.
- 9:18I think when we can process our feelings,
- 9:21we not only can get in touch with
- 9:23a different side of ourselves, but we're able
- 9:25to realize that there's so much we can
- 9:28do in our life if we open up
- 9:30to it, but many people try to push
- 9:32the feelings aside and say, I don't want
- 9:34to feel anything.
- 9:36And they're gypped from the precious data that
- 9:39can help them shape their lives.
- 9:41Number 19, leave space after demanding days.
- 9:46A difficult day doesn't always need an equally
- 9:49demanding evening.
- 9:51Sometimes the smartest thing you can schedule after
- 9:55something intense is recovery.
- 9:58So, stop living at maximum capacity, okay?
- 10:06Operating at 100% capacity leaves no room
- 10:11for mistakes, emergencies, new ideas, or ideas, or
- 10:17opportunities.
- 10:18Progress needs some reserve.
- 10:21I think the quicker we understand that we
- 10:24need to have a reserve, that we can't
- 10:26be going 24-7, the quicker we'll realize
- 10:30that the key to it is just understanding,
- 10:37okay?
- 10:37It's just an understanding that we need to
- 10:40be aware of.
- 10:43Number 21, create room for better relationships.
- 10:48Relationships need more than leftover minutes.
- 10:51Give people enough time for conversations that aren't
- 10:55constantly interrupted because you're already thinking about where
- 11:00you need to be next.
- 11:03And although that can be good, sometimes it
- 11:05can be daunting for us, right?
- 11:06A real problem.
- 11:08And so, if we think about the moment,
- 11:11where you are right now with me, hearing
- 11:14my voice, being aware of how your body
- 11:17feels against the chair, or the car, or
- 11:19just standing in the air, being aware of
- 11:23how your hands feel, maybe how your sleeves
- 11:28feel against your arms, right?
- 11:31Noticing the temperature in your hands.
- 11:36Noticing how your feet feel.
- 11:39Are your feet solid against the ground, or
- 11:42are they just being touched by toes?
- 11:46So, the more we become aware, the more
- 11:49we force ourselves to be in the moment,
- 11:53a moment that I think is very, very
- 11:55precious, but one that I think a lot
- 11:56of people miss, right?
- 11:59And they miss it because they're rushing on
- 12:01to the next thing.
- 12:04That's a key thing, guys.
- 12:07That's a very, very key thing.
- 12:10And that key thing makes a difference.
- 12:14A difference like no other could make.
- 12:20Maybe you're going to say to me, John,
- 12:22you know, this is amazing.
- 12:24But I'm going to tell you that it's
- 12:25more than being amazing.
- 12:27It's about changing your life.
- 12:31It's about changing your life.
- 12:34So, what does that mean when I say
- 12:36changing your life?
- 12:38Well, I think it means different things to
- 12:40different people.
- 12:41But I think we have to be aware
- 12:43of the things that are going on and
- 12:46what that could mean.
- 12:48And what that could mean is the change
- 12:51of who you are in your life.
- 12:55Now, maybe that change is something that you're
- 12:57not ready to think about.
- 12:59Maybe that change is something that maybe you're
- 13:02aware of, but maybe you just don't know
- 13:04how to embrace it, right?
- 13:07That's a whole key, guys.
- 13:08That's a very, very big key in our
- 13:12lives.
- 13:14Number 22, let silence occasionally replace stimulation.
- 13:21We're surrounded by screens, music, notifications, videos, messages,
- 13:27and information.
- 13:29Occasionally turn something off.
- 13:32Silence gives your mind a different kind of
- 13:34environment.
- 13:36I think that's something that we often miss
- 13:40is the silence.
- 13:42And what does that silence actually mean?
- 13:44It means something pretty precious, guys.
- 13:47It means something very, very precious.
- 13:51Something that maybe we'll miss because of the
- 13:56fact that we didn't take the time to
- 13:58be in the moment.
- 14:01Number 23, guys, make room for creativity.
- 14:05Creativity needs somewhere to happen.
- 14:09If every moment is already assigned, your imagination
- 14:13has very little room to wander, connect, other
- 14:19ideas, experiments, and create and dream.
- 14:26So you have more power than you think
- 14:29when you give yourselves a chance.
- 14:33So many people I know are always rushing
- 14:35to the next moment, but they haven't had
- 14:38a chance to enjoy the time that they're
- 14:41in right now.
- 14:44That's just about being aware, okay?
- 14:51That's the key.
- 14:56If we can do that, our life will
- 15:00change.
- 15:02Now, not overnight, guys.
- 15:04Not overnight.
- 15:05That's the key thing.
- 15:06Number 24, reduce what you've outgrown.
- 15:11Some responsibilities, habits, routines, possessions, and even goals
- 15:17may belong to an earlier version of your
- 15:19life.
- 15:21You don't have to keep everything simply because
- 15:23it once mattered.
- 15:25Maybe that doesn't matter anymore.
- 15:27Maybe your life has changed.
- 15:28Maybe your perspective has changed.
- 15:30Your journey has changed.
- 15:31People have left your life.
- 15:32New people have come in your life.
- 15:36Are you aware of things in your life,
- 15:40or do you suddenly just get confused because
- 15:43you have so much stimulation hitting you from
- 15:46so many different angles?
- 15:51That's the question, guys.
- 15:53How aware are you in your life?
- 15:55Or are you still like, well, wait a
- 15:57minute.
- 15:57Maybe that's the case.
- 15:59Maybe it's not the case.
- 16:02What does it mean to be aware?
- 16:03We've talked about this before.
- 16:06To notice, right?
- 16:08To notice anything from pressure of a part
- 16:10of your body, temperature, color, a sensation, and
- 16:18just pausing, acknowledging that for a moment.
- 16:24And tell me how that affects your mind
- 16:27and how it affects your body.
- 16:30I think sometimes people are such in a
- 16:37rush to get from point A to point
- 16:39B that they miss everything along the way.
- 16:43They miss the scenery.
- 16:46They miss the sounds.
- 16:48They miss the smoke, unfortunately, right?
- 16:50Or the fog.
- 16:54They miss the perspective that they can't get
- 17:00back again.
- 17:01Even if they ride that road again, they
- 17:04may never be able to get that same
- 17:05perspective and be at that exact, perfect same
- 17:08angle they were at before.
- 17:10They may not be able to do that.
- 17:15Creating more room means saying more no's to
- 17:19people and more yes's to you.
- 17:22That's how it works, guys.
- 17:24That is how it works.
- 17:28But if you don't acknowledge that and you
- 17:30constantly keep filling that space with every little
- 17:33thing you have, you know what happens?
- 17:36You get confused.
- 17:40And then you're like, oh, my gosh, what
- 17:42am I supposed to do now?
- 17:43What am I supposed to do?
- 17:46And I think, again, that is something that
- 17:49many people I talk to will say, well,
- 17:52gee, that's nice.
- 17:53But how do I become better at something?
- 17:57And I don't think it's about becoming better.
- 17:59I think it's about acknowledging one thing in
- 18:02your life, right?
- 18:04Acknowledging, like, what that means.
- 18:07And how that can affect your life.
- 18:12How that can affect your life.
- 18:14Again, do you become aware of things in
- 18:16your life or do you just suddenly, I
- 18:19don't know, do you just suddenly get confused?
- 18:24I'm just asking a question.
- 18:29What's the answer, guys?
- 18:32What is the answer?
- 18:34That's my question to you.
- 18:35What is that answer?
- 18:36Do you have the answer?
- 18:37Do you know what the answer is?
- 18:41That's what I want to know from you.
- 18:44I want to know how that makes a
- 18:46difference in your life.
- 18:50How?
- 18:55How does that make a difference in your
- 18:56life, like, right now?
- 18:59And you might say to me, John, it
- 19:01makes a difference, but I don't exactly know
- 19:04how it makes a difference.
- 19:06I know it affects me, okay?
- 19:09Number 25.
- 19:12Create space before adding something new.
- 19:18Create space before you add something new.
- 19:21Before accepting another commitment, ask what will make
- 19:26room for it.
- 19:28Now, that sounds like something very simple.
- 19:31Sounds like something very easy, and it is,
- 19:33as long as we are acknowledging that point,
- 19:38right?
- 19:38As long as we are acknowledging what that
- 19:41means.
- 19:43And I think that's something, again, that most
- 19:45people, they don't get.
- 19:51They don't get it.
- 19:54As much as they want to get it,
- 19:56they don't.
- 19:58So adding indefinitely isn't sustainable.
- 20:04Sometimes something needs to leave before something better
- 20:07can enter.
- 20:09Number 26.
- 20:10Let your life breathe.
- 20:12Your life doesn't need to feel like a
- 20:14tightly packed suitcase.
- 20:17Give yourself enough room to move, adjust, reconsider,
- 20:21and experience what's happening around you.
- 20:26Can you do that?
- 20:27I know you can, but the question is,
- 20:29will you do that?
- 20:29That's really the question I have for you.
- 20:32Will you do that?
- 20:32Yes or no?
- 20:35That's really, really the question.
- 20:38Number 27.
- 20:40Protect some time from everyone.
- 20:43You don't have to be permanently available.
- 20:46Protect some time where nobody automatically gets access
- 20:50to your attention simply because they want it.
- 20:57That shouldn't be reason to give attention just
- 20:59because somebody wants it.
- 21:00Number 28.
- 21:02Discover what appears when light becomes quieter.
- 21:05When the noise decreases, you may notice ideas,
- 21:10interests, feelings, priorities, or possibilities that were always
- 21:14there but couldn't compete with everything else demanding
- 21:19your attention.
- 21:21Number 29.
- 21:23Space gives us important things and room to
- 21:27grow.
- 21:29Relationships need time.
- 21:31Ideas need thought.
- 21:32Creativity needs freedom.
- 21:33Recovery needs quiet.
- 21:36Growth often requires room before it can happen.
- 21:41So give yourself some growth.
- 21:44Number 30, guys.
- 21:45Create more room for yourself.
- 21:47Don't wait until you're exhausted and burnt out
- 21:49before creating space.
- 21:51Make room intentionally now.
- 21:53Remove something unnecessary.
- 21:57Protect an hour.
- 21:58Clear your surroundings or leave part of the
- 22:01calendar open.
- 22:03It's okay if the whole calendar is not
- 22:05filled.
- 22:07It's nice to have that buffer, right?
- 22:10It's nice to have that buffer.
- 22:12And you deserve that buffer.
- 22:15You deserve that buffer.
- 22:17As I get ready to close the show,
- 22:19know this, everyone.
- 22:21Creating more room for yourself isn't about doing
- 22:25nothing with your life.
- 22:27It's about making sure your life has enough
- 22:30space for the things that can't always be
- 22:33scheduled.
- 22:35That's an interesting way to put it.
- 22:38A meaningful conversation.
- 22:40An unexpected opportunity.
- 22:42A new idea.
- 22:44A moment of creativity.
- 22:45Time to process something important.
- 22:49Time to recover.
- 22:57We can become so accustomed to filling every
- 23:02opening that every space starts to make us
- 23:05uncomfortable.
- 23:07The moment we have 10 free minutes, we
- 23:11reach for the phone.
- 23:13When an appointment cancels, we immediately search for
- 23:16another task.
- 23:17But you don't always have to fill the
- 23:21space.
- 23:21The opening.
- 23:22Sometimes the opening is the opportunity.
- 23:26Look at your calendar.
- 23:28Look at your physical environment.
- 23:30Look at your commitments.
- 23:32Look at how much stimulation surrounds you right
- 23:35now.
- 23:36Then ask yourself this question.
- 23:39Where could I create a little more room
- 23:42in my life?
- 23:43Maybe you remove one unnecessary obligation.
- 23:46Maybe you leave 30 minutes between commitments.
- 23:51Maybe you clear a workspace.
- 23:53Maybe you turn something off.
- 23:55Maybe you protect an evening.
- 23:58Maybe you simply stop treating every available minute
- 24:01like something that needs to be conquered.
- 24:06Ladies and gentlemen, I am John C.
- 24:08Morley, serial entrepreneur.
- 24:09And I thank you so much for joining
- 24:12me for another amazing episode of Inspirations for
- 24:16Your Life.
- 24:16You know, ladies and gentlemen, you don't have
- 24:20to live at maximum capacity.
- 24:25Create margin.
- 24:27Protect some time.
- 24:31Make room for relationships.
- 24:34Of course, ideas.
- 24:37Creativity.
- 24:39Recovery.
- 24:39And possibilities that you haven't discovered yet.
- 24:50You're probably wondering why.
- 24:52And, you know, that's a great question.
- 24:55Why should you do this?
- 24:58Simple.
- 25:00Because when you give your life room to
- 25:06breathe, you may finally notice what has been
- 25:10trying to grow your entire life.
- 25:15Hmm.
- 25:16What's he talking about?
- 25:18You see, space gives important things room to
- 25:26grow.
- 25:27Create more room for yourself.
- 25:30I think the first time we do it,
- 25:33we're probably going to feel guilty, like, sure,
- 25:35I should do this.
- 25:36Like, is this okay?
- 25:38And the answer is yes, it is perfectly
- 25:40okay.
- 25:41You can do this.
- 25:43And then once you do it the first
- 25:44time, you're like, wait a minute, I like
- 25:46this.
- 25:46This felt good.
- 26:01That's a key, guys.
- 26:02When you start realizing that you should do
- 26:05more of it, you're going to say to
- 26:07yourself, why didn't I do this before?
- 26:10Why didn't I create the room?
- 26:12It's usually because you feel guilty for making
- 26:15that connection.
- 26:16You feel guilty for the rest you're taking.
- 26:23You feel guilty from stepping back.
- 26:26You know, guys, it's not you that's making
- 26:29yourself feel guilty.
- 26:30Let me share this premise with you.
- 26:32It's actually the people around you that are
- 26:34making you feel this way.
- 26:36And, you know, they have no right to
- 26:38make you feel any way.
- 26:41No one has the right to make you
- 26:43feel bad or inferior about yourself unless you
- 26:48give permission.
- 26:49So don't give permission to do it, guys.
- 26:52Don't give that permission.
- 26:56If you don't give that permission, then you'll
- 27:02be able to make a very big change.
- 27:10A change that's going to not only open
- 27:13new perspectives for you, a change that's going
- 27:17to say, wait a minute, I get this.
- 27:21Wait a minute.
- 27:24There's another way to do this.
- 27:26Wait a minute.
- 27:28I've been missing this my whole life.
- 27:31Wait a minute.
- 27:34I didn't know we could do it that
- 27:35way.
- 27:36And these many epiphanies are going to take
- 27:39you to a point of saying, wait a
- 27:40minute, I know now.
- 27:44I see now.
- 27:45I hear now.
- 27:47I understand how creating more room in my
- 27:51life can empower me, make me more creative,
- 27:57more restful, and, of course, more productive.
- 28:00Have a great one, everyone.
- 28:02I'm John C.
- 28:03Morley, serial entrepreneur, and be sure to check
- 28:04out BelieveMeAchieve.com.