Expansion. It’s a fun word because of all its potential implications. You can expand your business, your outreach, your waistline with multiple cookies, your horizons or…expand your MIND. They all sound like fabulous ideas (ok, maybe not ALL of them). But what does the term expansion really mean?
By definition, expansion is the act of getting larger or spreading out; the condition of being expanded; dilation; enlargement. It also means the space through which anything is expanded; pure space. Gotta love definitions that use the root word as part of the explanation. Kind of…confusing. But I digress.
So, let’s jump to the most important point about the act of expansion. It cannot take place without a catalyst.
Finding Your Catalyst
Moving beyond current limitations or space constrictions (aka expansion) does not take place all on its own. There needs to be a reason, a touch point, an incident that makes you think twice, makes you aware that the state you are living in no longer suits your needs and desires. Then you begin to consider the options and start poking holes in the old snake skin to reveal the fresh new layer of truth beneath.
This awareness can come on during your train ride, in the shower, as you push yourself along the crowded sidewalk or while your mother is bitching at you for the millionth time about God knows what. That is the coolest part. Sometimes you know its coming, sometimes it just slaps you at a million miles an hour, right in the face between the ol’ peepers.
So while you are looking for ways to spend time this year, why not just let your mind wander to the what ifs. Expand your ideas, your horizons and your dreams, and leave the to-do list for later. It will still be there when you are finished having a go at some creative day dreaming.
No Boundaries No Expectations
I encourage you to mentally expand into all of what could be if time, experience, money or other social details were not a factor, if you had the chance to do it all how you really wanted to, calling in all the unicorns, gummy bears and love you can wrangle.
The most important part to remember is that truly sculpting the vision and details of your perfect life in a way that feels amazing for you does not have a time limit or finish line. Real winners choose to let their mind wander in all the juicy, vibrant details they can muster, showing up whenever it feels right, their way, without a particular finish line in sight. They trust their skills and their gut to know when to make the right moves in the moment, because they have taken the time to daydream about all the possibilities.
Photo by sheriffmiller on Flickr