The POWER of Space

Read time: 6 minutes

Welcome to The Ascend Archives, a weekly newsletter where I share a story about a transformation, revelation, or change in thinking that has helped improve an aspect of my life. Today’s piece is my first from my experience Write of Passage. Thanks for reading!

I board the plane and find my seat. I take a deep breath and get settled into my home for the next 15 hours. 

What am I going to do on this flight? 

A solo sabbatical means there are no emails to check, no clients waiting on a PowerPoint deck, and no friends to chat with.

I’m on a one-way flight to Australia to have some fun and figure out the next phase of my life. 

I guess the bigger question is, what am I going to do when I land?

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Turns out I didn’t have any issues filling the time on the plane or when I landed.

My mornings were spent journaling and reading. I found the best acai bowl in each beach town. Each day included a new adventure of hiking, surfing, biking, or exploring. I made friends from all over the world at yoga classes and trivia nights. Then it was off to the next city. 

3 weeks into my trip, during a run along the coast, I recalled a concept called The Bench Test from a book I finished a few days earlier. It was called The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha. Before choosing a college, the author went to each school he was interested in, sat on a bench for an hour, and listened to random conversations to see what his experience might be like if he attended that school. He wanted to immerse himself in the situation, gauge his reaction, and see if it aligned with his authentic self.

One of the big questions I wanted to answer during my sabbatical was where should I live when I got back to the States.

I could move to New York because the majority of my close friends are there…

I could move back to Washington DC to be close to family…

Or move back to Austin where I love the vibe. 

But something clicked on that run. I didn’t have to come up with the right answer while I was on the other side of the world. I could just go and experiment 3 months in each place to see which one felt right. 

That aha moment didn’t come to me because I sat down to plan out my future. It also didn’t come to me when I first read about the Bench Test. Instead, it came spontaneously while I was out living life. 

It came to me because I had space. Space to think, to wander, to explore. 

Australia’s 16 hour time difference made it nearly impossible to keep in touch with everyone back home. Being alone allowed me to wake up each morning and do exactly what I wanted without having to compromise. And no job meant nobody was depending on me for anything. 

I was experiencing the power of space and loving every second of it.

–

After 6 weeks of adventure, I was ready to go home and start my entrepreneurial journey. 

I started my city experiment in Austin and quickly found myself in old habits. I spent long days analyzing real estate deals, researching businesses to acquire, and networking to figure out my next move. Plus there were the weekly tasks of laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning. I juggled dating, birthday parties, trivia nights, and rounds of golf. All while trying to stay active running and going to the gym.

Don’t get me wrong, all good things. But I was going through the motions. There was no time to think about what I was doing, I was just doing it. 

There was no space. 

I missed the days in Australia when all I had was time to think. Maybe I needed to plan another trip to clear my head. But my calendar was packed with family visits, golf trips, and weddings. There was no time for another solo trip. 

Plus, I signed up for an Ironman 70.3 and race day was quickly approaching. So I passed on the solo trip and continued with my routine. But as my triathlon training ramped up, something changed. 

3-4 times per week I’d go to the pool for a swim workout. 

No music. No podcasts. No texts or calls. No distractions. For one hour, a few times per week all I would focus on was three strokes, then breath… Three strokes, then breath…Three strokes, then breath. I found myself getting into a flow state, where nothing else mattered but that next lap. 

I wasn’t overlooking the Coral Sea in Australia, disconnected from the world, and with no responsibilities to worry about. But in that pool, I found space. 

Space from my multiple page to-do list.

Space to think strategically about my business. 

Space from the 50 unanswered texts and emails.

Space to reflect on the podcasts I had listened to earlier in the week.

Space to work through the difficult conversations that I needed to have.

I started having those aha moments, just as I did on that run along the coast.

Space is everywhere if we are intentional about it. Sure, it was a lot easier during a sabbatical on the other side of the world. But it is ALSO there in our everyday lives - on a walk through the neighborhood, sipping a cup of tea on our porch, or going for a run without headphones. Space is powerful and is only harnessed when we are intentional about creating it. 

Thank you for reading! As always please reply and let me know what resonated, what didn’t, or what you question. I love chatting about this stuff!

Cheers,

Andrew