How many of you have ever answered a text right away, thinking that you just had to respond right then? How many of you have ever tried to quickly rectify a situation without taking time first to consider what exactly was going on? I myself would answer yes to both of those questions.

Today, we've shifted to a mindset of efficiency, doing things as quickly as possible, whether it be our work or correspondences with others, often forgetting that sometimes, things need time.

There have been so many instances where I have hastily responded to messages I've received, situations that have come up, hoping that things will instantly work themselves out. While this has worked sometimes, a lot of times this hastiness has been characterized by a certain carelessness as well, and as a result, has made the situation worse, instead of better.

The thing is, not every situation that comes up in our lives is one that ought to be dealt with right away. Sometimes, some space is needed for both parties to process and feel what is going on and come to the situation with a better mindset.

For example, just the other day, I was faced with a situation where I followed my jerk reaction to immediately start texting to rectify it. This backfired, as I was accused of doing something wrong, when in fact, I wasn't in the wrong at all. Instead of continuing the conversation, I put my phone away (ok that's a lie, I reached out to some people who offered some moral support, but still) and decided to not continue the conversation until I was in a better mindset and able to do the situation justice.

What resulted was that the person who I was talking to realized their mistake and actually apologized before I had said anything else regarding the situation. The situation was brought to a greater state of peace simply because I had taken a step back and allowed the Universe to do its work.

In a world that speaks so loud, we often forget that it is the silence, the space, that is often the most powerful.

By taking a step back and vowing not to respond until I was in a better state of mind, I created space for my friend to find that same state of mind for herself, one where she was able to realize that perhaps, the initial reaction hadn't been correct.

I am not trying to frame my friend as bad here and me as good, because often times, I'm the person who may be accusing others when I am in the wrong. The point is, not everything has to be responded to right away. Giving people and situations time and space can be the best means of moving a relationship to a better state.

Giving space is not inaction, but instead a conscious choice to engage in one's interactions with a sense of mindfulness and grace.

If I had kept responding the other day, I know I would have responded with my emotions of the moment, where I was hurt and angry. However, giving the situation time to settle had me respond with more grounded emotions.

In a world where everything moves so quickly, realize that you don't always have to follow the trend. You can choose to give situations space, in order to respond with grace.

It's not always easy, I get it. But I promise it makes a difference in certain difficult situations. I truly believe we all need a bit more space in our lives. Space allows us to grow, it allows others to grow.

Yes, we all can grow together, but taking time and space to do self reflective work on our own makes the times when we do interact with others even more powerful.

Take some space today, in whatever that means to you. And next time you want to respond to that text that made you so angry right away, take a moment and reflect on whether maybe instead, you should just give things a breather.

Talk soon,

Sam