It’s probably stale gist that New York rooms are pretty small but cost an arm and a leg figuratively, and you pretty much have to work with the available space and make it work for you. Having that at the back of my mind, I ensured that I only had the essentials, and pretty much made it work for me. In spite of that, I however still wished I had a bit more space for myself but had to make do with what was available.
I recently stepped into the room one afternoon and decided I was tired of the way it was set up and decided to move things around a little bit. It was nothing major, I basically flipped things around, changed a few things, moved some stuff into new positions and that was good enough for me.
However, something remarkable happened, I noticed that whenever I stepped into the room with the new arrangement, there was something it did to me emotionally and psychologically. My mind was already conditioned to how it was previously set up in the past, and I could move around even with my eyes closed. But this new arrangement changed my perspectives, made me see the room differently, made me appreciate it even more, and the most significant difference was that I discovered there was much more space than I thought.
I set up the room previously in such a way that a few items took up all the space, and I continually complained in my mind about the lack of space. Yet, when I decided to move things around, I created space for myself, saw the room in a totally different light, and appreciated it even more.
I earlier thought I needed a bigger space, while in reality, all I had with me was all I needed. The space that I needed was right there, but I had to create it myself. In the midst of the chaos was the peace I wanted, in the midst of the lack was the abundance I needed, and in the midst of the tightness was all the space I needed. It was right there all along, but I had to create it from what I had.
A lot of times, our lives are just the same way. If we only had more money, then we would be happy. If we only had a bigger house, then we would be merrier. If we only had a good job we would be fulfilled, and the list goes on and on. More money, bigger houses, and good jobs are definitely good, don’t get me wrong, however, have we ever paused to see what we have available that we have not made use of?
A wise man once said “all you have is all you need,” and it didn’t make sense to me. How would everything I have be all I need I asked? If I have more, then I can do more. However, seeing things from that perspective closed my eyes to the realities and possibilities of what I had available with me at the moment. Indeed, I had with me all the things which I could use in making things better for today.
Just like my room, all the space I needed was right there, I just had to create it. A bigger room or house was not the immediate solution, I just had to see the potentials of what I had and make it work for me.
Can you dare to see all you need in all you have today?
Life is in stages and in phases. Time will come when that big house, fancy car, 6-digit salary, and all the other nice things of life will come. However, materials things do not necessarily guarantee peace, joy, happiness, and fulfillment.
You may not be where you want, but you’re certainly not where you used to be. Take a look at your life today, make changes and switch things around. Everything that you’re looking outside for may just be found hidden on the inside of you.
It’s your duty and responsibility to make what you have work for you. Indeed, all you have is all you need.