Do not move on to 2019 without letting go of something significant from 2018, an old idea, label, habit, fear, concern of ego. Let go to free up the whitespace for something new and extraordinary to enter.

Brendon Burchard

I’m not sure if that’s the exact quote. A Google search reveals variations going back several years, attributed to motivational leader and best-selling author Bendon Burchard.

It showed up on Instagram. A new follower had posted it, and it struck me as sound advice.

No New Year’s resolutions

Never one to make New Year’s resolutions, instead I aimed to improve in some way over time. Tying it to one day – and so many failures from those around me – I opted to avoid the annual tradition.

That was my plan this year, too. Because of what I did this past year, I didn’t think I needed to reflect, either, as the old year wound down. Even on Instagram, people were posting capsule photos of their favorite images from the year. Me, I have no desire. I’d rather look ahead than back.

Then, I read that quote, and it seemed to ring true. At the heart of it, it’s tied back to resolving to do something better in the new year, by giving up something – skip chips, eat salad; don’t watch TV, go for a walk; forgive someone who wronged you, so you can stop obsessing about it.

But I liked how it was phrased.

Letting go of something significant

Do not move on to 2019 without letting go of something significant from 2018. We all will move on to the new year. It’s inevitable. However, we can let go of something from the past year. Not from a lifetime of habits, but just something from this past year. That makes it easier to achieve.

Something significant. This is not just a throwaway resolution we often are inclined to make. No, this is something significant, something that means something to us, for whatever reason.

And then Burchard offers suggestions: an old idea, label, habit, fear, concern of ego. We hold our ideas, labels, habits, fears and concerns of ego near and dear. Generally, we are creatures of habit and find comfort in keeping things the way they’ve always been. Even when things aren’t great, we often will stay in the known “hell” than risk the unknown “heaven.”

Let go. Ooh, that’s a tough thing, isn’t it? We like to be in control. We like to have our things – be it physical, mental, spiritual or social. We don’t want to let go. We want to keep it, even when it’s not for the best.

Free up whitespace

To free up the whitespace. Whitespace is a term used in computer programming, design and journalism. Whitespace is the empty or white spots on a newspaper page that otherwise is gray from type or images. (Back in the day, all newspapers were black and white.) It might be the space at the end of a headline, space between stories or even space we’d leave specifically blank in a story or package to give it room to breathe. All of that gray on a page can be daunting to look at. Leaving a little whitespace strategically could improve the design and make the page more inviting for readers.

Surely Burchard’s whitespace reference is meant to evoke a blank page of sorts, even for readers who aren’t journalists.

For something new and extraordinary to enter. In some of the quotes, the word extraordinary was omitted. I like it, though, because it takes it to the next level. Something new doesn’t necessarily mean better. A new brand of laundry soap probably isn’t extraordinary – it’s just new. Sometimes it’s not even as good as what you had before. But if something is extraordinary, there’s an expectation that it will be above and beyond simply new. The word generally has a positive connotation. If it’s extraordinary, it’s going to be good.

What do I need to let go?

Of course, I didn’t really break the quote down that way until I decided to write about it. Instead, my initial reaction was a gut one – what did I have to let go from this past year to make room for something new next year?

I gave up a lot in 2018. Most of it has been by my own choice. I continue to give up things and let go of things, and yet, there are still things I hold onto, that I don’t want to let go. Intellectually, I know I should, but emotionally, it’s hard.

That’s what I need to do, though. I need to let go of those emotional ties to free up whitespace for something new and extraordinary in 2019. I have so many opportunities ahead. I simply must make more whitespace for those extraordinary experiences.

Be a Better Writer Tip

Whitespace, as explained above, used to be an important part of newspapers. At one time, editors didn’t want whitespace, because it was distracting. It tends to draw the eye … to nothing. If you’ve seen a newspaper page from earlier eras, you’ll know how gray they were. Not many images, lots of lines of type, many short stories on a page, lots of rules in between stories both horizontally and vertically – very gray.

By the time I got into newspapers, we were using whitespace as a design tool. We’d put a little extra around photos or packages. When we switched to pagination, whitespace became easier still. Pagination is the term for creating newspaper pages in a computer program. With a click or two, you could set borders and margins to include extra whitespace. You could drag images and headlines around to see how the page looked with whitespace in different places.

The internet, however, largely has negated our need for whitespace. Headlines break wherever; copy runs on (unless Yoast tells you to put in a subhead); there’s not much rhyme or reason for spacing or image placement. Fortunately, the programs we use to design websites often take whitespace into account, and make our sites nicer to look at.

Whitespace can be a valuable tool, particularly for poets and artists. How words are placed on a white page can make a difference visually, helping evoke a feeling. Some poets I follow on Instagram use whitespace effectively, particularly with short pieces.

Don’t be afraid to play around with whitespace. It can be a great design element – whether in website design or on the printed page.