Spring is a season of new beginnings. Just as rivers swell and cleanse with spring rains, it’s a powerful time to clear out what’s old and create space for what’s new.
We’re good at spring cleaning our homes — but spring cleaning our minds? That’s where real transformation
happens.
Here’s a river metaphor I love: when current hits a rock, the water flows around it and leaves a void behind. The river flows back up to fill it, and what was a void, is now an eddy. The same is true in your life. Anytime you create space, something will flow in to fill it. Being intentional about what flows in — thoughts, conversations, people, activities — makes all the difference.
If something new hasn’t been showing up in your life, ask yourself: Have I actually created space for it?
Here are three places to start.
1. Clean Up Your Self-Talk
What old, self-limiting conversations are taking up space in your head?
Notice whether you’re complaining instead of problem-solving. Tearing yourself down instead of acknowledging what you’ve accomplished. Running stories that aren’t even yours — borrowed from parents, teachers, or society — that no longer serve you.
Changing your inner dialogue takes the same commitment as learning to roll: it’s uncomfortable, your brain resists it (familiar neural pathways are well-worn for a reason), and it requires practice. But just like running a new rapid — the more you paddle it, the more natural it becomes.
2. Reclaim Your Attention
Where is your attention going right now?
Scrolling and passive media consumption aren’t neutral — they fill the very space you need for clarity and creativity. When you step away from your phone and create pockets of open attention, you give your best ideas room to surface.
If you’re Gen X or older, you remember what it felt like to just sit and notice. That’s not a lost skill — it’s a practice worth returning to.
3. Create Space Between Your Thoughts
You are not your thoughts. You are not your emotions.
When we forget this, we suffer. When we remember it, we gain choice.
Your brain is constantly running stories based on past experience — pulling the past into your present without you realizing it. The interruption is simple: one conscious breath. A moment of presence. A hand in the water.
My go-to practice is breathwork — silently repeating inhaling I breathe in, exhaling I breathe out. On the river, I’ll focus on the beauty around me or drop into a thought of gratitude. These small resets invite clearer, more effective thinking.
Like ferrying or rolling, this gets easier with practice. It doesn’t always work. You keep trying.
A Last Spring Ritual
Pause and actually look at the new buds and bright flowers. Something that was dormant just a few weeks ago is
now alive and growing.
So are you — no matter where you’re starting from.
Happy spring paddling. I’d love to hear from you — what’s your favorite spring equinox or spring cleaning practice? Email me here, and tell me about it!
