There is only room for so much.

Lin-Manuel Miranda once tweeted, “Good night beautiful. Make room for happiness tomorrow. If you make room for it, it’ll show up.”

Where does that space come from? Maybe from the thoughts we spend on worry. Past regrets and future anxiety. Time committed to perseverating on what we don’t want to happen.

Anticipation becomes excruciating. We can give a lot of ourselves to worry over how terrible the bad outcome will be. Or we can spend that energy on our thoughtful preparation for what we do want and on living as the kind of person who takes any outcome in stride.

With resilience. With calm.

Sounds better than obsessing over the ways failure will arise and how horrible it will feel.

But, you’ll have to decide.

What are you making room for? What groundwork are you laying with your thoughts, words, and expectations?

I know I sometimes focus more than I ought on recent frustration or the things I don’t want to happen. Sometimes I think it gets me to solutions—all that pondering is good for spit balling a course of action. But, often as not, I work a worry over in my head past the point of effective problem solving. I keep circling back to it instead of remaining present for the people or experiences I can impact right now. Strategy detours into stuck. The super power becomes the Achilles heel.

Instead…

Look at your life with gratitude. See the people around you with dignity. You’ll be more open to all the good around you.

Speaking of dignity… Remember to treat yourself kindly no matter how things are going so you are open to doing your best work.

If you make room for it, it’ll show up.