I was doing my weekly shop and quite frankly on autopilot, when it came time for me to actually drive out of the centre.

I systematically got my parking ticket out and was about to just put it into the machine when I noticed a sticker placed so aptly below the ticket slot.

You deserve to take up space in the world.

Soak that in for a minute.

It stopped me in my tracks.

Not only did it shift me back into the present, leaving auto mode behind, it filled me with a sense of awe.

Someone took out the time to think & print out these stickers to remind others of their value.

You deserve to take up space in the world.

I drove home in a contemplative state.

Do I feel like I deserve to take up space?

What does space even mean to me?

The answers came.

For me, taking up space is linked to feeling worthy.

When you feel worthy you take up space because you feel deserving of it.

Not in a brutish, obstructive way but in a way of least resistance.

A fluid sense of being…

That this experience on planet earth is a wild ride and that because you are here (and for that simple reason alone),

YOU DESERVE to take up space.

I take up space most of the time and I feel okay about it.

When I don’t it’s because a fear-based thought has taken hold of me and I end up trying to diminish myself in an attempt to protect myself.

Taking up space also means recognizing the spaces which could be better for you. That could be a:

head space
heart space
house space
work space
body space

What space comes to mind for you? Let me know in the comment section below.

On the off chance (synchronicity and all) that you are the person who created this sticker, THANK-YOU. It was the heartfelt nudge that I needed!

Athena Laz is a licensed psychologist, self-help author and wellness columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine (SA ed). You can see her work here.

Image courtesy of bardia hashemirad.