Crowding Out – Getting More of the Good Stuff in!

 

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Have you heard of crowding out? It’s a great concept for clearing out what you don’t want and bringing in more of what you do.

So what is it? Put simply, it’s the process of adding so much good stuff into your life, that the not so good stuff eventually falls away all on it’s own.

Let’s start with one that most of us can relate to. Weight loss. You want to lose weight, so you go on a diet and restrict your food intake; no sugar, no soft drinks, no fast food, you get the idea. So you start the diet (usually Monday morning) and what do you think about all day? You think about all of the things you ‘can’t’ have, deprivation sets in, you fixate on what you are missing out on and the rest is history. The crowding out approach is quite the opposite of deprivation, it’s all about adding value. So imagine instead of deprivation, you start adding in really super high quality nutrient dense food. Bump up the salads, pile up the veggies, make green smoothies, drink lovely sparkling water with a twist of lime, treat yourself to a punnet of juicy raspberries and so on. What do you think happens next? First of all, you are satisfied, nutritionally and you won’t feel hunger, so there is no sense of deprivation and you are not fixated on what you can’t have because we are not talking about eliminating anything here. Secondly, because you are taking in nutrient dense food, you will feel better and have more energy, so it’s highly you will start moving more. What do you think happens when you start to feel great and your body gets what it needs? You simply won’t want to eat the crap, it won’t be as attractive any more. You can still have it because this is not about deprivation, it’s about crowding out. It’s brilliant and it works.

Now imagine applying this concept to other areas in your life. Let’s take relationships for instance. If you focus on really enjoying and adding value to the ones that bring you joy, where you are valued, respected and things are in balance – the ones that are challenging, draining and toxic will no longer be receiving your energy and attention and guess what – they will fall away. As the less helpful ones fall away – new and beautifully fulfilling relationships are highly likely to form and you will find yourself attracting the most amazing people, places and things.

Another easy place to try crowding out is in your home. Try allowing only the most beautiful and useful things in, very soon the junk and clutter will no longer serve you, and before you know it you are living in your own sacred space. You will find yourself becoming very selective about what you allow in and it feels great. Your home doesn’t need to be big or opulent, and I speak from experience here. I have had big and admittedly beautiful expensive homes and my current home is my smallest and simplest. In this home I only bring in what is beautiful and brings me joy, and I absolutely adore my little sacred space, and the benefits of living in a home that serves you are countless. Anybody who has studied Vastu or Feng Shui will definitely agree with me on this one.

The ways you can apply crowding out are endless. It works with how you choose to use your time, your energy, your commitments – anything at all!

So why not give it a go? What do you think you could crowd out in order to add value in your life?

Rae-Anne x :)

About Me

Recovery Coach Rea-Anne

Hi, my name is Rae-Anne. I am a facilitator, manager, counsellor, NDIS support coordinator, psychosocial recovery coach and published author with over 25 years experience in leadership development, change management and developing and delivering training within government, social and community services.

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