April 22, 2015No comments
I was packing my bag a few weeks ago to fly up to see my Aunty in Byron Bay for her 60th birthday party.
I had selected the "carry-on luggage only" option, which I began to immediately regret as I struggled to narrow down the options that I had laid out in front of me.
Options.
That's one thing that I like to have.
I stubbornly attempted to squash down all of the items that I had chosen to take on board with me.
I struggled to lift my bag, and realised that I may indeed have to pay the price for my excess baggage by having to check it in.
I then had a thought about excess baggage, and what it means for us in terms of the cost involved.
Both literally, and of course metaphorically.
I had three options here.
I could hold onto all of my extra stuff that I had brought with me that I probably didn't need anyway, and would likely have no use for, pay the additional fee, and check my luggage in. Not only would I incur the monetary fee, but it would also eat into my time at the other end, where I would have to wait at the carousel upon my arrival.
Oh, and I would keep my Aunty waiting.
The second option I had, was to just try to sneak my excess baggage through the check-in counter, and cross my fingers and hope that no one noticed all of the extra stuff that I was carrying with me.
Yet, the load that I would be carrying would be heavy.
I would struggle trying to get it into the overhead lockers that I can barely reach as it is.
I would very likely have to ask for assistance.
It would all become a bit of a burden if you will. And others would have to suffer for the things I had chosen to hang onto.
Then comes the third option. Which is often the hardest.
Deciding what to set down.
What to get rid of to lighten the load.
What extra "stuff", would I be willing to get rid of?
With all of these options comes a price to pay whichever way you look at it.
And the funny thing is, I know that this last option is the one that makes the most sense.
Why?
Let's break it down.
There's so many reasons to get rid of excess baggage.
By having a lighter load, you are able to get to where you need to go much faster. You have nothing additional weighing you down. It makes the journey that much easier. And you allow yourself the freedom to travel that much easier.
And you have a bonus with that too.
In choosing to set down your excess baggage, you have space.
Space for something new to take it's place. And it could be so much more excellent that before.
In making the decision to get rid of some of that "stuff", you set down all that is holding you back. In every sense of the word.
And now I come back to my love of options.
I love being able to have the freedom, and flexibility to choose what it is that I want to bring with me on my journey.
But this is always the moment that I have to pick a team.
When I am at the fork in the road.
Do I want to drag along the stuff that I've collected along the way that I no longer have a use for, and that I won't need?
Or do I want to get rid of some of the shit that is weighting me down?
Do I want to be able to collect new experiences, new memories, and allow some amazingly magical people to come into my life?
Or do I want to hold onto what is familiar and safe? Yet redundant, and no longer serving a purpose...
And it's here that I ask you, what price are you willing to pay?
Are you wanting to hold onto that excess baggage? Or are you going to get rid of all the shit that is weighting you down, and holding you back, and making your journey that much more tiresome?
By holding onto all the crap that you're carrying, what are you not being able to allow into your life as a result?
So my advice today, is to sift through what it is that you're carrying unnecessarily, and ask yourself, what it is that you're willing to take with you on your life journey?
Do certain things need to be set down?
Then set them down.
Lighten your load.
Get rid of your excess baggage.
Trust me on this one - open the window, and watch what flies in...