Jettison your baggage!

Jettison your baggage! That is so much easier to say than to do! You work really hard to detach yourself from things that no longer have any value in your life only do discover a new version of the same valueless stuff rushes in to fill the void.

 I cleaned out a bunch of old archives over the weekend. You SHOULD do this once a year but I had not actually done it in about 3 years. There were boxes and boxes of old records that had absolutely no connection to my life today. Business records from entities that no longer exist, legal papers, and paperwork related to the move to Austin.

I realized that the pounds and pounds of paper in the attic was only part of the weight I was dragging around. In particular, some legal papers reminded me of a grudge I had been carrying with someone that is no longer a significant part of my life (she is a relative and other members of my family create second-hand contact).  Her bitterness and venom still occasionally affect me today – and it is my fault because I allow it.

Part Two of “Become a Change Agent (publication date is mid-February) discusses the liberation of lifestyle design. Here are some more thoughts about the “Elimination” step:

There are some things that you should actively remove from your life.

·         Baggage that drags you down – Physical things that you are obligated to spend time and effort maintaining but you do not get much use or pleasure from them. People that bring out the worst in you. People that are dangerous or destructive.

·         Stuff that doesn’t matter – Most “UseToBes” fall into this group. Do you engage in activities that do not interest you just to be part of the “in” crowd? Find activities that really interest you and meet people that help you define what “in” really means.

Things that are not part of your day-to-day life but you should keep anyway.

·         Good memories – As long as they do not create an attachment to “the good old days”. Adopt a mindset that those were great experiences but the best is yet to come!

·         Artifacts that retain value- This is not just value of the economic sort. Some things retain value to you alone and those are things you should keep.

There are things that are difficult to eliminate. I call that stuff that resurfaces

·         If you eliminate something big, there are typically “loose ends” that come up.  Accept that fact with the knowledge that the “loose ends” eventually stop.

·         Serious grudges. We are human. Even when you forgive, it can be hard to forget, especially if you must have contact with that person.

 

·         People or groups that “need you”. You must be patient while they readjust to life after you. Sometimes, a gentle push in that direction is required.

What can you let go of TODAY, RIGHT NOW that will make your outlook on life better?