The other day while walking my dog I saw a woman headed towards me. She had a bag in each hand and they seemed 
heavy, based on how she was carrying them. For some reason, it made me thing about how we often carry the baggage of the past with us wherever we go, regardless of how burdensome the load gets.
We might not all have physical, weighty bags that we carry around with us every day, but many of us do have our fair share of baggage. Whether it’s past hurts or the guilt of past wrongs, we carry around unnecessary baggage that weighs us down, keeping us from moving forward in our lives. The baggage we’re holding on to is slowing us down, causing us pain and tiring us out, so why can’t we just put them down?
When we’re playing the victim, our baggage justifies our actions. We fool ourselves into thinking that we have no choice but to carry the burdens of our hurts and wrong doings until the day we die. This isn’t the truth though, is it? We have the power to release our baggage whenever we are ready. We don’t need anyone’s permission or the stars to be aligned in a certain way in order to lighten our load.
Like physical baggage, the longer we carry it around, the more tired and weary we grow. When we finally choose to release the heavy load we’ve been carrying around for months, years or even decades; we’re able to accomplish more. The energy we were spending focusing on the past can now be dedicated to creating the future we want in each present moment. We’re able to achieve more clarity and focus because those heavy bags of the past no longer exist!
Letting go of your baggage is really about letting go of the past as well as old habits and ways of thinking that no longer serve you and creating new ones that do. Instead of focusing on the hurt, focus on the lesson. What will you do differently if similar situations present themselves again? How will you strengthen your mind, body and soul so that you are better prepared to deal with life’s challenges?
When we are ready, willing and able to release the baggage of the past, forgiving ourselves and others, we not only lighten the load, but we also make room for better to take its place. We have to get rid of the old stuff we no longer need so that the new stuff – the good stuff, has form to flourish. What bags will you let go of today? ♥