I am going to offer you today an opportunity for a paradigm shift. We all have baggage and some of us have a matching set complete right down to the make-up bag, umbrella case and business card holder. Let me paint a clearer picture for you. We come into this world empty-handed. As we grow (follow our journey), we begin to carry with us, baggage. As kids, we fill our backpack with disappointments, fears, whatever we come across that we can pick up along the way. Soon, we add a duffle bag and then as we go further along, we graduate to the complete set that we continually find more matching pieces for. We have the carry-on bag of offense slung over our shoulder. The garment bag of disappointment is folded over our arm. We struggle to pull along the extra-large, super-capacity suitcase on wheels (the one we had to sit on to zipper shut) full of hurt. Oh, not to mention, the trunk full of the hurts inflicted upon us by those we love. We own that luggage set. It’s even monogrammed with our initials. We feel we deserve to have every piece because it’s a part of us. So, can you see the picture clearly? How easy is it to move along on our path carrying all that stuff? I don’t know about you, but when I fly, I understand the value of minimizing and only taking what is necessary on that plane with me. I don’t even like to take my laptop as a carry-on anymore simply because it’s heavy and bulky. I want to keep it simple. Why in the world would we want to carry more stuff in life than we have to?

I went hiking with some friends in the Appalachian Mountains several years ago. It was mine and my son’s first time hiking. We were just going for two nights. I had no idea how to prepare. I packed that backpack full (my son’s also). I was in for a shock. I must have been carrying about 30 pounds on my back and that’s in addition to not being very fit at the time. I thought I needed everything in that bag. So I struggled not only because it was my first time out, but also because I was carrying way more than I really needed. I made that journey much harder than it should have been simply because I was carrying so much unnecessary stuff. Don’t get me wrong. I had an incredible time, but it would have been a whole lot more enjoyable had I only taken what I really needed, the bare essentials, if you will.

So, this all brings me to my point today. How do we get rid of luggage? I am not an expert, but I do know what I have experienced in my life. Shifting my way of thinking has proven to be one of the most invaluable releases I’ve found. Think about going to the airport on a trip and you’re weighed down by all that luggage. You refuse the Sky Cap’s offer to check your baggage at the door. You struggle with all your bags up to check-in; the bags are cutting into your shoulder and you can feel people’s eyes following you as you try to cram everything into the elevator because you simply could not get onto the escalator. Was that comfortable?

What if you could trade in that entire luggage set for just a small beautiful bag to carry at your side? What if, instead of picking up another piece of luggage from that next hurt or disappointment, you picked up only a jewel from that situation? The jewels are the lessons we learn from every situation we encounter. We can fill our bag with small precious gems that bring us closer to our destination rather than making the trek harder, they lighten our steps. Now close your eyes and think about holding a precious diamond or ruby in your hands. Feel that smooth surface and the edges that shape the jewel. See how it glistens in the light. Do you feel the excitement? Do you feel all the wonderful feelings of holding a precious gem in your hands?

There is more than just how it makes us feel. Having jewels at our side also offers us the opportunity to give them away. How incredible the opportunity to offer someone a diamond of empowerment from your bag when they are facing something you have faced rather than clumsily digging through your bags to offer some sympathy? It is not necessarily an overnight process, as it has been a process for me over years. But, as you start to take on treasures rather than more baggage, you will find it easier and easier to release the old stuff and find the treasures in them. Let your bag become full so that you can begin to give away and enrich the lives of those around you.  

Be blessed! Be prosperous!  Be inspired to action!