Life is a Journey - Pack Accordingly
Let’s pack. We’re going on a trip. All of us. I’m so excited! Are you ready?
What kind of trip, you might be asking. Well, an adventure. With ups and downs and lots (and lots) of unexpected curves.
Where are we going? That… is still to be determined. All I can tell you is that we are moving forward. Ahead.
Confused yet?
Maybe I should clarify.
You know that whole saying “life is a journey”? That’s our trip. But I want to take that idea and dive in a little deeper.
Usually when we think about the journey of life, we are talking about following a path, or finding one. We talk about the people we meet along the way, the places we see, the experiences that we have. The focus is usually about the process - allowing ourselves to observe, appreciate, and maybe even enjoy each step, and to understand that it is leading us to our purpose.
And I have to tell you - I love this. I love the whole concept of life being a journey, even with the destination being unknown.
But, humor me for a moment - can we actually take it one step further?
Sure, we start this journey pretty unprepared. We come into this world with nothing, and we collect bits and pieces as we go.
But the further down this road we travel, the more “stuff” we accumulate. Experiences. Ideas. Opinions. Friends. Values.
And, you know, clothes, furniture, tools, houses, cars…
As we are approaching the end of the year, it is an opportunity to reflect, as well as to look ahead. In this lifelong journey of ours, it is a good time for a pit stop - and a time to look in our luggage and make some decisions.
For many of us, the first step of any trip is to pack. And packing involves more than just throwing things in a bag - it’s choosing what to bring so that we can have the best experience on our journey as possible. And I truly feel that this applies here.
This next year is the next chapter of our journey. And it is the perfect opportunity to unpack our bags and repack them. To remove the things that we do not want or need to carry with us into the 2024 leg of our journey, and to stock it chock full of those things that will set us up for the best experience we can imagine.
For some people, this is a literal clean-out of their space - donating old clothes, toys, and kitchen gadgets, throwing away trash and junk that has accumulated in dark corners of basements and attics.
For others, the inner work is just as powerful.
So how do we unpack from the previous legs of our journey, and how do we then pack for this next chapter?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are some ideas to get your thought process going.
Things to unpack from the past:
The opinions and expectations of others. Quite frankly, those are theirs to carry (or choose to unpack!), not yours.
Toxic positivity. Let go of the notion that you must face every obstacle with a smile and meet every roadblock with joy. There is a full spectrum of emotions, and each is valuable.
Toxic productivity. Remove the idea that your worth or value in this world is based solely on what you produce or provide to serve the needs of others.
Things to carry with you into your 2024 journey:
Self compassion. You have survived every single challenge, obstacle, and bad day that life has thrown at you. You are deserving of love, compassion and grace. And treating yourself with those will open up a world of new experiences.
Fond memories. While we can’t live in the past, memories are a gift.
Lessons gained from difficult moments. Every experience in life offers a lesson. Some are easy, some are hard. Some teach us what we want to do, others teach us what not to do. And while we should not carry the weight of things that are out of our power to change, we can certainly bring forward the lessons that we have gleaned along the way.
The idea is to let go of those things that do not serve you. You do not need to carry unnecessary baggage into your next adventure. Pack deliberately, and with love for the future version of yourself.
So I ask you - what will you bring with you into this new year?