We all carry luggage from our past. Luggage filled with things we need, things we might need, and things we just can’t seem to leave behind.
This luggage is part of us. Like a shadow, there’s no way to shake it. No place to run.
Yet, we find a way – albeit dysfunctionally – to live together.
But every once in a while during especially challenging times, the negative self-talk we just can’t seem to shake is laid bare. In these moments, we have a choice: to react and entertain limiting beliefs or reflect and begin the work of letting go, thus repatriating our power.
Let’s play out the common scenario of being harshly judged by someone else. They give your work a negative review. While this judgement speaks more about their luggage than yours, there still exists a camouflaged gift. The opportunity to connect with long-held guilt, shame, or regret that we may have buried under layers of life.
When we choose to reflect on these gifts and eliminate our reaction to fight back, we can create space to turn this into a new possibility. Why are we still closed to others’ perspectives? What can we now see more clearly?
When you see life’s gifts, in all forms, as opportunities to learn and grow, the conversation changes from resistance to acceptance.
We needn’t be crippled by our past, nor should we remain triggered when it enters our present.
We are constantly evolving. And when we avoid being victims, people in our lives (regardless of intent) are there to remind us that there is work still to be done.
No sculpture began as a smooth, finished work of art. It evolved from a rocky canvas, filled with edges, cracks, and extra weight. Why do we expect our masterpiece to be any different?