Let’s be honest, you’re done and over with those articles claiming to offer the ultimate secret to attaining absolute happiness and all that unicorn talk. Well, I’m tired of them too.
Truthfully, there is no secret recipe, no magic potion, and no over the counter remedy when it comes to this. There is only YOU and the sooner you come to terms with this reality, the sooner you’ll free and liberate yourself from false hopes and expectations.
To Travel Light
A little over a year ago I was in the middle of a business trip in Seattle when I decided I wanted to get a small paper airplane tattoo on my forearm.
Come again?
Well, I felt I'd become way too concerned with petty and trivial situations, which added absolutely no value to my life, and I needed some sort of reminder to stop doing so; I wanted to be able to look at something which would make me think, "Stop wasting your time worrying about silly things which don't really serve you."
In essence, you do as you please with your body and we all have different methods of keeping ourselves in check—I guess tattoos have been my way of doing so.
But listen, I'm not here to encourage you to get an inspiring phrase tattooed on your forehead. What I'd like for you to do is to find a way to remind yourself about this very important truth, when it comes to life you need to learn how to travel light and let go of things which aren't in your control.
What now?
Travelling light is the whole meaning behind my forearm tattoo. It's the active choice you make each day to go through life without any extra baggage, which will further enable you to live a happier and more fulfilling (mainly because of the simple act of letting go.)
How To Travel Light?
Life doesn’t always go as planned. When situations take unexpected, and often unwanted turns, our initial reaction might be to tread along the waters of fear, anger, frustration, and insecurity.
Keep in mind, experiencing these emotions right off the bat is perfectly understandable. But after acknowledging your initial reaction, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Are these feelings leading you to a productive outcome?
- Are you benefiting from these emotions in any way?
- Are you solving anything by letting these negative thoughts take control of your mood or your thoughts?
I assume you already know the answer to these but just in case, here’s a little refresher:
- Harnessing negative thoughts and emotions will rarely lead to positive outcomes.
- There is NO benefit from letting negativity overpower and cloud your mind.
- At the end of the day, when things don’t go according to plans, the moment you chose to solely focus on the negative aspects derived from this particular situation YOU lose.
So how do you break the cycle? You you let go.
- Begin by letting go of anything that no longer grows you, serves you, or aids you in becoming the best YOU, you could ever be.
- Learn how to discern the necessary from the unnecessary, and focus on those things which will add value to your life.
- Surround yourself with people who will uplift and empower you to give your absolute best; grow your tribe of supportive and likeminded individuals.
- Focus on the aspects you're able to control: Yourself and the way in which you react towards your circumstances.
Letting Go
When life doesn’t according to plans, the only thing you have absolute power and control over is yourself and how you react towards your environment. Letting go comes with accepting you can’t change your past and there's not a lot you can do about what happens (or doesn't happen) in the future.
Understanding this will free you from the disappointments that come with unrealistic hopes and expectations. It will further enable you to lead a healthier, more grounded, and non-toxic life.
My friend, YOU have the power to decide what circumstances will bring you down today. Let go of anything which you can’t control and learn to accept things as they come into your life—even if they’re not exactly how you planned them to be. You never know, sometimes the wrong doors need to close for the right ones to open, and the wrong people need to walk away from your life for the right ones to come in.
xoxo,
Adrianna Naomi