Boom! First lifestyle post of the year! But let’s be honest, you’re already over all of these articles claiming to offer the secret recipe to attaining happiness in 2016 and all that unicorn talk. How do I know? Well, I’m tired of them myself.

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 the sooner you’ll experience one the most freeing and liberating moments of your life!

The Paper Airplane Tattoo

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 tattooed on my forearm.

Come again?

Yes, I felt I was becoming 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. In essence, you do as you please with your body and we all have different methods of keeping ourselves in check.

But listen, I am not trying to encourage you to get an inspiring phrase tattooed in the middle of your forehead. What I would like for you to do is to constantly remind yourself about this very important truth, when it comes to life you need to learn how to travel light.

To travel light? Yes, it is the meaning behind my forearm tattoo. It is the personal choice you will consciously make each and every day, which will further enable you to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Trust me on this.

How Can I Travel Light?

As you already know, 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 unhappiness.

Keep in mind, experiencing these emotions right off the bat is perfectly understandable – we’re only human. 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, attitude, stance towards life, etc.?

I assume you already know the answer to all of these questions but just in case, here’s a little reminder:

Negative emotions will rarely lead to positive outcomes.
There is NO benefit from letting negative thoughts overpower and cloud your mind.
At the end of the day when things don’t go according to plan, the moment you chose to solely focus on all the negativity derived from that situation - YOU lose.

Then, what can you possibly do in situations like this? Travel light and let it go.

Begin by letting go of anything that no longer grows you, serves you or aids you in becoming the best YOU that you could ever be.
Learn how to discern the necessary from the unnecessary and solely focus on the things that WILL add value to your life.
Surround yourself with people who will uplift and empower you to give your absolute best in any situation, no matter how complex or difficult it may be.
Lastly, focus on the only thing that you are actually able to control: Yourself and the way in which you react towards your specific circumstances.

This last point is the most important point when it comes to travelling light throughout your life.

Letting Go

When life doesn’t go your way, the only thing you can actually control and have power over is yourself and the way in which you react towards your environment. There will come a time where you will have to let go and accept you can’t change the past, you can’t get inside someone’s head and make them think exactly how you want them to think, and as far as we all know you don’t posses magical powers to change whatever happened that screwed up your plans, messed up your day or ruined your expectations.

The moment you realize this will unfold the most liberating feeling you’ll ever experience! Becoming aware of this magnificent power which you possess (and no, this is no Harry Potter b.s.) will only enable you to lead a healthier, more positive and goal oriented lifestyle all around! It will empower you to take charge and full command over your life and your attitude towards it.

My friend, YOU have the power to decide what circumstances will bring you down today. Kickstart this year by letting 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 as you planned them to be. You never know, sometimes the wrong doors needed to get closed for the right ones to open and the wrong people needed to walk away from your life for the right people to come in.

Until next time,