She walked into the retreat with all of her baggage. More than could fit in her physical suitcases.
All of her “stuff” packed tightly in her mind. Heavy, yet comforting. As she stepped through the door, the weight of her life walked in with her.
Her defenses were up, protecting her as they always have.
Her chin tipped up a little, knowing this experience wasn’t going to be any different than the others before.
She knew she would stay safe if she didn’t let anyone see the truth of what was happening behind the scenes.
Her baggage had always kept her safe… because it kept everyone at a distance.
Over the next four days, she began to unpack her bags.
She began to show more of herself. Little by little, the comforting distance became shorter.
Moment by moment, she captured little glimpses into the old stories running behind the scenes.
She began to clean up the chaos in her mind, releasing what wasn’t serving her anymore. Noticing and shifting.
By the time she packed her physical suitcases for her journey home, she had released enough to realize that she would go home lighter, less panicked, and more supported than ever before. Her life would never be the same again.
You may think this story is about you.
Or one of my Brilliant Rebels.
It may even be my own story.
All three can be true.
Regardless of who I am writing about, do you see yourself in it?
Do you see how heavy your own baggage is?
How high your defenses are?
How comfortable it is to sit in the darkness by yourself instead of walking into the light, even if everyone gets to see your mistakes, your downfalls, and your trauma?
“We waste so much energy trying to cover up who we are, when beneath every attitude is the want to be loved, and beneath every anger is a wound to be healed, and beneath every sadness is the fear that there will not be enough time.
– Mark Nepo, May 12 in The Book of Awakening
When we hesitate in being direct, we unknowingly slip something on, some added layer of protection that keeps us from feeling the world, and often that thin covering is the beginning of a loneliness which, if not put down, diminishes our changes for joy.
It’s like wearing gloves every time we touch something and then, forgetting we chose to put them on we complain that nothing feels quite real. In this way, our challenge each day is not to get dressed to face the world, but to unglove ourselves so that the doorknob feels cold, and the car handle feels wet, and the kiss goodbye feels like the lips of another being, soft and unrepeatable.”
All those suitcases of beliefs, old stories, and regretful decisions tend to get heavier and heavier the more we pack them into the mental suitcases of our choosing.
It’s comfortable to keep a distance from others because then no one will really know what a failure you are, what a mess your life is, and how horrible you feel every day as you go to work and wish things were different.
When I started the Brilliant Rebels Experience, I knew it wasn’t just about helping someone find their purpose and step into a new job, career, or business.
I knew it was about them becoming the person who can create the life of their dreams.
And I had to unpack all of my own suitcases before I could support others in doing it for themselves.
So many of us are going to a job that doesn’t light us up.
It may pay for our health insurance, give us stability of income, or make us feel important.
Even if that job was something we built for ourselves, it may have lost its luster because it’s not asking us to become who we really are.
It’s not demanding that we look at our old stories, beliefs, and decisions. It’s keeping us safe with all of our baggage. As they say, what got you here won’t get you there.
What would it look like if you decided to leave your suitcases behind and step into the life you’ve always dreamed of?
Doing the meaningful work that lights you up?
Becoming the person you know you were made to become?
You were made for more.
Not more baggage.
Not more stuff.
More impact.
More purpose.
More you.
That said, if you believe The Brilliant Rebels Experience could support you on your next step, check out thebrilliantrebellion.com and let’s talk through where you are and see if it’s time.
