Flight #727 Ready for Takeoff!
You are the Pilot of Flight #727. Everyone and everything that needs to be on that flight, is. Everything is loaded and ready to go. The control panels have been checked, double-checked. Your flight attendants are in wait and ready to assist anyone who needs it. You are now ready to depart. You look beyond the runway and know that soon you'll be taking off and soaring to your destination. Before you, stretches the path to infinite possibilities. Where are you going and what do you want to do when you get there?
"Sounds good, but I'm not a pilot," you say, "I don't even have a license to fly." Okay so maybe you're not a pilot in the sense that you're not piloting an actual aircraft. But you are a Pilot--the Pilot of your life. Think about it…you do have a vehicle; it's not an airplane, but it's YOU. You take yourself wherever you want and need to go. You have flight attendants (family & friends) around you that aid you when you need it. You have a cabin (home) loaded with bags (belongings). Some bags are important, to be safely stored for use when you arrive at your next destination. Those bags carry your loved ones, your dreams, hope, ambitions, your foundation for the future. The other bags are filled with "junk." They carry regret, anger, depression, memories of hurtful past events, despair, negative messages, etc. Those bags shouldn't even be in your cabin. They're too heavy, and weigh you down, sometimes dangerously so. They keep you from going where you need to go. These bags are no longer useful, and should not be allowed to take up space in your cabin. Why are they still there?
How many of you are weighed down by hazardous baggage? Baggage by which you, unfortunately, continue to define yourself? It's time to discard it. None of that baggage is worth keeping. You don't need it in your life. It's not You. By getting rid of it, you will have a smoother ride, less turbulence, less chance of future blowups. You can begin your new journey, to your new destination, as the You you're meant to be. Without anything crushing you down, making you doubt whether you can actually pilot your own life. You can! Keep what you need; everything that is pertinent to you. Discard the tattered remains of a past no longer relevant. You are here Now, ready to take off for destinations known and unknown. How exciting is that?
"Life, this aircraft #727 ready to begin; taxi to the active for takeoff."
"Aircraft #727, Roger, straight out. Departure."
"Thank you, Sir. Have a good day!"
And so begins your new and beautiful life. Bon voyage!
Well Street
Great article! You masterfully illustrate the reasons why it's so worthwhile to discard the old baggage and divorce our identities from the stories that keep our planes grounded.
Sanatana
Those stories we tell ourselves over and over again take on a life of their own. It's possible to change the narrative. But first, the person has to want to. They might be very attached to the story because it has become their identify. And that identify provides them some sort of comfort because it's familiar.
Slipstream
All that extra baggage wastes our time and energy and gets in the way of new opportunities. Let's not pay extra for all that useless stuff. Let's ditch it sooner than later. Great article, thanks!
Sanatana
Yes, let's start decluttering: our homes, our minds, our refrigerators, anything else of which we can think.
Evangel
Thoughtful analogy and beautifully expressed!
People don't realize it, but you can spot those who are heavily weighted down. It's sad to see because their vibrancy is gone. And yet I've known a few who have made it their mission to let it all go, and the results were stunning. Not only did they look younger and lighter, they radiated a new found joy.
Sanatana
Exactly! Many people carry around emotional clutter. It lessens their energy and the glow that could be theirs is not existent!