My home sits near Hwy 101 on a rural part of the Oregon Coast. I see huge trailers and RV’s go by every day. So it is no surprise that I would use the following metaphor:
Today I realized that for all my life I have been towing a trailer behind filled with the past, overloaded with faulty programming, jammed with false beliefs and full of trained self-doubt.
For many years I added more and more emotional and mental junk to this trailer. I needed lots of will power just to plod along through life and try to keep my head up.
Too much time was spent thinking I am not enough, good enough or deserving. My mind was trained to be a non-stop judging machine of others and myself. I found it easier to play the blame and complain game than to take responsibility for my own life.
Have you run into any of this? If so, you understand how heavy your trailer can get.
So heavy that at times I wanted to run and hide. Other times I felt so burdened that it made me angry at the world and myself.
This was not fun. I knew there had to be a better way.
The load began to lighten when I started to question my own thoughts. I discovered that many of my thoughts where false and holding me back.
I also saw how these false thoughts created ongoing feelings that too often drained me of self-confidence and blinded me from seeing the endless possibilities that all of life has to offer.
So I made a commitment to be mindful of my thoughts and feelings as a way to lighten my load. The inner work paid off.
I found more acceptance and appreciation for who I am. I also started to discover a greater sense of peace and joy.
Recently I made a decision to take a bold step - I decided to unhitch my trailer and leave it in my front yard to decompose.
Remember the last time you set down a big load you carried far too long? What a relief. Now multiply that by 1000 times and you can sense how much relief I feel.
Does this kind of freedom appeal to you? Are you ready to leave your trailer behind?
Here are six, guaranteed-to-work, ideas to permanently relieve yourself of the burdens from your past:
1. Keep your mind always focused on the now. The now is empty of the past and free to create whatever you can imagine.
2. Practice letting go of what has already been. Acknowledge memories and thoughts, and then release them. Forgive what needs to be forgiven. Finish what needs to be finished. Move on.
3. Rewrite all self-talk so the limitations of your earlier experiences are erased. Make all the inner dialogue positive, supportive and encouraging.
4. Go in search of the truth. Remove all limiting beliefs - they represent a lifetime of false programming that serves no useful purpose.
5. Lighten-up and have more fun. Put the past dramas aside. Joy is always present in the moment. Enjoy each day.
6. Take time daily to be quiet and enjoy the stillness within. Leave what has been and instead enjoy exploring the infinite potential of your heart, mind and soul.
Park the trailer. These 6 ideas will keep you busy for a while. When you’re done, the trailer will be a big pile of compost. Spread this compost on your garden of life and enjoy the full glorious expression of you.