The Traveler and Her Bag(s)

 

I’m waiting for the train to Venice when I see her. Her tee shirt is damp with the sweat of exertion. Tendrils of curly read hair are stuck to her neck, caught under the straps of a heavy backpack. She struggles to balance its precarious weight while pulling an equally heavy suitcase up the last leg of a long flight of stairs. It’s a size better suited for cruise ships and personal porters than for traipsing around on her own.

“How did someone that petite even get it up that long flight of stairs?” I wonder.

My impulse is to help her. I resist it. The last time I offered to help a young traveler with a heavy suitcase, she was offended that someone “old” thought she needed help. Young Americans in Italy do so love their independence. I decide to leave her to her own devices.

I’m guessing she’s on her first grand Italian tour, a present for college graduation. An experienced traveler would never submit to schlepping a suitcase that large around Europe. Especially in Italy. Its Renaissance stairs, cobblestone streets, and hills can challenge even the most hearty traveler.

I hear her grunt of frustration as she leans into the job of pulling it over to the wall, out of the parade of travelers rushing by. The wheels are cockeyed, making it weave like a drunken sailor panting after a pretty girl, but she manages.

“Kudos to her,” I think.

The thump her backpack makes as she hoists it off her shoulders and drops it to the ground next to her suitcase make my shoulders wince from afar.  And I’m pretty strong.

My impulse to lend a hand is stronger now. Okay, enough. Ask her if you can help in any way.

I walk over thinking, “How can she possibly enjoy the excitement of new adventure, if she has to expend so much energy schlepping all that stuff?”

You can’t. She obviously isn’t.

By the time I get to her, her suitcase is unzipped and she’s busy rifling through it. A plethora of colored silk and cotton are all jumbled together. She’s digging deep, looking for something important.

“Can I help you in any way?” I ask.

She blinks away a few tears, swallows, and looks up at me with forlorn eyes.

It turns out, she’s about halfway through her month-long trip, and has been on her own for ten days. Her Grand Italian Adventure had started with some friends, but they’d abandoned her on the fourth day.

“Why? What happened?”

“They got tired of this.”  She gulps down a sob, and punches the offending suitcase.  “They said I was holding them back from seeing Italy on the fly.”

I don’t say they were right, even if they were. Point in case, her luggage is keeping her from using her one hour layover in Vicenza to take a quick stroll through town to see Teatro Olimpico, one of Palladio’s architectural jewels in Northern Italy. Instead, she’s stuck in the train station babysitting her belongings.

“Have you thought about lightening your load, and shipping some of your stuff back home?” I ask.

“I can’t,” she says. “What if I need something that I shipped back?”

“How much have you used in your suitcase so far?”

“Not much,” she admits with a rueful shrug. “It’s hard to know where everything is.”

“Well, if you think you’d like to travel lighter, there’s a place right down the street that’ll ship it for you.” I look up at the clock above her. “I have time to take you there, if you want.”

“No, that’s okay.” She sticks her chin out in resolute determination. “I’m not gonna admit defeat.”

“Why would traveling lighter be defeat?” I ask.

“Because I don’t want to hear my parents to say, ‘I told you so.’”

LIMITING BELIEFS AND FEARS THAT COULD BE HOLDING YOU BACK:

(See if you recognize yourself—or the voice of your Inner Critic— in any of these.)

• I have to be right, because if I’m wrong, then I’m a loser.
• I’m not worthy of real prosperity.
• I’m not really lovable unless… (each person has their own reasoning on this one).
• No one really loves me. I feel so alone.
• Why would somebody buy what I have to sell?
• Nobody else is doing it.
• Too many people are already doing it, so there won’t be room for me.
• Change is dangerous.
• Dreams don’t pay the rent.  I have to stay on the “practical road” that my family, teachers, and/or friends taught me.
• Circumstances won’t let me live my dream(s).
• If I only find someone to love (and they love me back), everything will be perfect.
• Change is too difficult.
• I don’t know what I want.
• Fear of breaking from your tribe.
• I’m not good enough to…
• I’m too much and have to hold back.
• You have to fight for what you want. It can’t come easy.
• You have to be “fully prepared” before you can start.
• I’ll be alone if I follow my heart and/or spiritual awakening.
• People will laugh at me, or mock me, if I stand up and speak my Truth.
• Instead of creating my own activity, it’ll be easier to steal it from someone else.
• I could be hurt if I take steps into the unknown. (The subconscious belief is “I could die if I step into the unknown.”)
• It’s better to be safe than sorry.
• I can’t change! Otherwise, who will I be?
• I have to be beautiful/handsome/rich to be lovable.
• The situation I’m in isn’t that bad. Things could be worse.
• If I’m successful, then I won’t have time for myself.
• You have to work hard for money.
• A job isn’t supposed to be pleasurable (or satisfying).
• Working in a traditional environment means I can’t be spiritual.
• When bad things happen, it’s the Universe (or God) that’s punishing me.
• Failure is not an option.

5 Step Action Plan

(Because knowledge without action is a Mind Game at best.)

READY TO LIGHTEN THE LOAD OF YOUR LIMITING BELIEF?

 

1. Decide which limiting belief or fear you want to let go of. Choose just one that you’re tired of dealing with.

2. Do the Basic Activation of Divine Light Vibrations guided meditation V2.0. (If you already signed up for it and haven’t yet downloaded it, you’ll find it in your member’s area of Waymakers Academy. Otherwise CLICK HERE to access it for immediate download.)

3. Release it to Divine Light Vibrations. Ask for it to be transformed into emotional freedom and illumination.

4. Ask your Divine Soul to show you what emotional freedom would look like. Pay attention to the little things, because little changes bring you straight to the big rewards.

5. Keep a daily list of your new conscious choices until it becomes habit. The bonus PDF “GET WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU CAN” will help you stay on track.

**Note: The Basic Activation of Divine Light Vibrations guided meditation v.2.0 also comes with a mini-course on how to get the most of out it. It’ll walk you through step-by-step in greater detail.

 

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Suggested reading:

1. Book: “How to Make the Most of Your Earth Experience (14 Principles for Living Unconditional Love)” This is a jewel of a guidebook that you’ll refer to time and again. Examples and action steps included.
2. Article: “How to Let Go of Limiting Beliefs (And the Biggest Thing You Lose).” This is a good article if your Inner Critic and/or ego-intellect is afraid of change.

 

IMPORTANT: If you’re ready to reawaken to your Divine Soul Knowing, then the online course “Meet the Infinite You—8 Step Master Roadmap to Personal Freedom” can help you. The videos and personal workbook pose all the right questions for you to recognize the root cause(s) of the limiting beliefs that hold you back.

What limiting belief is holding you back?

Write your questions or thoughts in the comments below.