The baggage we bring into business

Let's talk about baggage. Of the real and metaphorical variety. The stuff we travel with and the stuff we carry with us.

My recent trip to Latvia got me thinking about it in a new way.

I'm naturally stubborn, and love a good deal. Paying for extra luggage is not my style. So I excepted a new challenge: traveling with 8kg (~17 pounds) or less, including personal item.

I've always been a "light" packer, often known to travel with the same carry on sized back to the US for 2-3 weeks. That doesn't mean I'm not a dense packer and make every inch count.

The thing about packing light is that it takes a lot more effort than bringing whatever you want. You have to be far more intentional and selective about what you really need. Throw in a wedding and wet weather, and shoe choices change, and it all adds up. As someone without a scale you just have to trust you're under the limit. (And have a coat with pockets to pack with your charger cord and extra phone battery, you know the heaviest things. There is strategy happening here!)

This new super light weight limit became a game for me, while also being yet another thing to get in my head about in terms about how the airline would react, and how strict would they really be. (I fly low cost carriers a lot, so I’ve seen it all.)

Do you know how much baggage I carry with me about baggage? A lot. It comes from past experiences, but projected ones too. I realized I carry this into my business too.

Rewind to a few weeks ago, when I was listening to Sas Pethericks's podcast “Courage & Spice” which led me to sign up for her new program, "The Sovereign Mind.” It only took a week to blow my mind. So many of the beliefs we hold are actually what's holding back. Our outcomes and behavior feed the toxic beliefs we hold. 💥

Sas has given us tools to break down these beliefs, bust them open, and look at them in a way that serves us. And no this is not all woo, woo. It’s rooted in psychology and behavior. Beliefs and mindset can be reframed, but first it takes time to dig down and see what actually needs a shift. Through the whole process I’ve been seeing parallels in completely unexpected places in my life and business. Getting to the bottom of it is liberating.

Like my luggage, I feel so much lighter by being forced to look at things through a different lens. Being self-aware sounds scary, and as Sas warned us, parts of our belief busting may not feel so good when we’re in it. But before long we see how some of these beliefs we carry with us are hindrances, not helpful. In going through the program with others, I can see the lightness in people once they have their own “ah ha!” moments. It doesn’t even always take that long to get to that point, but it does help to not be alone.

Which takes me back to my travels. I was traveling with a friend so we could keep each other in check and strategize together about what to bring. As someone who typically travels alone, this time I didn’t and it was oh so fun.

I even decided to bring my computer, knowing I had a couple looming deadlines, but that was also precious weight. But because every pound counted, I also was incredibly productive in the time I did have. I’ve never had such productive flights. Even for a couple hours each way, a new mindset shift changed how I typically use that time.

And if you're curious, no, they never even checked the weight of my bag. I definitely was over weight on the return trip. All that space I allowed myself got filled with something new, awesome, and needed instead. Sometimes it helps to shake up our routine to see what we’re fully capable of.

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