Travel Light

Baggage is heavy. Physical baggage and mental baggage. Most of us have things in the back of our minds that are nagging and eating at us. Let it go.

That may sound overly simplistic. It doesn’t have to be difficult. One saying that has helped me a lot over the years is, “Don’t believe everything you think.” This is radical and heresy to some people, but if you observe your mind the way you observe a cat playing with a ball of yarn, over time you come to the conclusion that you shouldn’t believe everything you think.

Just as in traveling, the less you carry, the easier and quicker it is to pick up and go. Keep that thought in mind as it relates to dealing with people. When you meet people, even though you may size them up intentionally or unintentionally, observe your mind checking out how they look, what they’re wearing, what they sound like and all the other evaluations that your mind is making. And then remember that these are judgements. Just observe these judgements and let them go.

People get on well with people who appreciate them and don’t judge them. The Buddha said, “Comparison is the beginning of all pain.” Well, maybe he didn’t exactly say it like that, but that’s what I got. Travel light. Reduce your load. See people like a child sees people. Choose to think the best of everyone until you’re proven wrong instead of thinking the worst of everyone and just waiting to have your suspicions confirmed. Travel light. You’ll cover a lot more ground and enjoy life so much more.