This past weekend I returned from a wonderful spring break with my three children. On my flight home, I sat in front of a very belligerent woman who refused to follow the direction of the flight attendant. Upon take-off he asked her to remove her purse from her lap and place it under the seat in front of her (a standard regulation request).
She immediately became indignant. She told the flight attendant he was harassing her, and aggressively argued that the purse was not big enough to warrant being put on the ground. Then she added that her father and grandfather had flown all types of airplanes and she herself had been flying since she was two weeks old. (What these last two points had to with our flight was clearly nothing. I did tell her this later in the flight.)
She begrudgingly slammed her purse under the seat in front of her--then immediately returned it to her lap once the flight attendant left. The flight attendant asked again. A lot of yelling ensued. She took it off. Put it back on. The flight attendant made the same request while preparing to land. This woman had clearly been living under a rock for the last nine years--who amongst us (especially seasoned travelers like this woman) isn't aware of airline safety regulations?
Her behavior truly amazed me--she seemed to fight reality. What struck me was how much energy she invested (and therefore wasted) on being negative. She could have chosen to spend her two hour flight in a more peaceful and productive state, but instead, she took herself and all those around her down with her negative one-way diatribe.
Once the plane landed and we came to the gate, we were asked to remain seated as four police officers stormed the plane and removed her from it. At that point we learned that she was a university professor flying with four students on their way to China. She wasn't uneducated--she was a chaperone! It was not for a lack of understanding that she wouldn't listen or abide by the rules. She allowed negativity to rule.
As we exited the aircraft, I saw the lady still fighting with the now eight law enforcement that surrounded her. I wanted to say, "Lady, let it go."
Which got me thinking. How many times have we all held onto things for too long? Thoughts that hold us back. Habits that limit us. Distractions that derail us. Negative people that drain us. Fear that paralyzes us and sabotages our performance and productivity.
We spend so much time and energy on things that don't matter that we don't focus on what does matter. We fill up on negative energy and then there's not room for positive energy to flow into our lives. And then, we scratch our heads, wondering why our lives continue on the same trajectory.
This week I encourage you to let go of something that holds you back. Let go of the mental clutter that prevents you from focusing on your priorities. Let go of the negativity, blame, and battle you wage with yourself or others. When you do, you'll make room for great thoughts, exciting opportunities, endless possibilities, and an infinite supply of joy that waits to fill you up. You just have to let go of the old junk to make room for the good stuff.
Now make it work for you:
1. Identify one toxic belief or habit in your life and choose to let it go.
2. What limiting or negative story do you keep replaying in your mind that you must let go of in order to move your dream and goals forward?
3. Identify two actions that you will take (within the next 24 hours!) to prove you are no longer holding onto your old ways.
Let it go. Let it go. Let. It. Go.
Peace,
Rita
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