You can't have it all.....

Yep. I read a few paragraphs today in a leadership book that made that statement as its heading. You can't have it all. Well, why not? If I can get it, achieve it, want it, desire it, have it...... it's mine, right? But.... do you/I really NEED it....

I'm a pack rat. I admit it. I inherited that trait from my mother. I'm not near as bad as my mother, but still, I do tend to hang on to things that I need to let go of. I still have boxes in my closet that when I cleaned out a desk years ago I didn't have time to go through everything....so all that 'stuff' is still in the box. Occasionally I open the box... flip through it.... may take out a paper or item or two.... then put the lid back on it - and back in the closet it goes.

I have gotten better over the years.... and if I ever had several days alone where I could work without interruption, I know that I could get rid of a lot of "stuff". As I hear someone say "I would like to have "... and I have it.... and am willing to let it go.... I give to them. Unfortunately, we haven't had anyone say anything for awhile so I need to start taking to Savers or someplace.

But to take it a bit further.... how many of us have 'things' in our lives that we tend to hang on to and not let go of? Things like anger, hurt, frustration, laziness, anxiety..... then to the other extreme.... pushiness, arrogance, attitude.... I think even in the few things I've mentioned, we can find some form of a word in our lives. So the question then becomes.... is that 'word' something we want to be known by.... is that 'word' a word that we are proud to own....

I don't like being a packrat. I've said numerous times how the clutter in my house drives me crazy sometimes... but when I try to eliminate it, I sometimes get resistance so quit. Or I need to hang on to something and there is no other place to put it. I've often said that if I had a month to myself, the first week I'd 'play' - then I would start elminating things and cleaning house. Would that really happen? I don't know, but you have to admit, it does sound good.

The story in the book is about a mountain climber. The guide told him that he could only take the bare necessities with him to make the climb. The mountain climber felt he could take anything he wanted - so the next morning showed up with a blanket, several cameras with different lenses, a bottle of wine, cheese, chocolate bars... and he was so confident he could make it to the top with all that "stuff" that he took off ahead of everyone on the climb.

It didn't take long before the rest of the group began to see things discarded along the trail. A blanket. A camera here and there. A bottle of wine. Pieces of cheese. Chocolate bars. And when the rest of the group got to the top of the mountain, they found the mountain climber with the bare necessities standing at the top. He learned that to get to the top, he had to let go of 'things' that were not needed.

What about you? Are you carrying baggage with you in your backpack that you can discard?

Blessings!