690: What Are You Still Carrying?

Dec 5, 2019

What are you carrying with you each day, refusing to put down? An argument last week, a mistake from earlier in the year, a belief from childhood… what do you carry with you? Even if it seems small, if you choose to carry it over time it can create great strain.

In today’s episode, I talk about carrying and holding onto things we don’t have to. I share a story that shows this in action, and the greater impact it can have on you. I also share some of the biggest takeaways from our recent Ascend Workshop, and the effect it’s had on me and those who attended.

I’ve written an article that dives deeper into what we carry with us, so whether you choose to read, listen or both… think about what you’re carrying and question if you can put it down for a while.

IN TODAY’S SHOW YOU WILL LEARN:

  1. About what happened at this year’s Ascend Workshop, and some of the core topics we discussed.
  2. An overview of how the 2 Day event is run, and what you can expect when you attend (and how the impact you get differs from the podcast).
  3. The difference between reprogramming and deprogramming, and how unless you commit to both, making a change will always be a struggle.
  4. How we’re defined as people by our thoughts, but how most of our thoughts are on repeat each day.
  5. How carrying seemingly small thoughts, feelings and memories can weigh us down over time, and how we often carry these things for years (or a lifetime)
  6. That putting down what you carry is okay, and that you can always choose to pick it back up whenever you like.
  7. The role your ego plays in all this, and how it defines your comfort zone.
  8. How you can be part of 2020’s first 12 Weeks to Transformation so you can be part of future Ascend Events.

TODAY’S RESOURCES:

I held a bottle of water above my head and asked, “how many people think this is heavy?”

Nobody raised their hand.

I stood before a group of people I trusted, as part of our annual Ascend Workshop. Everyone there has been part of at least one cycle of the 12 Weeks to Transformation. During this in-person two day event, we go deep. I work with everyone one-on-one, and everyone gets to work with other people as driven and focussed on growth as they are.

So the fact I stood in front of them with a small bottle of water above my head may have seemed strange.

What if I held it like this for an hour?” I asked.

A few people raised their hands. The weight of the water bottle remains the same, yet the idea of holding it above your head for an hour suddenly seems tough.

Well, what if you held it above your head for the entire day? or the full weekend? or a week? a month? a year? a lifetime?

It would be hard.
You’d cause injury.
It would become a massive burden… right?

The Weight Doesn’t Change, But The Impact It Has On You Changes With The Time.

The point of this exercise is to demonstrate how the size or weight of something isn’t important, but rather how long you hold onto it that is.

As time goes on, the burden becomes greater.
The energy it takes to carry it over time grows.
The thought/feeling/conversation/worry remains the same.

Yet its impact on you grows and grows and grows.

A water bottle isn’t heavy until you try and hold it above your head for hours, days or weeks.

Well, replace the bottle of water with:

  • That argument you had earlier today…
  • The email you didn’t like last week…
  • The mistake you made last year…
  • That belief you formed when you were a child…

It drains you. The longer you keep hold of it, the more energy it requires.
The burden doesn’t come from the weight, but rather how long you carry it.

This is Why CHANGE is Often So Hard!

Research shows that we have between 60,000 and 70,000 thoughts per day. That’s a lot, but what’s insane is that 90-95% of these thoughts are the same each day.

Every day, we live life on repeat.
The same thoughts, feelings and habits.
The same reactions to the same situations.

It leads us to do the same things day-in-day-out. 95% of who we are is a memorized set of feelings, actions and reactions. We can change, and we can grow… but we’re always in battle with what we know and have always done.

This makes change hard.
And what makes it harder is when you carry all that extra baggage with you.

It’s often easy to identify what we want to change in our life:

  • Lose weight
  • Save money
  • Escape debt
  • Feel healthier
  • Have a stronger relationship…

You create a plan and commit to it, but if you continue to carry those old arguments, beliefs, failures and insecurities… what chance do you have of real change?

Change isn’t defined by what you do, but rather the thoughts you have.
Change these thoughts and create a new narrative… you can win.

Cling to what you’ve always known and done… well, it remains hard.

What Can You Put Down Today?

Can you put that bottle of water down? Can you place it on the floor and give your arm a rest?

You can pick it up again whenever you like. Just because you sit it down doesn’t mean you can’t grab it when you need it. Placing it down for a while doesn’t make it unimportant. It doesn’t mean you have to throw it away or let go of it forever.

It’s there, waiting for you… whenever you need it again.

What else can you put down?

  • What are you carrying from earlier today?
  • What are you carrying from yesterday?
  • What are you carrying from last week?
  • What are you carrying from last year?
  • What are you carrying from deep in your past?

It may have seemed small at the time. Maybe it still feels small. Yet the longer you carry it, the bigger its impact on you. It also means you have less energy to focus on the change you desire.

You need to set it down.
You can pick it up again later.
But you don’t have to carry it with you all the time.

It’s a choice, and it’s one that can set you free.

Thanks for reading today. Please listen to the podcast episode in full to get a complete picture of how this exercise played out at this year’s Ascend Workshop.

I also breakdown how this 2 Day Event works and what you get when you attend.
It’s something that has a profound impact on me each year.
It also brings great change to those who attend.

I’m already excited about our 2020 Ascend event, but you can only attend if you go through at least one cycle of the 12 Weeks to Transformation. The wait list is now open, so get on it and learn the details ahead of our first cycle in 2020.

Those on the wait list also get access to some unique bonuses, so Join the Wait List Here ⇒ 

Thanks again for listening and reading. If you have any questions please add them in the comments below. And to subscribe to the podcast and connect with me on social media, follow the links below.

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