I took a short vacation last week. As my friend and I were loading the car to return home, I said: “The part of vacation I don’t care for is the packing, unpacking and resettling.” And she, another life coach, looked at me and repeated:
Pack — Unpack — Resettle
Isn’t that what many of us do on this life journey? We pack in experiences and information. Then, at some point we step back, pause and unpack it. We try to make sense of it all by comparing these new bits to the existing bits in our brains and memory banks. We move some old thoughts aside, revise others, let go of what no longer fits. Ah… Then we settle in to this new understanding of life and await the next surge of input.
As I write, I am aware that the input stream is non-stop today, coming at us faster and faster, from more and more directions. No longer just people, books, radio, the environment, TV, we now have the Internet, email, texting, Twitter, Facebook and an endless array of apps to bombard us 24/7 if we allow it.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed, confused, lost in all the packing? Are your mental and emotional suitcases stuffed? Did the zipper break long ago? Are you losing vital bits before stopping to unpack and resettle?
Do you know you have a choice?
Today, consider pressing pause. Turn off the incoming data streams. Breathe. Go for a walk. Take out a piece of paper and watch your thoughts flow as you let the pen record what you hear. Write until there is nothing left. Empty the suitcases in your mind and heart.
Then, from empty and clear, consciously choose what to keep, revise, discard.
Resettle.
Finally, know you are at choice:
What input streams serve you?
How much of each?
Which will you release?