March 21

We tend to carry weight that we shouldn’t. The extra weight that we carry around affects our ability to focus and our desire to do our work, and more than that, it affects our ability to connect dots and seek possibility in our work because we are so weighed down with contingency and anxiety that we simply can’t see past it.

Extra baggage is almost always driven by anxiety over the unknown. We plan contingency upon contingency in our minds because we don’t know what we don’t know.

For example, that upcoming project that you’re worried about. The anxiety that you feel about work on the horizon does not serve you. It hinders you. You cannot plan for things you can’t control, and you can’t do anything about work that might end up on your plate.

Is there any way in which potential, as yet undefined work is causing you anxiety? Is this extra weight that you’re carrying around?

If so, I suggest that you (a) consider what conversations you need to have to answer your questions and give you a bit of clarity so that you aren’t dealing with ambiguity, and (b) give yourself clarity around the timing of the projects and consider how you’ll deal with them when they come. Then, forget about them until that time comes.

Be mindful about carrying excess baggage that weighs you down.

What excess baggage are you carrying right now?