It’s in the Bag

I am a Butler Bag fan!  I just got mine the other week and am loving it.

And I love when everyday things come with important lessons.

First off, though, let’s talk about this awesome bag!  With it’s seven compartments, I’m able to store and (most importantly) retrieve all my necessities when I’m on the go.  There’s a spot for my keys, my pens and little notebook that I carry around with me for when inspiration strikes, my business cards, my phone, my camera, a book and my water bottle.  My odd-size brochures even fit perfectly in the side pocket!

I discovered that despite having a great organizing tool, if I still carry too much crap with me, I won’t be able to find what I’m looking for.  What a wonderful metaphor for life.  I went to a workshop last weekend and loaded my bag with lots of additional goodies.  I was overwhelmed by all my stuff and found myself doing the old diggin’ in the purse thing again literally and figuratively.

In the workshop, I found myself getting antsy, feeling like I had more to-do’s to take care of but couldn’t while I was there.  I had piled on just one too many things on my already full life.  I thought about the Yamas and Niyamas.  I thought about saucha (cleanliness) and staya (truthfulness).  I thought about the Four-Fold Way (which we just covered in the class):

  1. Show up
  2. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning
  3. Tell your truth without blame or judgment
  4. Be open to the outcome

So, to honor having order and purity in my life and to practice speaking my truth, I made the difficult choice to not continue with this class.  I was almost going to just not go the second day, and then I was reminded of the first step in the Four-Fold Way.  Show up.  Once there, I let the other steps guide me.  I noticed what had heart and meaning for me – the delight in knowing that I’m on my way with developing my creative products, meaningful connections with like-minded people and the plethora of opportunities that seem possible on a beautiful, clear day.  The hardest step for me was to speak my truth and to do so without blame or judgment.  And yet, by simply naming where I was at, I was met with understanding and total support.  What a relief to know that by staying true to myself, I was still able to maintain valuable relationships and take away valuable learning.  I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome!

My big lessons in this are to honor what is true to me, to focus on those key things and to be willing to eliminate distractions.

What can you do to lighten your load?  And how can you practice the Four-Fold way in your life right now?

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