Putting It Down

We carry so much without realizing it. Old stories, old roles, regrets, even the wins we can't quite set down. They follow us around and gently keep us from the calmer, clearer self that's already here. In this short reflection, Cara offers four simple steps for beginning to put it down: face it, name it, commit to releasing it, and stay kind with yourself along the way. You don't have to let go of everything at once. Just name one thing, and start there.

Transcript

The way to be more authentic is to get out of your own way. I think about this a lot, You may too. The way to be more authentic. To allow that wiser self to come through. Is to get out of your own way. I'm Laura Bradley. I bring you these sparks, These questions that I'm wrestling with, These aha's that are helping me wake up. And I'm sharing them with you because you may be feeling it too. We want to feel authentic. We want to wake up. But what's holding us back? It's oftentimes the baggage that we're carrying around with us. It's the stories, The old regrets, The grudges, The judgments, All of the things that have happened in our lives, Even the successes that we can't seem to put down. And these things, They hide our true authentic selves. We carry them around with us all the time. In my last video, I talked about how our energy is always transmitting even before we talk. This is part of it. When we're carrying around a lot of baggage, Old stories, Old roles, Identities, All this stuff that is way long gone, But yet we're still carrying it around. It's keeping us stuck. It's keeping us, Our authentic selves, Hidden. And so the way to be more authentic, The way to feel more authentic, Is to start putting that stuff down, To start getting out of our own way. As a yoga teacher, I see this all the time. People come into the yoga studio and they're carrying baggage, Luggage. We all do it. We're carrying all the stuff that happened that morning or that year or in the last 10 years and we carry it and we put it right there alongside of us, Right down on our yoga mats. We carry our stress and our judgments and our regrets and all of that right into our yoga practice. In fact, I often tell students, I can see your to-do list on your back. Ain't down dog. It's crazy, But we do carry this stuff with us. So what do we do about it? Well, What I've been doing for, I gotta say, The last few years, But really in the last year, Is becoming super aware what I'm still carrying around, How I'm still in my own way, How I am stuck in the past. And once you can become aware of things. Then you can start to change things. I say it all the time. Becoming aware is step one. So we want to face it all. We want to face everything. And that's what I've been saying to myself in my journal, In my quiet time, Bring it on. I want to face it all because I know that as I start to chip away at these old things that I'm carrying around in my luggage, As I start to let that go, My true self, My authentic self, That deeper voice, That I'm so yearning to live from fully, That's gonna come through loud and clear. Number one is really to be willing to face it. Are you willing to face? Your old stuff. Are you willing to empty the baggage? So that you can step forward in your clearer, More confident, More authentic self. Number two is to start naming it. Name it out loud. And listen, We don't have to name everything, Right? There's a lot that we carry around in that baggage. But we can name one thing. We can name one thing that we just haven't put down yet. Maybe it's your ex, Maybe it's your old boss, Maybe it's an old betrayal, Or it could be an old success that you just continue to carry with you in your stories. I've had my share. Trust me, I've named a lot. Like I said, You don't need to name them all, But name one. Step three is to make a commitment to yourself. A commitment to let that go. Let that go and you can make a promise to yourself. For me, I often will write in my journal. I will no longer. Talk about. This past hurt or this past betrayal or that. Old roll that I used to wear or whatever it is, Fill in the blanks. I will no longer. And then step four is to be vigilant. Be vigilant about catching yourself. And listen, This isn't time for shaming, Or for self hatred, Right? This isn't that time for the negative self talk, Because every time you catch yourself Talking about that story again. That is really, Really good. Every time you catch yourself. And you're aware, It weakens that pattern. So number one, Be willing to face it. Number two, Name it. Name it out loud. Name it in writing. Number three, Commit to yourself. To let that go. Promise to yourself. I will no longer do this. And then number four, Just be vigilant. Stay aware. And be honest, Be kind. You're going through a process. I have done this so many times in my life. And I have to tell you, It is so worth it. I know that the way to become more authentically me to really stand right there in the center of my authenticity of my truth of my soul. Is to get out of my own way. And the way to get out of my own way is to start dropping the old stories, Letting go of the past. Letting the bygones be bygones. And that sets us free, My friend. It sets us free to hear the truth. To live in our truth. To speak from the wisdom and the guidance that's constantly flowing through us. This isn't rocket science, But it does take courage and it takes consistency. I want to live more clear, Calm, Confident. I want to live in a place that feels more me than ever before. So I am committed to this process. I hope you are as well.

Reviews

I thought I had given up an old story but it seems I have not. Your talk highlighted that it has crept back in. Get out, I say. Thank you, Cara 🙏

I get so much from listening to and reading your Sparks posts, Cara!! I have been struggling with authenticity, and now see how those old stories are preventing me from moving forward. Being aithentic occurs in the PRESENT. Thank you!