Ever taken too much luggage on a trip? 

You're super excited for your upcoming vacation. You start creating that list of items to bring. You throw your suitcase on the bed and start packing away. 

What shoes to match the time of day? Sandals and flip flops for the beach. Nice shoes for dinner. And a plethora of clothes since you're heading to a hot/humid location. A couple books. Toiletries.

Then, suddenly you can't close the suitcase. So, you sit on top of the suitcase to get the zipper to close. (You know you've done this at least once in your life!) You swear you travel light and this says otherwise. You feel perplexed and confused as you think this isn't much. 

But, hey, the zipper is closed and you feel ecstatic. 

Then, you pull the suitcase off the bed and gently pull a back muscle. In perplexed fashion, with a side twisting smirk, you state out loud. Oye, this seems heavy. 

The next day, in complete exuberance to begin this fun vacation. You hit the airline check-in counter and struggle to put your suitcase up on the scale. The ticket agent already knows without even looking at the number. 

You watch as the scale number increases and increases above the threshold. The magic number of 50. How can this bag be 55 pounds? The zipper closed! Surge charge of $100 since there was no way to figure how to pull 5 pounds out. 

The flight is smooth sailing. As you approach the international airport, you're given a "Declaration Form" to indicate what you’re bringing into the country. 

Declare your items. Gifts, currency, fruits, medicine. 

Then you realize you brought in pumpkin seeds to munch on as a snack. And, another bag of mixed granola that also contained other seeds to not bring in. You let out a big sigh. Well, my bag would have been lighter without that. I wish I knew this ahead of time. 

You reach the Port of Entry and the Customs line. You grab your suitcase and pull out everything that you can't take with you. The purge of what you can't take. 

You crossed a vital threshold. 

Every time we are ready to reach a new level in life or career, we must release what we cannot carry forward. This may be beliefs, a way of being, relationships, or your workstyle. It may be as simple as a different morning routine or type of exercise. 

What will you no longer carry? What will lighten the load and not weigh you down? 

It’s time to have serious emotional honesty with yourself. 

You're heading into the next growth phase yet you can't take everything with you. 

• What will you stop justifying? 
• What will you stop escaping? 
• What hard truth has come to the surface to be dealt with and not ignored? 

When we name what is present, we can bring wisdom learned without the saga of the story. 

When we cross the threshold, only truth comes forward. We bridge reflection and renewal with emotional honesty. From here, accurate and trusted decisions are made from a place of honesty within. 

Emotional honesty is the bridge between what you have been processing and what you are ready to lead next.

© 2026. Lora Lapiz. All Rights Reserved.