There was a phrase used when I was a child to describe a physical ailment that many people experienced from time to time. It was called “The Grip.”

The grip was just another name for the flu.

Even older than the grip is the penchant to hold on to all the baggage that we’ve accumulated along the way. That’s what I refer to as the modern day grip.

It seems to me that the natural process is to let some of our past burdens go with each decade we live.

That’s not the case with a number of people I encounter seemingly gripped by their past.

If you’re carrying much of your baggage into succeeding decades, you’re a victim of the grip – a self imposed condition.

The soliloquy from these folks is long and detailed but it can be boiled down to one justification: “That’s why I am the way that I am.”

They define themselves by their baggage. Side note: Don’t you find it oddly amusing that handles on luggage are called grips?

Would you define yourself by footprints you left on a carpet? They are no more you than is the luggage you’re lugging around.

We define and justify our current mindset and behavior by our current collection of luggage.

What justification do you need to let go of in order to leave excess baggage behind? It’s a question worth pursuing and acting upon.

What you’ll discover is that you’re less gripped by the heaviness that you’ve carried about and lighter in your approach to life.

Your bout with the grip can be over if you choose, just stop justifying the luggage that you once used.

All the best,

John