This post seemed appropriate as I board a plane to Madrid. It’s been a pretty long and emotional couple of weeks being back home with family/friends. Now it’s time to finish what I started…
People carry emotional baggage for a variety of reasons.
Losing a job, the end of a relationship, and the death of a loved one can cause a lot of anger and resentment in someone’s life. It’s probably justified in most situations because these things often happen unexpectedly. Grieving, getting used to being single again, and trying to get by on unemployment are all life-changing events.
Some people simply wind up angry at the world, for the reasons I just mentioned or because of something entirely different, but anger can make you hard and miserable.
There’s a Sheryl Crow song called “A Change Would Do You Good.” I don’t remember the rest of the lyrics off the top of my head, but a lot of people take Sheryl’s advice to heart and decide to buy a new house or rent a new apartment in a different city when things get tough in their current location. They hope that a new environment may help soften the blow of their problems.
It might … if you’re a widow or divorcee living in the home you shared with your husband for twenty years; the pain of being there just may be too much to bear. A new place that is yours and yours alone may help cushion your pain, but you’re still going to miss the person you had in your life for so long. Being somewhere new won’t change that.
The first place I ever heard the quote “Wherever you go, there you are” was in a science-fiction movie called The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. Go ahead and laugh at the movie title if you want – it’s cheesy, I know. I’m sure the words were originally spoken by someone a lot brighter than old Buckaroo, but the quote is true no matter who says it.
People carry emotional baggage for a variety of reasons, and some let it take over their life. If you’re angry and miserable in New York City, you’re probably going to be angry and miserable in the middle of Italy.
You can’t shed your anger the way you can take off a jacket or a pair of socks. I’m not suggesting you run off and book a session with a psychiatrist or counselor, but you should try to figure things out for yourself.
Emotional baggage can prevent people from succeeding in life and keep them from making new friends. Old friends might even decide to stop being your friend if you’re just too upset with yourself to be around. They may think you’re creating unnecessary drama in your life.
The point I’m trying to make here is that moving or travelling probably isn’t going to change who you are, especially if you’re unable to deal with certain problems that you’re having. Real change comes from identifying what’s on the inside and proactively taking steps to fix whatever you feel like you want to escape from.
These are just a few of my thoughts, and I’d love to hear what you have to say about this…
Take Action. Get Results.
Interesting post! I keep wanting to move abroad, and I’m wondering if it’s for the right reasons. The more I think about it though, I think it might be what I really want. It’s all about where I want to go and not where I’m coming from.. 🙂
.-= Marthe´s last blog ..Inspirational Links =-.
Yes, you definitely want to do things for the right reason. One of the things that I know is I LOVE where I live…so when I travel it’s generally not because I want to escape from a situation.
Great post!
That has always been one of my favorite quotes. And though admittedly Buckaroo Banzai may be a “B” movie it is simply the King of “B” movies, so great job pulling up that qoute and writing a solid inspirational article around it.
Since you stated you are flying away from New Jersey now, I have another Buckaroo Banzai quote for you.
“We are not in the Eighth dimension, we are over New Jersey. Hope is not lost.”
OK, Also geeky and cheesy, but what can I say…..
HaHa. Forgot about that one. I always love coming across quotes and lines that insult our state 🙂
Steve,
Yeah, it is true what you’re saying and I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the …it is what is on the inside that needs to change and it doesn’t matter where we are, who we are with, etc. we need to take care of our mental challenges.
Take care,
Branddon
.-= TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..Improving Videos: Get James on the Banana =-.
Brandon…Thanks for stopping by my site. I’m sure you’re pretty busy with the change-over from the TIP site.
Anyway, I do agree that what’s on the inside will be there no matter where you venture to in life.
Reminds me of the story of the two travellers and the gatekeeper in The Richest man in Babylon. Each asked the gatekeeper as they entered the city what the people were like there.
He asked them in return “What were they like where you came from?”
One replied “Rude, offensive and miserable.” (or something along those lines) the other “Warm, friendly and welcoming.”
To each he gave the same reply “I think you’ll find them much the same here.”
Obviously, if the world is a mirror for you, and people respond to your attitude, moving to another city and expecting your problems to magically disappear is a bit like looking in the mirror from a diferent angle and expecting to have grown a foot, lost twenty pounds and have diferent hair colour.
.-= Gail´s last blog ..Investing in Junk Coins by Keith Hamburger =-.
I remember this quote…it’s definitely one that stands out in my mind as a pretty good learning lesson. (I think I’ve almost caught up to responding to most of your comments) 🙂