Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 558 of the wildly successful lifestyle podcast. I hope life is going well for you and you’re having at least a little fun every day, remember you’re in control of the fun and the happiness department of your own life so if you’re not having fun and you’re not finding happiness, there’s one person to blame and that’s you and for me it’s me. Since I talked about that in the last few episodes, I’ve been really noticing when I am trying to blame someone else for my mood, usually it falls on Eric, my husband, but I noticed once I take full responsibility for my own happiness and fun my relationship with him even feels better, taking full responsibility for your own self not only empowers you it also improves the relationship you have with the people close to you, which is a huge bonus I didn’t expect. It makes life so much better which is why I do this podcast twice every week, it’s to make our life better so be sure to tune in and subscribe because we are making things better one better thought at a time and I love that, I hope you do too. Ok
During one of my yoga classes this last week, my yoga instructor said that often we come to class carrying this invisible backpack that’s weighed down with all the things we have to do later and maybe conversations or thoughts we had that are bothering us, that invisible backpack that most of us carry around weighs on us and so she asked us all to mentally set that backpack down so that we could practice without that weight. I actually imagined myself leaving mine outside the yoga door. It was very freeing. She added that there was no need to stress, you could pick it right back up once class was done. Offering that option gave us even more incentive to leave the backpack just for now. It actually worked. I let it all go for that one hour class and it felt so freeing.
When I was thinking about it later like what I was carrying around and why. I n noticed that some of the things that were weighing on me were things easily fixed.
Small things that were easily fixed but that I kept ignoring so they were piling up and felt much heavier combined. But that idea of mentally carrying them in a backpack helped me compartmentalize each one as its own thing. A few of them made no sense for me to even be carrying around.
Why do we do that? Why do we let these things weigh us down instead of just handling them? It’s not laziness—it’s often fear, perfectionism, or just feeling overwhelmed. as I considered the things that were weighing on me, I realized I could easily fix a couple things with a simple text. For example.
This last week, I had a contractor send me a list of decisions I needed to make with my client. For some reason, I avoided opening the list and in fact didn’t respond at all. It kept weighing on me that I needed to look at it and respond. Literally semi subconsciously I would have it in the back of my mind. Then this morning I was meditating and the thought popped up that said just respond and ask for deadlines so you can take that thought off your plate. The awareness that it’s been bothering me showed up during meditation. And that same awareness told me to just respond and ask when decisions need to be made so that I could schedule it out. As soon as I finished meditation I sent the contractor a text and pretty much instantly felt better.
I also analyzed why I avoided it in the first place. There were a couple things about the project that were uncertain and it’s hard to make concrete decisions when that’s the case so rather than address it I avoided it. Which weighed on me even more because now I was making myself the problem by not responding. Let’s not do that!!! There’s usually a reason you’re avoiding a call, a conversation, a task but avoiding it doesn’t make it better, it makes it worse! Often, we avoid tasks because they feel overwhelming or we’re scared of making the wrong choice. Psychologists call this ‘avoidance coping’—we dodge discomfort to feel better in the moment, but it ends up stressing us out more.
Here’s the thing. You don’t need to tackle the whole task—just take one small step. For me, that moment came after meditation when a thought popped up: ‘Just respond and ask for deadlines.’ So simple, right? I sent a quick text to the contractor, saying, ‘Hey, I got your list—when do you need these decisions by?’ That was it. The second I hit send, I felt lighter, like I’d lightened the load of my backpack. Research backs this up: studies show that taking even a small action, like writing one sentence of an email, releases dopamine and makes the task feel less daunting. So, you can pick one tiny step—send a text, open the email, write one sentence—and see how that one little thing builds momentum!
Once I sent a text to get deadlines, and could put it on my calendar it took the stress off because now I have a plan, I’ve scheduled it on my calendar so I can release it from my mind.
All of this matters because Every time you avoid something, it’s like adding a pebble to that backpack you’re carrying. But every time you take action, you lighten the load. Taking small actions to address those nagging tasks, doesn’t just clear your to-do list—it boosts your confidence, your energy, and your peace of mind. That’s what living a wildly successful life is about: not letting the little things steal your joy. When I sent that text to the contractor, I wasn’t just checking a box—I was choosing to show up for myself. And you can do that too, one small step at a time.
My challenge to you this week is this. Pick one task or conversation you’ve been avoiding—it could be an email, a phone call, or even a tough talk with a friend. Take one small action toward it. Maybe it’s writing the first line of that email or texting to set up a time to talk. Then, schedule the next step in your calendar. Do this for just one thing this week that’s been weighing on you, and notice how it feels to let go, you may not set the whole backpack down, but you’ve definitely lightened the load. Share this with 3 people who could use a little break! I love you guys, I’ll talk to you in a few days!
