Let go and become present.
Humans are very good at holding onto things.
Some of us carry with us items that we were given as a baby and keep these things in mint condition all of our lives.
Moving these items from home to home and attaching memory to these things,
Putting special meaning to them.
Let yourself become very relaxed in your bed as you listen to this bedtime story that teaches you an important lesson.
Make sure you will not be disturbed for the duration of this chapter so that you can be fully present with the words.
Feeling calm in your body as it slows down for the evening so that you have a restful night's sleep.
A baby blanket from your child's birth 40 years ago is nothing but fabric and dye,
Stitched together to create a soft cover for a young baby.
Now this blanket can only cover her son's lap and he never uses it anyways.
So why do we hold onto things so dearly?
It's because we place meaning on these items and attach memories to them.
The baby blanket reminds this aging mother of some of the happiest moments in her life.
What is this happiness that she gets from holding the little blanket,
A true emotion?
Or is it something that is hollow and void of any true substance?
The emotions that rise from memory are fleeting at best.
They are only a shadow of a feeling that once crossed your life experience.
Nostalgia can feel very strong,
Filling us with a rich and loving experience.
But you will find that the feelings attached to old items only flash memories into your consciousness and perhaps you cannot laugh as loudly as you once did when you first collected this item.
So let's imagine now that you have collected everything you own in one big room.
You can use a warehouse in your imagination if you have a lot of things.
Let's just focus on items that are smaller than houses.
Create with the power of your mind and imagine everything you have collected and carried from your family through the years is piled up haphazardly in a large empty space.
The floors are cement and cold and seem to stretch endlessly into the distance,
Vividly seeing things sticking out from the pile that you are familiar with.
You see your cars and bicycles all covered with clothing items or furniture stacked high on top of one another.
You can't see the center of this pile but you know what's in the very middle is very familiar to you.
Really notice how big this mound of materials is.
How high does it go?
How big around is the pile?
Perhaps you only have a few things that don't stack above your height or you could have a pile that you have to look up to in order to see the top and it is bigger around than a house.
See everything in this pile including soaps and cleaning supplies you use.
See artwork you love but see it piled in a messy way as if someone created this stack of your stuff without a care in the world.
Whoever made this pile doesn't put the value on these things that you do.
Now imagine at the very center of this mound there is something that you need to let go of so start digging into this pile and moving aside all of your things.
See yourself moving furniture and clothes and all of your personal belongings aside.
It takes a lot of effort to move all this stuff you have collected and you are doing this all alone.
Things become heavier as you move them but you are determined to get to the center.
You are determined to find out what it is you have covered up with so many other things making it so difficult to get to.
You are tossing aside things of yours that you thought you loved as if they are nothing but trash because you are so exhausted to get to the first item that you've placed in this huge pile and covered up with everything else.
Finally,
There it is.
This item at the very center of the giant pile has been dragging you down emotionally and holding you back from your personal achievement.
What is it?
Notice what memories do you have attached to it.
How do you feel when you hold it?
What does this item mean to you?
Whatever you are feeling right now,
Allow for the feeling of gratefulness to arise in you.
Because you have found the very thing that you need to let go of once and for all.
And you are grateful to finally have the opportunity to move past this thing that has been holding you down.
Take this item you have found and get rid of it however you see fit.
And as you do,
You feel a great lift in your spirit and a true happiness blossoms from deep within you,
Realizing that you had been tricked for so very long,
Thinking that this thing you have carried with you was bringing you joy.
But you have let it go now and you have never felt more joyous than you do right now.
Allow yourself to sleep now by seeing your thoughts begin to create new ideas for personal achievement.
Your mind is flowing effortlessly like water,
Seeing connections and patterns that lead you towards any goals you set forth.
Breathe slowly and fully.
Each time you exhale,
You feel more and more relaxed.
Let your body sink into the bed,
Feeling so comfortable and cozy right now.
Falling asleep happens naturally for you.
The rest that comes from sleeping rejuvenates you,
Something you deserve every night.
As you dream,
You see your future full of achievement,
Surrounded by hard work and dedication.
Let your mind wander now and your body float in relaxation.
Have a nice night's sleep,
Ready to let go of anything you don't need.
Good night.
