In this live motivational talk, Akash Gautam uses the metaphor of traveling from Lonavala to Mumbai to illustrate how top achievers ‘travel light’ while many people burden themselves with unnecessary baggage. He contrasts a sleek car with a heavily loaded truck, equating the latter to emotional, mental, and physical clutter that slows progress. Gautam identifies three major forms of baggage: (1) emotional baggage such as grudges, guilt, drama, and over‑identification with fleeting opinions; (2) physical clutter like unused clothes, shoes, gadgets, and accumulated possessions; and (3) relational crutches – over‑dependence on others for validation, approval, and happiness. He argues that constantly fighting every minor battle, trying to please everyone, and holding onto outdated relationships drains energy and prevents success. The speaker urges listeners to select their battles, let go of unnecessary possessions, stop people‑pleasing, and become emotionally competent. By shedding these burdens, one can move faster toward goals, attract the right opportunities, and experience greater freedom and productivity.
Chapters
We are at this is Lonavala, right? Ambivali Lonavala. And if I were to give you a choice that you were to go to Mumbai from here in your own vehicles, not together, would you wish to go to Mumbai in a truck or will you want to go to Mumbai in a car, a good car? The Punjabis will say truck, I know. And they can even put an alloy wheel in their truck. I'm a Punjabi, so I know because I do this, you know. And they write something behind their vehicle: "Chut risky after risky," right? Right. Okay. Am I right? Okay. Which part of Punjab are you? I'm from Patiala. And what about you? Oh wow! Brother in arms, you know. Okay, right. Excellent. Okay. So, yeah, how many of you go in a car? Majority of you? Yes. Right. Let me ask you another question. That's a beautiful question, right? Why is it, why is it that a lot of people achieve so much in their lives, achieve so much abundance in their lives, whereas others, they remain just onlookers? Or remain mediocre? I think the answer to this question lies in the first question which I asked you, right? The answer is that people who are top achievers, they travel light. They go in a car, they don't carry a truck with them, they do not carry heavy baggages with them. They travel light, right? They only carry hand baggages. They do not carry extra baggages on which they'll have to spend so much extra energy on. Baggages like grudges against people, with your brothers, with over-emotional issues. Even the physical stuff that you have in your house which you never use it but is still lying there. The achievers travel light. They travel light. Favorite baggage of semi-achievers is that they are warriors. They fight every battle that comes their way in their lives. Whatever is thrown at them, they have to hit every ball, right? They do not select their battles, right? They do everything. For example, A small scratch on the car, पड़ गया? On the vehicle or whatever, they get reactive. Oh, upset of mine, you know, right? They answer every phone call that comes their way. They answer every Facebook comment or message, right? If someone says that you're not looking good today, that really upsets them, right? They even try to make everyone happy. They pick up what they can't do. They do everything. They fight with customer care departments. Heavy baggages. Look at this. I'm going in a truck now. Okay. Right? Now understand the point here. If you pick up so much baggage, how will you reach Mumbai? You have your flight at 11 and you are here at 8. You have to reach there in a car with so much baggage. You will not be able to move with the speed. Yes or no? Right? The problem is that with most of us, the way we live, that a tiny change in plan, a tiny disagreement or a glitch in our plans could be made into a big hill if your conscious or unconscious agenda is to let everything work out in your own favor. We have this agenda, na? That subliminal, that inadvertent agenda कि जो हो रहा है वो मेरे हिसाब से होना चाहिए. वो कैसे होगा? I think that's a perfect recipe for unhappiness, right? You know, people are different. They think differently. They have the right to disagree with you. They cannot be in consonance with you every time, right? Carry lighter baggages. Accept that people are different. Travel light. Select your battles. Today decide that I'm going to fight these battles. And ignore these battles, because if you fight every battle, then how much baggage would you accumulate? Yes, second, second baggage which people carry with them and which really makes them heavy, right, is is even the physical baggage that we carry with us in our lives. सामान सौ बरस का इकट्ठा कर रहे हैं हम और साला पल भर की खबर नहीं हमें। एक temporary से ज़िंदगी में हमें सब कुछ permanent चाहिए। कितने बड़े आइटम लोग हैं ना? Yes or no? Right? You know, look at your wardrobes. There's so many shirts which you never wear but are lying there. Look at your shoe rack. So many pair of shoes which you which you can give to someone who needs them but is still lying there. Look at your laptops. So many music folders which you never listen but are still there. Why not listen? Drop the baggage. Some crying relationships. Drop them. And you'll feel so light. You know, if you keep on inviting clutter in your life, soon there'll be no room left for you to move, breathe, or grow. Newer happenings, newer excitements, newer new newer people, newer opportunities will not happen to you unless and until you clean the old useless stuff. फालतू के सामान को धो डालो। नई चीज कैसे आएगी जब तक डगा नहीं बनेगी, right? The third baggage that people carry is is the biggest of all baggage. It is the crutches. Crutches you know? The baggage is people crutches. They're depending too much on people for their happiness, right? And that's a sure recipe for disaster. Depending too much on them. Um, that they're wanting that They're seeking validation. They're seeking their attention so much, people. And in case it doesn't turn out, they silently sob in a corner or they sulk in a corner. Right? You really want to upgrade your life? Yes or no? If you really want to upgrade your life, then pour that time, attention, and energy which you're pouring into the wrong relationships into your own self. Right? Why? Just, just, you cannot be keeping on holding to the relationships which have already moved on in their lives. You cannot give your mind on rent to people who are mediocre, negative, or lazy. Raise the rent. अरुण को बोलो मकान खाली करें। Stop pleasing people. There's no point pleasing people. You're trying to make everyone happy. What's the point? You want to see magic? The day you stop pleasing people. Suddenly you'll become more attractive to them. And you'll begin to repel the wrong ones and attract the right ones. You know your Facebook status, that people should like you. Forget this silent agenda which you carry with you. Which is the most useless thing inside the human body? Yeah, some of you might say appendix. Or armpit hair or nose hair or something. But you can get rid of them anytime. You can get rid of that anytime. Yes or no? Right? I guess the biggest useless thing in our body, the way we are growing up in today's generation, is those extra emotions. Those filmy emotions that impede us from becoming what we could be becoming. They need to be united with dustbins at the first possible instance. Throw the baggage! Right? Cut the cord. Ring your inner liberty bell. Fly higher. I wasn't flying till the time I was carrying baggages. Drop your baggages. And one of the biggest emotions that I see people suffering from in the corporate sector for a lot of things is the biggest is guilt. For a lot of reasons. For example, I'm traveling for almost 20-25 days in a month. Staying away from my family, I somewhere feel guilty that I'm not with my son. Some of you would be feeling something that guilty for XYZ reasons. You could not be by your parents that time, or you could not do this. You do this. So many ways you can feel guilty. Walking with guilt is like going to Mumbai in the fantastic most car, but with a handbrake on. That's because. Guilt can never be the change agent in you. Guilt can never be the— it only saps your vital energy. It only saps your true energy. Right? Another reason why you should not feel guilty is because at that point of time, you thought, I was right. Now, if it doesn't happen right, it's okay. Accept it. The kind of work I do, a lot of people seek advice out of me, hoping that I can give them advice which does not require much courage. Can it be possible? No. People ask me funny questions, you know, emotional questions, drenched in emotions. भीगे हुए जज्बात से। I am feeling bored. Why does this happen to me? Why did he or she leave me? X Y Z. Why did this this this? Why why why why why me? Why I why I why? You know, emotion भैया वो जज्बात है कि माइकेस आया वो दहेज का सामान। You, you, you, you pursue, you chase your emotions as you would pursue your perfect life partners. Right? And the problem is that the age from 12 to 25 is the age when emotional development also happens. For some people, it doesn't happen right. And they keep on chasing their emotions the whole life. They keep, they play catch-up games with their emotions the whole life. Become emotionally more competent. Let me ask you another question. How you feel about him? Today you think that he's not a good guy, but after two or three days your opinion might change. Yes or no? So why do you give so much the baju or importance to your opinions about people when the opinions are so transient or ephemeral? They keep on changing. Let me tell you what you do with your opinions or emotions, extra emotions. Pack them in a bag and throw them in a dustbin. They are as useful as a used condom would be, right? Even on a worst day, when when when you've lost your job or when you've lost whatever in your life or relationship, you would you still sleep sleep in the night. Yes or no? Nothing is permanent. Life moves ahead. Then why give so much importance to your over emotions? The higher advanced stage. Of mismanaged emotions is drama, and we see so much drama in Indian homes. Yes or no? Right. You really want to upgrade your life? Kick the drama. Drama is for schoolgoers. It's it's good. It looks good when it happens in the plays. It looks good when it happens in the Ekta Kapoor serials. Upgrade your life. Say no to drama. The biggest problem with unmanaged or mismanaged emotions is. That they do not let you identify the great opportunities that might be coming your way. You miss on those opportunities. You don't recognize those opportunities. Yes or no? Right. मैं साथ बोलिए, सब मिलके बोलेंगे। बोलेंगे कि नहीं? Yes. मैं मैं उतनी ही दूर जाऊँगा। I'm not able to hear you. मैं मैं उतनी ही दूर जाऊँगा। जितना मैं फालतू का कम भार उठाऊँगा। Travel light. Drop your baggage. See how much productive you will feel.
