Honoring Your Path

I have just finished speaking at several national events and retreats on the topic of how to create balance from the "inside out" (the idea that fancy Blackberries and new organizing systems are truly just time management band-aids; creating true well-being is an inside-out job).

I believe that inherent to our journey to inner peace and well-being, is the necessity to constantly challenge our own beliefs and assumptions. Particularly about how we choose to navigate our careers--and where we choose to direct our time and energy.

One of the things I most enjoyed about my travels during October, was the opportunity to meet and visit with amazing, inspiring women--also authors/speakers and entrepreneurs like myself-- from around the world.

Arianne de Bonvoisin a new friend from NY, just released a new book that explores the concept of "change" and how to navigate this constant successfully, Jen Groover, a savvy PA entrepreneur and mom to twins, has created a "purse kingdom" based on an idea she refused to let go of, Cathy Greenburg in AZ, used her life tragedies to inspire a wonderful series of books that help people to understand happiness--and what motivates people who are, Galia Gichon, in NY, a former stockbroker and mom to young kids who has created some great "down to earth" personal finance tools for people like you and me and editor Erin Casey in TX, (under Success magazine) has launched a wonderful new magazine for women called Success for Women.

Meeting all of these women--many moms like myself--really stretched me in new ways. It made me pause--and reflect--on how I have consciously set up my life and businesses. It challenged me to review my commitments to myself and my family about what I'm willing and not willing to do to support my work goals.

I am active in a wonderful professional organization for self-employed women called the Business+Balance Success Group (look for their new web site next month!). Frequently I hear entrepreneurs beat themselves up about how much more they should be doing or how often they compare themselves to others (read "Are You Kind to Yourself?" to hear more on this topic.)

All of us are on our own unique path. Everyone's journey--and moment-to-moment personal and professional choices--will look vastly different, depending on our life stage, our "non-negotiables," the age (s) of our kids, our personalities/innate talents and how much we’re willing to work.

Ultimately, I believe--as I think my colleagues do as well--that we can only truly hold on to who we are and maintain equilibrium, if the choices we make are coming from our internal guidance system--not from "shoulds" or external demands.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Carol Orsborn, "Your ordinary self is enough." Because there will always be more work to do or more emails to return. It's up to us to remember our worth is not measured by how busy we are, but by who we are. At least that’s what my inner wisdom tells me.

How about you? Is there anything you need to change about how you work to better honor your path?

Extreme Self Care

After an intense period of back-to-back workshops and retreats, yesterday, I took an "extreme self care" day to rest and rejuvenate.

Being out of town (and having staff who had also been away with their families last week), left us all with a mountain of work. But, I wouldn't budge. This was my day and I was claiming it, no matter what!

I actually set aside this day on my calendar several weeks ago, knowing how full the month of October looked for me. I've found scheduling these dates in advance is the only way to make these mini-retreats possible.

An extreme self-care day is a stretch of time (preferably 8 hours, but 4 will do) where I'm completely devoted to nurturing my physical/mental/emotional/spiritual well-being. My only job is to become attuned to the needs of my body, mind and spirit--and then to nourish myself accordingly.

Hoh Rain Forest, WA Renee Peterson Trudeau

My day began by moving much slower in the morning, than I normally do (anyone who has kids can attest to how stressful mornings *can be*). I let my husband and son navigate breakfast and the search for homework, lunches and lost library books. I refused to feel rushed or check email and I really allowed myself to slow down and release the endless "to dos" that so often come knocking at our doors on Monday mornings.

After taking my son to school, I arrived at my yoga class extra early and sat in the quiet of my car, journaling. After yoga, I got a massage and then went to a nearby natural foods store where I picked up an absolutely decadent pear and a few other treats (I really focused on listening to what foods my body was telling me would truly nourish me). By doing so, I also got the news that I was dehydrated.

Afterwards, I headed home and took a long hot bath, then put on the softest, most comfortable clothes I could find. I considered riding my bike and then paused quietly to see how I felt. Tired. In need of rest. And I curled up in my favorite reading spot to finish the last of my delicious Amy Tan novel--not giving the stack of work-related or human potential books next to my nightstand a second thought.

This wonderful experience ended abruptly when I went to pick up my son from school at 2:45 p.m., but was nonetheless, well worth it. And a great reinforcement to me about the power of self-care. I was calmer and more relaxed with my family last night and entered my work week not feeling as overwhelmed as I have in the past with the "oh my god, I've been out of town forever and I don't know if I'll ever get caught up" feeling.

Is it time for you to schedule an extreme self-care day? What would it look like? How would you start your day? Would you move your body? What would you eat? Would you rest or sleep all day? What is the most decadent thing you could imagine doing (stay in your pajamas in bed all day and ordering take out!)? Would you completely unplug from phone/email/electronics all day? Would you stay in your home or go somewhere (I have a single girlfriend who travels a lot for work and often offers her beautiful, quiet home as a retreat getaway to her mom friends)?

Out of curiosity, I looked up the definition of rest. One I found was: the cessation of work, exertion, or activity.

So many of us have heard the popular phrase we're human beings, not human doings. Yet, the concept of "rest" is still foreign to many of us (it wasn't until I had my son that I started to get how beneficial this concept is for all of us--regardless of age!).

Maybe it's just me (an oldest child, recovering overachiever, perfectionist with controlling tendencies) that has a hard time knowing when to just stop and rest. Or maybe we could all benefit from a mass media campaign that counters the way-too-popular words " just do it" ? Hmmm. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

P.S. If this concept is new to you, you might want to check out the chapter on The Transformative Power of Self-Care from my book, you can go to www.ReneeTrudeau.com and download two free sample chapters from the right column of the home page.