Slowing Down to the Speed of Life

Have you ever heard the phrase we’re human beings, not human doings?

When I went in to wake up my little guy this morning, he was curled up tightly in a “comforter cocoon” sound asleep. I sat next to him in the dark and gently rubbed his back. I pushed his hair off his face and kissed his sweet chubby cheeks. He smiled. I let him know there was no rush, he could wake up slowly.

Thirty minutes later while he was eating breakfast, he told me how much he liked the way I woke him up (often times his sweet Dad goes in to get him and his style is a little different from mine). He said “We all need to slow down Mom, it’s better that way ...that’s how we’re supposed to live.”

I just got back from leading an amazing women’s retreat for 30 women from around the world, focused on self-care. And, we talked a lot about the power of slowing down. And how it can positively impact so many areas of our lives including: our connection to self and others, our ability to make wise decisions and of course, our well-being.

The pace at which we live is really dictated by our internal state of being.

And, more specifically, by our thoughts.

I often ask coaching clients do describe the quality of their thinking in a given moment—are their thoughts moving slowly, like a horse and buggy or an antique car in a parade, or are they whizzing by like a Lamborghini on a racetrack?

It’s not about being critical or judging how fast or slow our minds are moving, but just being aware of what’s going on up there.

Years ago, I started noticing a huge correlation between how fast my thoughts moved and how this affected my physical and emotional well-being. And how connected I felt to my child and partner.

Last week, while trying to juggle way too many balls, my stress levels hit an all-time high for 2009. And boy was my mind racing.

Thanks to this retreat and the opportunity to *pause*, I intend to approach my day, week and May, with more awareness about the speed at which I’m living (and thinking!).

My seven-year old nailed it ...we need to slow down, it’s better that way, it’s how we’re supposed to live.

LIVE INSIDE OUT Celebration May 8th-10th--Join us!Do you have a copy of our award-winning book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life? If not, sign up for my life balance newsletter at www.reneetrudeau.com today and receive a free download of the book in your inbox over Mother’s Day Weekend May 8th-10th (for 48 hours only). Feel free to share this amazing gift—a $20 value-- with your friends around the globe! For women of all ages, the book has received rave reviews.

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.

Photo: Renee Peterson Trudeau. The sandy, quiet banks of the Rio Grande river in the Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park.

What is Your Heart's Desire?

Whew—I’ve been busy! Lots of staff transitions, upcoming national events, family birthdays and anniversaries, end-of-year school stuff for my seven year-old AND I’m working with a wonderful team of volunteers right now to launch a celebration which launches on Mother’s Day—called LIVE INSIDE OUT—to promote the message of living more intentionally.

This LIVE INSIDE OUT celebration was inspired by recent guidance I received from my dad—a brilliant physician and healer--who died suddenly from a heart attack at age 56, thirteen years ago.

During a visioning exercise I did while on a women’s retreat in late February, my father challenged me to not be afraid of my light, my gifts and to really share my book and women's groups with a much larger stage. (While I’m passionate about this work, I also am a believer that creative projects have a divine timing of their own. And, you can’t push too hard—you need to let things unfold. This has been my mindset for a while now.)

This visioning experience was really powerful. And woke me up even more so to my passion for helping others get in touch with and live the lives they desire.

Most families—particularly American families--are living from the outside-in. And, it’s clearly not working.

Rates for anxiety/depression among women—particularly mothers-- continue to climb, people lack connection and community in their lives, childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions, the rate of career dissatisfaction and divorce remains high and many of us are still looking for the right house, car, job, relationship, business deal or financial win to bring us that deep sense of peace and well-being we crave.

I wanted to share the opening page of my book and to challenge you to share here, about the life you desire. I would love to hear what this looks like for you.

From the Evolution of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal, page one:

I believe it’s your birthright to live the life you desire. This is why I created The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal.

The life I desire is marked by a deep connection to my child and to my partner. It’s a life filled with joy and meaning. It’s a life in which I feel supported and nurtured by an incredible community of women—young and old. I experience regular, meaningful, heartfelt connections with people I care about. I am continually open to growth—as a woman, a mother, a partner and a spiritual being. I enjoy supporting and serving others in a way that feeds me rather than drains me. I feel that I always have enough time in my life for those things that are most important to me. My life flows, I trust my intuition and I expect good to come to me. I feel peaceful. I am loving, and I feel loved. This is the life I desire.

P.S. Want to connect with your heart’s desire? A retreat is a wonderful way to do this. Join us at my Spring Self-Renewal Retreat for Women—we only have 2 spots left. What an awesome Mother’s Day gift! Email info@reneetrudeau.com if you’d like these last slots.

LIVE INSIDE OUT Celebration May 8th-10th--Join us!
Do you have a copy of our award-winning book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life? If not, sign up for my life balance newsletter at www.reneetrudeau.com today and receive a free download of the book in your inbox over Mother’s Day Weekend May 8th-10th (for 48 hours only). Feel free to share this amazing gift—a $20 value-- with your friends around the globe! For women of all ages, the book has received rave reviews.The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.



The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.

Photo: Renee Peterson Trudeau. My husband/son and I pausing and connecting on the Window Trail while hiking in Big Bend National Park.

Mystery

Photo: I shot this photo in the Santa Elena Canyon on our last hike in Big Bend National Park before heading back to Austin. All week I kept telling my family how badly I wanted to see a snake on our trip. This guy poked his head of a stream that I was crossing as we headed across the sand, back to our car.

Life is not a thing to be managed, it’s a mystery to be lived. Anonymous

In my career coaching/consulting office in Central Austin, where I have been seeing clients for almost 10 years, sits a red heart-shaped box filled with some of my favorite inspirational and reflective quotes.

At the end of each coaching session, clients get to choose (blindly) a small folded piece of paper from this box to take home with them.

My clients really enjoy this little ritual. I think it’s because they love knowing that the box is filled with 250 quotes from teachers/authors from across the continents and centuries and that maybe, just maybe, they’ll receive just the perfect words of guidance needed to support them in taking that next step. And, almost always, this is the case. (In fact, I’ve had clients choose the same quote multiple times, even though there are 250 quotes that are being replenished each month!)

Similarly, while attending a wonderful Intuitive Arts retreat a few weeks ago, one of the most popular activities was the opportunity to draw a Medicine Card (a practice based on ancient Native American wisdom that teaches about the healing power animals bring us based on their specific qualities or abilities). This fun and insightful exercise—which may be perceived as “woo-woo” by some, was quite inspiring.

My seven-year old and I recently caught a radio interview with one of the foremost experts in the world on Nessie—the Loch Ness monster—and Big Foot. The interviewer, John St. Augustine, was musing on why people continue to be so captivated by these stories, even though many scientists believe these figures are simply folklore. (My son—like I was at his age—is completely mesmerized by the idea that Nessie and Big Foot are out there somewhere.)

I believe it’s because the mysteries, synchronicities, serendipities and the “unexplained,” are what make us feel alive and remind us that life is more than to-do lists.

Life’s mysteries help us to feel more connected to each other and to our humanity, to what is possible, to our unique and yet-to-be manifest potential.

When I speak to large groups about life balance and self-renewal, one of the things I hear over and over again is that people are craving more meaning in their life (many right now rank spiritual renewal as a top priority on their list), a greater sense of connection—to self and others—and they want community.

I’ve always looked for and reveled in the mysteries of life and believe this is what being human is all about. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Happy Easter-I’m off to hide and hunt for eggs for the third time this morning!

P.S. Needing some time to really reconnect with who you are and be reminded about the mysteries life offers us every day? A retreat is a wonderful way to do this. Join us at my Spring Self-Renewal Retreat for Women—we only have a few spots left. What an awesome Mother’s Day gift!

LIVE INSIDE OUT Celebration May 8th-10th--Join us!

Do you have a copy of our award-winning book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life? If not, sign up for my life balance newsletter at www.reneetrudeau.com today and receive a free download of the book in your inbox over Mother’s Day Weekend May 8th-10th (for 48 hours only). Feel free to share this amazing gift—a $20 value-- with your friends around the globe! For women of all ages, the book has received rave reviews.

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.

It Is What It Is

This morning I woke up around 5:00 a.m. with a tight chest and my mind was whirring like a hamster on a wheel.

Late last month, my two amazing support team members both shared they are moving on to new opportunities—which I’m totally supportive of, but it’s still a huge transition. We’re in the middle of organizing 4 upcoming national events (one of them is on an international scale), I am training/hiring new interns and like many businesses, spring is typically our busiest time of year.

Then, my little one came in this morning and said “I can’t go to school mom, I’m sick.”

So I did what all busy entrepreneurs should do when overwhelm comes knocking at their door. I made my husband stay home with our child while I went to yoga. And I practiced being with my breath and accepting “What is.”

Spiritual teacher/author Byron Katie talks about the idea that suffering is optional.

She says suffering, pain, discomfort come from resisting “What is.”

I really resonate with the concept that our thinking—and I believe language—dictate our emotional state. So rather than feeling like I have mountains of work to do, I have the option of being grateful for the opportunity to do what I love, to help others and to have an amazing support network that steps forward time and time again to help out.

Hmm. Can we really change how we feel by changing how we see a situation?

I’m sure I’m going to move in/out of numerous emotional states over the next several weeks, but I’m going to be more vigilant about my thoughts and words. And, of course, keep being gentle with myself.

Resources: Check out my tips on 6 Ways to Tap Into Inner Peace for some ideas on how to anchor during these times of uncertainty. Or learn more about my Spring Self-Renewal Retreat for Women—we only have a few spots left. What an awesome Mother’s Day gift!

Video: While hiking in the Boquillas Canyon on my recent trip to Big Bend National Park with my son and husband, I was mesmerized by this tree branch stuck in the middle of the Rio Grande River, which divides Mexico and the U.S. It immediately made me think about the idea of resisting life, resisting “what is,” and how we can get stuck when we don't go with the flow.

LIVE INSIDE OUT Mother’s Day Celebration May 8-10th
Do you have a copy of our award-winning book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life? If not, sign up for my life balance newsletter at http://www.reneetrudeau.com/ today and receive a free download of the book in your inbox over Mother’s Day Weekend May 8th-10th. Feel free to share this amazing gift—a $20 value-- with your friends around the globe! For women of all ages, the book has received rave reviews.

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.