Breathe

I heard a movement teacher say the other day that every time we take a deep breath, our physiology and emotional makeup is completely altered. So in other words, remembering to breathe, can be life changing!

I returned back to the office this week after being out for most of the summer on a writing sabbatical/traveling (it was very fruitful and insightful; more to come on my ah-has and my New Way of Being telecourse program that was birthed from my summer away unplugged to work on my new book).

My intention for the fall is FREEDOM (read more) and as I eased into my work space on Monday and sat down to my new white computer (yay—it makes me feel oh-so-free!) a glass of sparkling water and some good Mozart, I kept the deep inhales and exhales coming at a steady pace.

And, although things got a bit wobbly at times, I surfed the wave successfully (the phrase we like to use in our office that means maintaining a big picture view, focusing only on what is most critical and walking away from things that are not true priorities).

I’ll never forget in 1996, returning to my corporate cubicle and international PR job after a two-week trip to Europe and Dachau (read more). Even though I was returning to a very stressful job, for days I experienced this healthy detachment to my everyday tasks balanced with a deeper sense for what was truly meaningful. What mattered most.

I’ve got that same feeling in my bones now. And yes—thousands more emails, requests, calls and contracts await—but maybe I’ll only respond to half of them … or less. Who knows?

My desire for more space and freedom at work is overriding everything else right now. So, just breathing and trusting that I’ll be guided to where my energy is most needed in the coming months.

Am keeping my favorite quote by Goethe, “Things which matter least should be never be at the mercy of things which matter most,” close by.

Note: Each quarter I take a personal/business planning one-day retreat to help me determine how best to use my energy/time to support my businesses in the coming 3-6 months. If you're self-employed and need a guided, structured opportunity to listen deeply to your inner wisdom, receive high level, strategic coaching support and to be reminded of why you do what you do this fall, consider joining me on Sept. 16 at Casa de Artistas in Austin. I love these visioning retreats and always leave with clear, grounded direction.

I love to hear from, connect with and meet The Journey readers at our events. I invite you to:

>Find Your Tribe: Join or become trained to lead Self- Renewal Groups
>Attend a retreat/event; join me Oct. 14-16 at Kripalu in the amazing cool Berkshire mountains for our Women's Self-Renewal Retreat.
>Join the Dialogue on our Live Inside Out Facebook Community
>Pick up The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal from the library or buy it here
>Download FREE Live Inside Out Teleclasses, join us for our Sept. 8th class on Going with the Flow While Still Getting Things Done! and read past issues of my Life Balance newsletter
>Take Action: Contact one of our career or life balance coaches for 1-on-1 support; receive an initial complimentary consultation
>Empower Others: Schedule Renee Trudeau for a private workshop or retreat for your company or organization
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The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly.