Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life. ~Michael Leboeuf

Dear Friend,

Eric, one of our coaching clients, left a lucrative corporate training position in 2009 to launch a hot sauce business. He’s a cook, avid foodie and comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. This was his big dream.

Now, like most new entrepreneurs and many in the current economy, he is struggling to make the business profitable and considering returning to the corporate world. His wife Ellen works part-time and cares for their two small kids and the lack of financial stability in their lives is bringing up waves of fear.

It’s also dredging up some of their oldest and scariest beliefs around money.

Many across the U.S. are navigating financially tumultuous waters right now. And, as a result, we’re getting the opportunity to practice living in the "unknown” (read more) and examine what's really important in our lives.

As uncomfortable as this may be, another way to respond to these fears and uncertainties is by asking ourselves if it isn’t time do some financial housekeeping? And, not just sweeping the porch, but really clearing out the cobwebs in the attic.

The following financial health questions and strategies have helped me to jump start my “inner work” around money and prosperity:

1. Acknowledge that there is work to do. Regardless of your socioeconomic background, we all have our own “stuff” around money, prosperity and wealth. What are your core issues? Are you ready to do the work necessary to release old self-limiting beliefs around the green stuff?  (Read Let Your Light Shine: Owning Your Personal Power from my book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal on this theme.)

2. Understand what money is. Author Joseph Campbell says, “Money is congealed energy. And releasing it, releases life’s possibilities.” People who know how to use money, know how to handle energy. Does this describe you?

3. If you were in a relationship with money, how would you describe your lover? How do you feel about money? Is it a friend or foe? Does it serve you or are you a slave to it? Is it tied to your mood or are you clear happiness is an inside-out job? Here is a great exercise to help you gain clarity in this area (pass it on to your partner and share your responses on a date night if you’re brave!).

4. Get real about your financial state. So many worry about how bad they think things are, without really having a grasp on their financial state.  Others think they’re better off than they are. Move out of paralysis and take inventory of your debts/living expenses and income/assets with your partner, if applicable. This will allow you to make conscious choices about how to live and spend. (My husband loves www.mint.com.)

5. Understand the true meaning of prosperity.  Pause and think of all you have to be grateful for--your health, your freedom, your neighbors, your ability to create, the support in your life, your warm bed, your family, etc.  Money is just one form of prosperity. Celebrating all your blessings can really help shift your perspective and often gives you the breathing room you need to see your situation in a different light.

6. Keep the big picture. When you’re living in the unknown, it's really easy to stay "stuck" and fixated on your current financial state. Spend time with friends and colleagues who support you, hold the highest and best for you and remind you that you haven't fallen into a manhole--you're just experiencing some rough terrain. This is a whole new world, but things will get better (reflect back on how you have come through past crises).

7. Don’t stop enjoying life! Just because your bank account is leaner these days, doesn't mean your social life has to grind to a halt. Seek out free concerts or outdoor events. Go on a family picnic. Go to the dollar theater. Pick a fun theme (Mediterranean, Mexican, Comfort Foods) and invite your friends to a potluck dinner at your house. Enjoy your local and state parks. The best things in life ARE free!

Does this theme call you to action? I’d love to support you through weekly inspiration via my blog The Journey, dialogue with you on our Live Inside Out Facebook Community and I invite you to learn about our Personal Renewal Group Program for women.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@reneetrudeau.com or 512-459-6700 and let us know how we can help you. We’re definitely all in this together!

Warmly—Renee and the RTA Team

P.S. We hope to see many of you at our Kripalu Self-Renewal Retreat April 29-May 1 for women where you’ll learn how to enhance your sense of emotional well-being regardless of what’s going on around you. Ideal for women in career/life transition!

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SHOW ME THE MONEY: RESOURCES TO HELP FOSTER FINANCIAL HEALTH
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Lynne Twist’s “The Soul of Money”—explores the connection between money and leading a fulfilling life.

Jean Chatzky’s “The Difference,”  --practical and insightful, addresses the inner and outer work.

Suze Orman's "The Money Class” –an empowering look at what’s holding you back from financial freedom and tools to help you achieve greater prosperity.

Beth Kobliner's "Get a Financial Life"--personal finance in cliff notes format for those in their 20s and 30s.

Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"-- what the rich teach their kids about money that the poor and middle class don't.

Maria Nemeth's "The Energy of Money"--a spiritual guide to financial and personal fulfillment.

Catherine Ponder's "Dynamic Laws of Prosperity"--explains the wisdom of prosperous thinking.

Debtor’s Anonymous Support Groups—budgeting and support for becoming debt free; meetings around the US

Barbara Stanny’s “Overcoming Underearning,”—a step by step plan to help you release self-limiting beliefs and do the inner work necessary to start earning what you’re worth.

Daphne Rose Kingma’s “Ten Things to do When Your Life Falls Apart,” this highly recommended spiritual and emotional guidebooks isn’t exclusively focused on money, but it includes a lot of powerful insights that affect your financial health.

Upcoming Events and Training:

• April 1-30     Personal Renewal Group Online Facilitator Training  Are you a therapist, coach, parent or birth educator, leadership consultant or women's empowerment advocate who loves supporting women and helping them nurture their emotional well-being? Join an international community and facilitate self-renewal groups/retreats for women based on the award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal. Learn more.
  
  
• April 9   9- 5 p.m.  First Annual Conference for Mothers of Special Needs Children, Austin, TX  Renee to present “The Transformative Power of Self-Care”  Register/learn more www.specialmomsheal.com
  
  
• April 29-May 1, Friday-Sunday:  Reflect, Reclaim, Re-Balance: A Women's Self-Renewal Retreat , Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, The Berkshires, MA.  Nurture and nourish yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually. Tap the Transformative Power of Self-Care. Led by nationally-recognized career/life balance expert, coach and author Renee Trudeau at beautiful Kripalu. Ideal for women in career/life transition.  Details here. Our last Kripalu retreat sold out; register today!
  
  
  

• May 14   6:00-9:00 p.m.  An Evening of Self-Renewal with Renee Trudeau for “moms who blog.” Austin, TX. Sponsored by the LiveMom community. Learn more.
  
  

• May 17     Tuesday 7:30-8:30 p.m. CST
  Live Inside Out Life Balance Teleclass with Renee Trudeau. Join women from around the world as we reconnect with whowe are, cultivate self-compassion and learn to live more intentionally. Learn more and register here.
  
  

• May 20     Friday 9:00-1:00 p.m.  Envision, Align and Expand: A Business Planning Retreat for Empowered Entrepreneurs. Casa de Artistas, south Austin. Gain clarity and focus on your business goals, receive laser coaching/feedback, tap Renee’s favorite, most powerful exercises and tools, leave inspired, focused and ready to work with renewed passion and clarity. Led by small business strategist Renee Trudeau at a small, quiet, private retreat center in Austin. Limited to 8 people. Cost: $249. Details/register. Email info@careerstrategists.net to check availability.
  
  

• June 7-July 30   Self-Care as a Spiritual Practice: A Women’s Group led by Renee Trudeau.  A small, powerful group coaching “mastermind” experience based in Austin. The Group is limited to 8 women and is ideal for those who are birthing a new way of being or wanting to bring forth a creative project or idea. Six meetings, Tuesday evenings, meets in South Austin. Cost: $395. For information and to inquire if there is still space, email info@reneetrudeau.com.
  
  
• Private Customized Retreats: Renee is masterful at creating/facilitating empowering half, full day or weekend workshops or retreats for companies, organizations and groups (her recent Lost Pines Self Renewal Retreat and her Kripalu retreat sold out and had a waiting list!). You can learn more about private retreats here or about her speaking/workshop topics, here. Email Sara Bogan, events manager at sara@reneetrudeau.com or call 512-459-6700 to check Renee’s availability.
  
  You may reprint this newsletter in its entirety provided you include at the end: Renee Peterson Trudeau is a life balance coach/speaker and author of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. You can download free book chapters, receive life balance tips or learn about upcoming events at www.ReneeTrudeau.com. Facebook: LiveInsideOut.