Flow

“I often joke with my audiences that I make most of my income on a ski pole. People smile but they get my point. You need to make time for your genius to flow. We get our creative bursts, those idea torrents that take our business and personal lives to the next level, while we are skiing or drinking coffee in a Starbucks or walking in the woods or meditation with a sunrise. Those pursuits are not a waste of time. Creativity comes when you are relaxed, happy and enjoying the moment. And when it comes, it brings ideas that rock your world.” Robin Sharma, author/leadership expert/idea generator

I am very interested in balance—experiencing it, enhancing it, helping others to define and claim it—because for the first 35 years of my life I was so out of balance (read more).

Contrary to a lot of time management experts, balance is not about equal time for work and family. For me, it’s the experience of having enough time, energy and resources to devote to those things that are most important to me: connection to my partner/son, work that feeds me creatively, the opportunity to empower others, a harmonious home, moving my body every day.

And this will change constantly depending on your career/life stage and the age of your kids (think about your priorities at 25 versus 35 versus 55).

As an entrepreneur, more and more I am starting to recognize what balance FEELS like moment to moment. For me, I know I am experiencing balance or equilibrium when I
*am not forcing outcomes to happen, but letting my inner GPS guide me (trusting my gut) as to the best course of action
*am aware of when I’m present with my family, friends and clients and how much I prefer this to the opposite
*feel generous and creative and ideas flow through and from me like water
*am feeling in flow and enjoying the delicate balance between planning/goal setting and responding to the unexpected or synchronous
*have enough space in my life to be attuned to/respond to the gentle mysterious taps on the shoulder we all receive (read my last posting on The Unknown) and to actually respond to these callings

I am enjoying my summer—blending work/play/family time with planning and personal growth– but am also acutely aware that in less than four weeks, my 7-year old will be going back to school and my team and I will be moving into the 3 busiest months of the year for my business.

So today, as I review my ever-growing to-do list, my countless unread emails, the list of requests for my time/attention, I pause. (This morning I went in my backyard for a bit to watch the birds splash in our outdoor fountain and pull a few weeds from our patio—I find it helpful to get my hands in the dirt when I’m working on balancing left/right brain activity!)

And I know that for me to experience the type of Fall I desire, it’s essential—even critical—for me to create some space next week to take a trek up to the mountain top and reflect creatively on where my energy would be best spent between Sept. 1-Nov. 30th (I like to approach life in 90 day chunks).

And, to listen…very quietly and attentively. So I can be guided as to what choices I need to make to allow for lots time for flow.

P.S. Interested in receiving support so you can create more flow in your business, career or life? A few resources I can offer are my July 23rd, popular Austin-based Finding Your Career Mojo Workshop, our women’s self-renewal circles, our September 17th Global PRG Sampler Teleclass on Reconnecting with Who You Are, my upcoming The Empowered Entrepreneur Workshop on Aug. 28th in Austin, TX (email info@reneetrudeau.com for details) or our fabulous October 2-4 Fall Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at The Crossings.

Also, check out Live Inside Out and learn how you can live more intentionally (and become a fan on the Live Inside Out Facebook page).

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. After a long sweaty hike up a mountain in the Berkshires in MA, I discovered this jewel.