Sustainability … for Self

The next twelve months will be a time of incredible growth and expansion for me–personally and professionally.

And sensing this, over the weekend, I woke up Sunday morning feeling stress and anxiety course through my body as I anticipated all of the travel and events, book-related deadlines and challenges and opportunities that come from supporting a team and business during  a time of extreme growth.

I know some of the keys to enhancing peace in everyday life for me–and navigating unusually full times–are practicing living in the “now”, being willing to embrace radical self-care, surrendering and remembering to balance being vs. doing.

And I practice these tools (as often as I can remember to do so!).

But I don’t want to do “business as usual” this fall and spring–my two busiest times. I really desire to keep embracing a new way of being AND to make sure that I’m choosing support that will truly nourish and sustain me.

Sustainability is sometimes defined as the capacity to endure; the long-term maintenance of responsibility (and I would add: to self).

I don’t want to just “survive” and make it through the next twelve months, I want to land on the other side of the river yes–wiser and more learned–but also replenished and nourished. I want to feel like I’ve been very, very kind to myself–and that when September 2013 arrrives, that I’ve arrived on new soil with fresh tools and perspectives. That I’ve come into a higher expression of who I am.

T.S. Eliot said,

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started 
And know the place for the first time.

So what will truly sustain–not just get me through–the next year? I’m still working on this list, but for now some of “musts” include:

• saying “no,” more; conserving my energy
• tapping the counsel of wise ones (I just set up regular appointments for the next 3 months with my “presence coach”) and make lots of time for friends
• doing a ton of yoga, dance, qi gong, walking and conscious movement
• planning some nature-infused weekend getaways NOW–that my family and I can look forward to for deep relaxation

Just saying out loud that I’m committed to reflecting on “sustainability for self” during this upcoming stretch–makes me feel better already.

I’m off to book a cabin in the Fort Davis, TX mountains for Thanksgiving weekend (they have some of the darkest skies in the United States); seeing thousands of stars at night always helps me put things in perspective and remember what truly matters most.

INVITE: Interested in learning how to live more intentionally and create sustainability for self? Join me Oct. 19-21 for our New Way of Being: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat if you want to join us at the beautiful Kripalu Center for Yoga & Wellness in Massachusetts! Peak leaf turning time! I’d love to hold the space for you to rest, connect with your needs and desires–and hear what your Wise Self most wants you to know.

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

• • Find Your Tribe: Join or learn to facilitate Personal Renewal Groups for women
  • Attend a retreat/event this fall or spring
  • Learn about Live Inside Out and receive weekly inspiration on our Live Inside Out Facebook Community
  • Pick up my life balance title The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal from the library or buy it here or at your local bookstore
  • Read past issues of my Life Balance newsletter or Career Management 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 for a private workshop or retreat for your company or organization
  • I Choose Love PSA: a reminder that when we come from love–one of the most powerful yet underutilized forces on the planet–we have the ability to transcend fear and remember what we’re really hear to do: give and receive love. Learn more

Subscribe to The Journey, a weekly blog about coach/author/speaker Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to creating balance from the inside out.

Photo at top: September has always felt like a time of new beginnings for me–here’s to doing it different and starting fresh.