Go with the flow in 2014

I haven’t written out annual goals or a marketing plan for my business in two years. On purpose. Yet, I own two successful international coaching/consulting firms, supervise a professional team of eight, travel, am continually generating new programs and expanding our services and offerings globally and am deeply committed to work/life balance. Why would I not map out our firm’s direction and strategies (something I advised clients to do for years)? Because I’ve learned a new more natural, spontaneous approach to getting things done. I call this new way “going with the flow.”  Here’s what this looks like in my daily life:

• Last summer our marketing manager took a new job and I needed to hire someone to replace her but the hiring process felt flat and no one seemed to be an ideal fit. So I put everything “on hold,” indefinitely (I call this releasing) and a new and better solution—which didn’t involve hiring anyone—emerged. One I had never considered before!
• I received advice that a program I was creating needed an overhaul. The changes seemed too labor intensive and I decided I was ready to ditch it. So that night, I surrendered, gave myself permission to let it go and went to bed. I woke up the next morning crystal clear on what revisions needed to be made, spent 30 minutes making the changes and celebrated my renewed excitement and clarity about this new offering!
• One weekend my adolescent son was in total disequilibrium. My old style would have been to try and figure it all out, gain control (hah!) and create and execute a plan. But when I softened, admitted I did not have the answers and received a reminder of how much of his behavior is due to his brain rewiring—I let out a sigh of relief and let go. And lo and behold, when I relaxed, the entire family dynamic shifted and everyone relaxed.

Do I always “go with the flow” in my home and work life? No. But I do a lot of the time. It’s my intention to live this way in every area of my life. To remain open and receptive to new opportunities, but rely heavily on my inner guidance system, intuition and ability to trust to steer me towards how best to use my energy, time and talents.

Do I sound like a slacker? Let me share a bit about my journey. As the oldest of seven children, the daughter of overachiever parents, a type A personality and someone who likes to live and work BIG, for years I pushed myself to accomplish and produce so I could feel more worthy (getting you on the cover of National Geographic was not enough—we also need you featured on NOVA!). Professionally, I was incredibly successful and I helped a lot of people and did a lot of good along the way. But in the process, I exhausted myself. I adopted many stressful habits and ways of approaching work and life –such as always raising the bar and never feeling “good enough,”– that after time, no longer served me. In my early thirties, several wise teachers entered my life and coached me on how to trust in the flow of life and l-e-t  g-o. These sages showed me by example that there is another way to get things done that is more spacious, natural, spontaneous and kind. I discovered that when you “go with the flow,”  (some call this working in “the zone,” being in an alpha wave state or for others it’s tapping into a universal or creative flow) you adopt a way of moving in the world that allows you to bring projects to fruition, launch big initiatives, navigate major life changes, serve in a way that feeds rather than drains you– and still be present and connected to loved ones and to yourself.

Ready to let go of stress (read more here) control, worry and constantly pushing to make things happen? Want to experience more success and freedom and strengthen your ability to trust and let go?  I’d love to be your guide and personally support you in entering 2014 with more ease and spaciousness than you ever thought possible.

P.S. The $99 early bird rate for New Way of Being: Learning to Go with the Flow telecourse (launching Jan. 9th) ends Friday, Dec. 20th. The course takes place over the phone (classes are recorded) with regular support via a private, optional Facebook group and is designed for men/women of all ages and life stages.  If you’re ready to go deeper with me, receive high-level coaching and enjoy a circle of support with like-minded men/women, join us! Learn more.

*GIVEAWAY!*  Want to win free registration for you and your spouse, friend, family member or co-worker for the New Way of Being: Learning to Go with the Flow telecourse (plus two signed copies of Nurturing the Soul of Your Family--my latest life balance title)-a $260 value?  Share in the comments section below what it means to you to live and work in flow. We’ll choose a winner and announce the name on Friday, Dec. 20th on our Live Inside Out with Renee Trudeau Facebook page!

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance teacher/speaker, author Renée Peterson Trudeau. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping and more. Her newest release is Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 11 year-old son. More on her background here.