What are your non-negotiables? (+a girlfriend giveaway)

In our 15 year old career coaching firm, one of the exercises we often have our career exploration clients do–after we’ve worked with them to define what they want, what they do best and what’s a fit for them–is to come up with their top three non-negotiables for their next position. Meaning, what are the top three things they must have at their ideal job for it to be a true fit, inside and out. Sometimes they’ll share: a creative environment, work/life alignment, a boss who will mentor me, work I’m passionate about, Fridays off, an innovative culture or a 20 minute or less commute to my office.

I’m getting ready to lead an exciting new telecourse launching Sept. 11 where I’ll be challenging the women in my class to define their life version 2.0 (read more). A life that includes work (whether it’s paid or volunteer) and a purpose that is deeply aligned with their passions and current life stage.

As I noodle on all the practices and tools I want to share with this circle of women, I’m thinking about how essential it is to know ourselves and to be connected to our rhythms before we can envision what we want next.

Some of the questions I’ll be asking the class as we explore our life version 2.0, include:

• What is most important to you at this life stage?
• Are you connected to your natural rhythms–what time of day (and time of year) are you most energetic, most in flow, most creative? (Read Are you connected to your rhythms?)
• Does your work feed your soul or just pay the bills (or is it done out of obligation)?
• Does your current work schedule support you in making your self-care a priority (do you have time for rest and renewal)?
• Do you feel your work is appreciated, meaningful and do you feel recognized for your talents?
• What are your top 3 non-negotiables for your next life phase?

Gregg Levoy, author of Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life says, “Generally, people won’t pursue their callings until the fear of doing so is finally exceeded by the pain of not doing so, but it’s appalling how high a threshold people have for this quality of pain.”

What do you need permission for in order to step into your life version 2.0? If you’d like to explore this theme further and name and claim the life and work you truly desire with a community of like-minded women, join me via phone over lunch for four Thursdays, beginning Sept. 11 for Permission Granted: The Art of Extreme Self-Care (no worries if you can’t make the live classes, all sessions will be recorded.)

A SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: This past Sunday evening I saw the movie Boyhood (highly recommended) with a close group of friends and was reminded of the power of friendship. In celebration of my girlfriends, I’m going to give away the chance for one woman to win a registration for herself and three of her girlfriends to my new fall telecourse Permission Granted: The Art of Extreme Self-Care (a $600 value!). How to win? It’s easy--just share in the comments section below what is one thing you need permission for in order to feel more spacious, connected and alive–in order to live a life that you love. We’ll choose/announce a winner on Saturday, Sept. 6th and notify you here and via email. The giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to our winner, Denise Bonniwell!

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance teacher/author and Career Strategists president, Renée Peterson Trudeau. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping and more. Thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining self-care groups based on her award-winning curriculum.  She is the author of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 12 year-old son. More on her background here.

Photo: My son mid-air enjoying the last days of summer at a Texas Hill Country natural spring/well. One of my non-negotiables is spending a lot of time in nature and having a flexible schedule that supports me in doing this with my son.