Can you just “be with what is”?

“To listen deeply is an act of faith.” Adyashanti, author, The End of Your World

This morning I dropped off my newly minted teenager–who loves working with children–at our wonderful, local nature and science center to begin his first stint as a summer camp “counselor in training.” He was thrilled and had been eagerly awaiting this day. But, when we arrived, we were surprised to learn he got moved to a different group and would be working with much younger kids than he expected. Additionally, the senior counselor-who he was looking forward to bonding with over the next two weeks–would be out part of this week for training so a sub was in place. I found myself reacting (I have so hoped this will be a wonderful experience for him) and then … exhaling.

Could I just be with what is?

Last Friday I led an Embracing the Wild Unknown Self-Renewal Retreat for women in mid-life and beyond (look for details on my new Sept. telecourse around this theme!). It was an authentic, soulful group of women and many were honest enough to share they were hoping to leave that day with answers to their big questions: What direction should I take my career? Should I stay at my job? Is my marriage sustainable? How can I lower my stress and enhance my health? What do I most desire in the second half of life?  But at the end when we all went around the circle and shared our “pearl” for the day, most found they were walking away with a newfound sweetness and acceptance to just “be with what is.”

I could relate.

I can feel my business and work shifting in subtle ways. As someone who for years has helped others find clarity/focus and is used to experiencing this in abundance herself–I now find myself swimming in the same murky waters of uncertainty.

When I’m asking “What’s next?” and I find myself fidgeting uncomfortably and trying to avoid the present moment, I find the following questions helpful:
-What self-care practices help me be with what is? (For me, almost always, it’s breathing …and meditation and yoga.)
-Who in my life supports me in being with what is? (Who are those friends that let me show up “warts and all” and help me remember who I really am?)
-Can I let go, trust and believe that there is perfection in this moment and I -and those I love–are exactly where we need to be?
-If I were to extend words of comfort to myself–like I would to a dear friend–what would I say? What is it I most need to hear right now? (Tapping the wisdom of our Wise Selves is always helpful. Read more.)

The word that keep gracing my lips these days is TRUTH: let me see and hear what I am not seeing and hearing about my life, work and relationships. I think integral to this is having the willingness to sit, listen deeply and embrace exactly where we are right now. To ignore our overgrown lawns, “shoulds,” and buzzing phones and to simply be with what is. (Resonate with this topic? Read more about Being with What Is.)

GET SUPPORT:  Ready to stop struggling and find peace and self-acceptance for where you are right now?  Join like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing and empowering environment!  July 10-12 I’ll be in the  cool Berkshire Mountains of MA at my favorite retreat center (the largest in North America): Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for New Way of Being: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat. Lodging is almost sold out–register today!  P.S. Kripalu not in your budget this year? Take a mini online retreat!

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by mindfulness speaker/author and Career Strategists president, Renée Peterson Trudeau. Offering custom self-renewal workshops/retreats, training, books/telecourses and individual career coaching her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Spirituality & Health and more. Thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining Personal Renewal 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 13 year-old son. More on her background here.