What are you refusing to see?

This past weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended a blogging conference. I like nudging myself to try new things and while I’m fairly tech-savvy, this uber-plugged in scene was not my typical playground (one of my goals in life is to spend as little time online as possible).

As part of the day’s offerings, I attended a “Room for Improvement” session where I got to sit down with two seasoned web design gurus and receive feedback on my web site. They basically shredded my beloved site (newly redesigned in 2013) and dictated a long list of the many user interface/design issues they saw. I left the day feeling deflated, exhausted and that night I distracted myself from this onslaught of uncomfortable feelings by numbing out at a movie with a friend and buttered popcorn.

But by Sunday, I had done a 180. Some of the despair was still there, but I also acknowledged that a)deep down I had been aware of these issues for quite a while, b)I had been turning a blind eye to the problems because they were too overwhelming/expensive/painful (I could go on and on) to address and finally, c)this feedback to clean up and clarify my online presence and how I serve others, was a GIFT.

Yep, a gift. I am very mindful about my energy and when people visit my site and aren’t clear on what I do and how I can serve them, this is a huge negative for both of us.

I’m still sorting through all this information and all the feelings it’s stirred up (trying to remember feeling = healing) but I’m grateful the veil has been lifted.

Perhaps you’ve been navigating a tough time and there’s something in your life, work, business or relationships you’re avoiding or not seeing? Put on your big girl (or boy) panties, grab a journal/pen and consider the following:
1. What is most important to me at my current life stage (what do I most value or want more of)?
2. Who or what in my life am I avoiding (perhaps it’s getting your financial house, marriage, job search or health in order)?
3. What am I refusing to see or hear about my life–what is my life trying to tell me (hint: look at what’s not working)?
4. If I asked my Wise Self (read more) where I should be focusing my energy, what would he/she say?

I encourage you to bring in lots of compassion, ask for support from trusted friends and know that sometimes we’re ready to hear the hard stuff–and sometimes we’re not.  We’re all doing the best we can where we are. Let me know how I can help; we’re all in this together.

I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT YOU:  We created a new simple page to highlight the primary ways I can assist you in practicing self-care and living more intentionally: check it out. And, if you’re considering joining me Oct. 23-25 at the beautiful Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for New Way of Being: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat–book your room tonight at www.Kriplau.org. Lodging is almost completely sold out. Colorful leaves+mountains=fall bliss!

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance teacher/author and Career Strategists president, Renée Peterson Trudeau. Offering speaking, custom workshops, training, books/telecourses and individual coaching focusing on self-renewal for women, 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 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 13 year-old son. More on her background here.