4 questions I’m asking before I leap into 2017

I love the month of January in many ways. As a coach/speaker/author who has spent almost 30 years studying, writing and teaching in the area of human potential and transformational growth, this window of time–ripe with possibility–always excites me. And this year in particular, feels like it brings with it an invitation to step into new ways of seeing, being and relating to one another–and to ourselves. 2017 is a chance to start over and enjoy a clean slate.

Here are four questions I’m asking myself, my family and my clients as we move into this fresh, New Year:

1. What did I learn about myself in 2016? This could be a personal life lesson or one related to your career or professional path.
2. What do I need to embrace, remember and celebrate from 2016 AND what do I need to release and let move on down the river?  In transition? Be gentle on yourself and read support tips here.
3. What is uniquely mine to do in 2017? This speaks to your calling and life purpose. Just sitting with this big question may begin to stir up some interesting terrain. What awaits you at the intersection of your passions + gifts?
4. What do I need to set myself up to be successful in 2017? Imagine it’s New Year’s eve 2017. What type of support did you call in to help you manifest your intentions over the last 12 months? What self-care practices did you adopt to help you function at your optimum?

Yesterday, with quite a bit of reluctance, I turned down a work-life effectiveness speaking opportunity for March. It looked exciting, challenging, juicy, fun and potentially very lucrative–right up my alley. But as I sat with this opportunity I kept hearing one of my key mantras, “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.” March is already very full for me and my intuition keeps whispering, “Don’t over-schedule–you need more space this year to be able to respond to the ‘unplanned’–especially this year.”

If I took on this new client-on top of my current workload–it would consume a lot of my time and creative energy and leave very little space for me to envision, plan and gestate “What’s next,” (I’m sitting with some big ideas right now). And I would have cheated myself out of the opportunity to open up to–and be fully present for– what I know is coming, but I’m not yet able to see.

*NEW* AUSTIN OFFERING FOR SEASONED ENTREPRENEURS: Later this month, I’ll be launching a new way for seasoned, creative, soulful, self-employed Central Texas women to gather, connect, learn from, inspire and uplift one another in 2017. UNLEASHED: Mastermind Workshops for Enlightened Entrepreneurs is limited to 50 women and these monthly “drop in” workshops are invitation only (you need to have at least 7 years being self-employed).  At the end of this month, we’ll be exploring Big Magic: Bringing Your Ideas Into the World. Email info at reneetrudeau dot com to request an invite and share a bit about your work. I’d love to meet you!

CLARITY & DISCERNMENT: I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT YOU! Here are some upcoming offerings to explore:

• Join me Feb. 3-5 at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (Lenox, MA) for Embracing the Wild Unknown: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat; ideal for women in transition asking, “What’s next?” learn more. 
• Ready to start choosing love in 2017 and watch your relationships transform? Learn more about becoming a RTA-Certified Facilitator and leading self-renewal groups for women in your community. Love is contagious!
• Join our team! Know a savvy junior or senior communications student in Austin TX who is interested in supporting women? Learn more about our Spring 2017 Communications Internship-we’re interviewing now!

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance and self-care 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 14 year-old son. More on her background here.