4 questions I’m asking before I leap into 2018

The weeks before and after New Year’s Day were hard. Really hard. As a result, I’ve been moving at a snail’s pace when it comes to envisioning and preparing for 2018. I feel I’m still releasing 2017, digesting all the challenging lessons and trying on new ways of being as I tiptoe into the next twelve months. That said, I do appreciate the opportunity January brings for belly-button gazing and contemplation.

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 2017? This could be a personal life lesson or one related to your career or professional path.
2. What do I need to acknowledge or celebrate from 2017 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. How do I want to BE in 2018 (read more)? As I get older, I’m much more interested in how I want to BE than what I want to DO.  This year, I’ve invited in my friend Kindness to accompany me on my journey.
4. What do I need to set myself up to be successful in 2018? Imagine it’s New Year’s eve 2018. 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.”

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 gestate and sit with the question, “What is uniquely mine to do?”  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.

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

• Join me April 20-22 at 1440 Multiversity in CA 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 2018 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!
• Are you a homebody? Winter is the perfect time to enjoy one of my self-paced teleclasses from the cozy comfort of your own home, bathtub or favorite spot by the fire. Learn more.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by mindfulness coach/speaker/author Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find their center through the art/science of self-care, 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 self-care curriculum.  She is the author of  three books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 15 year-old son. More on her background here.