Pause. Are you living from the inside-out?

Stop whatever you’re doing. Pause. Close your eyes. Place your hand over your chest and take a deep breath. Allow your thoughts to settle like dancing flakes in a snow globe. Then, connect with the wisest part of you.

Have you been making choices based on your inner GPS and your own true knowing … or are you allowing the news, a family member or coworker, or something else to dictate how you respond?

It’s a whole new world. As we speak, millions of us are hitting the pause button and reflecting on what’s really important in life. We’re realizing our external environment—our health, our financial state, our jobs, our marriages, our homes—can change in an instant. 

How can we create a true sense of safety and security when everything around us seems so crazy and uncertain? How can we align our choices and actions with our core values and what matters most to us? Where should our attention be focused and what’s the best use of our precious energy?

When you take time to cultivate an inner world that’s as big as your outer world (whether that’s through prayer, meditation, stillness, journaling or other contemplative practices), your life will begin to change in radical, positive ways.  You’ll feel calmer and more grounded and centered. You’ll experience a greater sense of purpose and your productivity will increase. Living from the inside-out can look different for each of us, but some essential aspects may include:

• Living, working and parenting more intentionally, and creating circumstances that support you in responding rather than always reacting to events and crises (this is why self-care is key!).
• Living a life that is driven by internal values, as opposed to external or societal trends; this means listening to your wise self, trusting your intuition, and mindfully choosing who you talk to and when.
• Living from a place of peace and love rather than a place of fear, and making decisions from a place of compassion rather than judgment.
• Slowing down, practicing mindfulness and saying no to what drains you, so you can say yes to what matters most.
• Pausing to recognize your needs and desires; asking for and allowing yourself to receive help.
• Practicing self-compassion and cultivating the ability to be gentle with yourself.
• Consciously choosing to be around others who live inside-out and are more interested in who you are than what you do or have.

My favorite quote from the German philosopher Goethe is taped to my computer: “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Slow down. Unplug from the news cycle. Surround yourself with reminders to connect with what matters most. Do less. Take time to consciously build a community of friends, colleagues and mentors who also believe that living a life of meaning starts with living more intentionally. From the inside-out.

Check out our Live Inside Out movement  (and hop over to my Live Inside Out FB page) for more ideas.

SEEKING SUPPORT FOR SELF-CARE & RESILIENCY? HERE ARE TWO OPPORTUNITIES:

• Consider hiring me to create a workshop to help your team, organization or employees feel less stressed and more resilient, energized and focused. My primary work is speaking to professionals worldwide on how to find balance through practicing the art/science of self-care. Whether it’s an in-person workshop, keynote or via a Zoom call, I’d love to support you now or in the future. Learn more here.
• It’s OK to look ahead! Envision yourself with me at a 2020 self-renewal retreat. Come fill your well, get clear on what’s next for you and sink into connection & support with like-minded women (my next retreat is July 17-19 in CA). Learn more.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance & mindfulness author/speaker Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art/science of self-care, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 400 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups and women’s retreats based on her work. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 18-year-old son. More on Renee here.