What makes you come alive?

I went out to a local brewery last night to have a beer with a new friend. I loved her openness, honesty and how quickly we were able to connect around what matters most to us! These days, my favorite question to ask people I meet (whether I’ve known them for 20 years or 20 minutes) is: What makes you come alive? I love watching their faces soften and lighten. Often, just pondering this question, infuses them with a youthful vitality as they expand into what is possible.

In 2020,  after my husband and I became empty-nesters, we made a bold change–one that had been in the works for years. We found a permanent home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.  I fell in love with this region in 2014 when I came to Asheville to do a book signing. The ancient mountains, powerful waterfalls and rivers and sea of towering trees, make me feel on fire creatively and more “me” than anywhere else I’ve lived.

What makes you come alive?

What makes your body vibrate and quiver with LIFE?  It doesn’t have to be a big life change like mine; it could be a small noticing (one of the things that most lights me up here is hearing the owls in the middle of the night) or it could be pushing yourself to dare to envision a lifestyle you’ve never imagined. 

For many right now, the days feel rote (understandable in this COVID era). When I check in with my brother on how he’s doing, he often texts back, “Groundhog Day.” I understand. And I’m a big believer, that when we change our environment (and our routine), we change our thoughts. 

Ready to feel more wild and less “safe”? When I do these things, I feel more alive! Try:

• saying “yes” more than you say “no” (or at the least, pausing before you say “no!”)
• taking risks and trying things you wouldn’t normally do (rock climbing with friends or learning how to play the guitar)
• doing it different whenever you can: walk a fresh route, change your work schedule, volunteer (read how this impacts our brain)
• challenging yourself to stretch and get out of your comfort zone as often as possible (I’m about to start a new business at 55!)
• living in the present as much as you can (when we “be here now” and access all of our senses—we feel more awake and alive!

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”   Howard Thurman – author, philosopher, educator.   This week reflect on what makes you come alive. 

HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOU? CHECK OUT THESE UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES: 

• *NEW!* Join me Sat., April 24th from 1:30-5:30 ET for REBIRTH: A Soulful Self-Renewal Retreat ~A virtual/online experience. I’d love to support you in finding more clarity/focus and joy around “What’s next?” for you. Learn more here.

• **NEW! For NC Self-Employed Women** Live in Western NC and run your own business?  Join me for a small in-person Mastermind Group this spring in Brevard, NC (just south of Asheville) for women who are birthing something new or who are self-employed. We’ll meet twice a month; I’ve been coaching women entrepreneurs for 20+ years. To receive details on this powerful, invitation-only small group experience email renee at reneetrudeau dot com.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist 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, AARP, 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 for women based on her pioneering work. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life.  She and her husband live in Western North Carolina and Austin, Texas and are enjoying a new empty nest. More on Renee here.