Get Real. How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Recently I got a call from an old career coaching client. Her company had presented her with a yet-to-be flushed out dream opportunity, but she was so hyper-focused on finalizing details of the job description, she was missing the bigger picture: a diamond ring had just landed in her lap! After I helped her see the 30,000 foot view, walk in her boss’s shoes for a moment and realize what this leap could mean to her career trajectory long-term, she moved from frustrated to exhilarated. Her life-long tendency to obsess over the details almost cost her an incredible, life-changing opportunity!

Having worked in the field of coaching, leadership development and human potential since 1996, I’ve noticed that people with a high degree of self-awareness tend to roll with the punches, know how to leverage their strengths, are more comfortable taking risks and often find it easier to cultivate self-compassion for their shortcomings.

COVID had a huge impact on my ability to travel and speak (this is how I put bread on the table). This challenge invited me to revisit old mental train stops I hadn’t been to in years! Watching myself on my worst days, was like viewing a fish out of water. As a strategist and visionary, I value efficiency and am keen on using my energy and talents in the most effective way possible. The pandemic asked me to let go of goals, practice “good is good enough,” tap my creativity like never before, and surrender and let go. This opportunity turned into an enormous blessing.

And, knowing how I’m wired really helped me weather this period with greater ease. 

What makes you tick? There are many different career/personality assessments with clients (we really like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC Assessment, but there are many more). Check with your human resources department or university alumni career services office for help or find a great career coach (check with your friends for recommendations). Regarding individual therapy (read 5 tips for finding a therapist), I really like Somatic Experiencing, Imago, and system assessments like the Enneagram and 5 Love Languages can be helpful tools. Working with a leadership or business coach can also be illuminating.

I challenge you to do some belly button gazing this week; learning more about your make-up takes inquisitiveness and courage (if you live in Western NC, join me for a free workshop on Wed. 9/11). Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What do you need to be successful at work? In your relationships?
• What is your best time of day (and your worst)? When are you most productive?
• What self-limiting habits keep you from living fully and owning your power?
• Describe the “lens” through which you see life. Are you an optimist or a pessimist by nature?
• What are three words your close friends would use to describe you?

One of my favorite quotes from author Wayne Dyer is, “Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” Perspective is everything!

Warmly,

FOUR WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WELL-BEING A PRIORITY: I’D LOVE TO HELP! 

• October 25 – 27th ~ Soul Tending: Cultivating Grace, Power and Intuition ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (Berkshire Mountains, Western MA).  From stillness comes discernment. Your soul is calling, are you listening? Join me for connection, replenishing rest, divine natural foods cuisine, song/movement, restorative yoga and more. Packages start at just $635 for this soul-nurturing weekend. Learn more and register.
• *NEW OFFERING!* Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats in Uncertain Times ~ the training course. Are you passionate about empowering other women in your area? Would you love to lead women’s groups/retreats this fall?  Connection = medicine. Created by Renee, this beautiful, self-paced video course–based on our wildly popular, now-retired 18-year-old Facilitator Training Program–offers everything you need to start facilitating women’s circles/retreats. Download today; available 24/7. Only $195 for a limited time. Learn more.
• Wild Souls Nature Adventures (based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC): authentic movement classes, community song circles, full moon hikes, meditation workshops, women’s circles & more. New offerings listed each week; have me design a custom experience for your team/friends. Join us Sunday, Sept. 15th for our next Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class near Asheville, NC. Learn more.
• JOB OPENING: Women’s Empowerment Communications Internship! Know a savvy, professional junior or senior communications student? We have a wonderful, rare opportunity (virtual or in-person) just outside of Asheville, NC. Interviewing now. Learn more: Women’s Empowerment Fall 2024 Communications Internship.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by mindfulness 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, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, AARP, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. 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 their son lives in New York City; her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.