One of the best life hacks: know yourself!
The words, “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are,” flooded in this morning.
My coaching/consulting firm is in the midst of some structural/staff changes and I’m watching myself flail like a fish out of water without a full support team in place. I’m an ENTJ if you know Myers Briggs speak–a strategist and a visionary; I value efficiency, hate wasting time and am keen on using my energy and talents in the most effective way possible. This transition is requiring me to practice “good is good enough,” problem-solve, tame technical dragons galore, do less, ask for help and trust and let go.
How well do you know yourself?
Easy? No! But I’m keeping my sense of humor and remembering how off-balance I get when I don’t have the support I need. It’s actually kind of comical: picture a music conductor trying to guide their orchestra with only the horns section in place! And yes, it’s requiring me to revisit old mental train stops I haven’t been to in years.
How are you wired? Our sister company Career Strategists uses a few career/personality assessments with clients (we really like the StrengthsFinder 2.0, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC Assessment, but there are many more. Check with your university alumni career services office for help or (shameless plug) reach out to our senior coach Angela for a complimentary consult). Regarding individual therapy (read 5 tips for finding a therapist), I really like Somatic Experiencing, Imago, and even assessments like the Enneagram and 5 Love Languages, can be helpful tools. You can find a list of our favorite career exploration books on our Inspiration Cafe, as well.
I challenge you to do some belly button gazing. Learning about what makes you tick takes inquisitiveness and courage. Here are a few questions to get you started:
-What do you need to be successful at work? In family life?
-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 (read more)?
-Describe the “lens” through which you see life? Are you’re an optimist or a pessimist by nature?
-What are three words your close friends would use to describe you?
One of my favorite quotes is from author Wayne Dyer is, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” Perspective is everything!
HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOU? HERE ARE TWO OPPORTUNITIES:
- Schedule me to plan/facilitate a custom workshop or retreat for your company, team or organization on work-life balance, resiliency or self-renewal. Learn more and email me at workshops@reneetrudeau.com to discuss your next event.
- Renew, replenish and recharge with like-minded women at a winter self-renewal retreat. In transition and seeking clarity/support and a weekend of deep to-the-bones renewal? Join me Jan. 24-26 at Kripalu in the MA Berkshire Mountains (highly recommended!) for my New Way of Being Retreat.
Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by mindfulness teacher 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, 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 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 17-year-old son. More on Renee here.
