Yes. Many Things Are True At Once

Shakespeare said, “Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Perspective is everything.

Around the country, many are experiencing deep frustration, pain and despair right now. Others are expanding hopefully into what is possible in their lives and for the collective (I am supporting Vice President Harris for president and caught a powerful call to action from best-selling author Glennon Doyle last Thursday; regardless of your politics, watch it and ask: What is uniquely mine to do at this pivotal point in history?).

And, most of us are dancing with both.

I ran into a friend yesterday that I hadn’t seen in a long time. She asked how I was doing. I paused (I’m a get real or go home gal; I tell you how I’m really doing). I recalled a recent painful family conversation AND my unbridled excitement about a new creative collaboration. I smiled, recollecting these highs and lows, and said, “You know, many things are true at once.”

Like many, I was radically impacted professionally by COVID. The last four years had an enormous impact on my international speaking career. And, I’ve never felt more alive, hopeful about the future and excited about the new partnerships I’m cultivating.

The concept of living with extreme opposite feelings—or what I like to call polarities—is not new. From as far back as we can remember, we’ve been fascinated with the balance between light and dark, contraction and expansion, life and death and how close tears are to laughter. Polarities are everywhere.

In fact, those of us in the fields of mindfulness, neuroscience and leadership believe polarity—creating consciously from wholeness—is the key to unleashing enormous untapped potential.

Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, says, “The dualistic mind is essentially binary, either/or thinking. It knows by comparison, opposition, and differentiation. It uses descriptive words like good/evil, pretty/ugly, smart/stupid, not realizing there may be a hundred degrees between the two ends of each spectrum. The dualistic mind limits our ability to feel fully as it cannot process things like infinity, mystery, God, grace, suffering, sexuality, death or love.”

If we are able to hold opposite feelings and experiences: frustrations—that are very real—and our highest aspirations, we open ourselves up to a vast space of possibility: to the great wide open.

I encourage you to pause and be open to the many gifts that can come from this mindset. Pull up two chairs and invite the extremes you’re experiencing to tea. What would they share? As you consider the concept of polarities, you might ask yourself:

• What are the current polarities I’m observing in my life/career/relationships?
• Which end of the spectrum do I tend to gravitate towards (continuously hopeful/optimistic or chronically negative and discouraged)?
• Am I comfortable holding extreme emotional states in the same space or do I want them at opposite ends of the building?!
• If I were to describe this dance (of extremes) would it be a waltz or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller?”
• What opportunities might come forth from “being” with both extremes (i.e. shifts, new perspectives, ideas, etc.)?

As you compassionately examine areas of your life where polarities exist, consider what brilliant breakthroughs might be awaiting if you’re willing to start pausing, becoming curious, listening more and including “and” as often as you include “or” in your debates.  Especially now. Many things are true at once.

Warmly,

HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOU OR YOUR TEAM IN FINDING BALANCE & RESILIENCY? HERE ARE SOME IDEAS!

• 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 video 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.
• SANCTUARY: A Women’s Self-Renewal Journey ~  *ONE SPOT JUST OPENED!* September – November.  Learn to cultivate grace, power and intuition in a safe and sacred space. A 10-week, in-person Self-Renewal Group Experience for women.  Location: Brevard, NC, 45 min. from Asheville. Please inquire if there is space. 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,  August 4th 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. Learn more: Women’s Empowerment Fall 2024 Communications Internship.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker and catalyst 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 and women’s retreats 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, Yoga Journal, AARP Magazine, 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.