If you follow my tweets, you already know. I just returned from a 5 day retreat, to (as tweeted) “pause, get pampered, and ponder what’s next.”
I was bordering on burn out, and needed to get away. It wasn’t burn out in the normal sense… I wasn’t exhausted, depressed, or down on my work. I was just ‘blah’, as in: there’s no creative juice left in this orange… I was squeezed dry.
My coach, Martha Lynn Walker, told me what to do: “get away by yourself,” she said. “You’re too into ‘doing.’ You need time for ‘being.’” That was last Thursday.
You know how, when something is right, the seas seem to part? That’s what happened to me. I found the perfect spot within 2 hours driving distance. Unfortunately, it was booked solid. Magically, a room became available an hour later. Within 24 hours, I was unpacked, settled in, gazing at the water view, journal in hand… just ‘ being.’
My intention: to breakthrough my blahs… get my mojo back! I had no idea how… but as I always say; “when the intention is strong, the ‘how’ always shows up.”
Immediately, I had a realization. Well, it wasn’t really new… but I always ignored it. It was something I’ve long wanted to do, but couldn’t get myself to do it.
What I realized: I rarely blog about me. I rarely share my innermost thoughts or my personal journey… especially around money. Even though that’s the whole point of a blog, right? But I was scared, resistant. I’m great at writing other people’s stories or reporting facts and observations. Self exposure, however, felt scary, vulnerable.
Which made the next step obvious… I have to face my resistance by revealing myself. So that’s what I want to do, starting now.
I’m going to use the next couple of blogs to tell you about my retreat and my revelations. What’s more, I suspect what I learned about myself could inspire many of you. It certainly inspired me… I’m back to business, mojo intact.
Barbara Stanny
The leading authority on women & money
barbara@barbarastanny.com
www.barbarastanny.com
Sign up for Barbara’s free newsletter at
http://barbarastanny.com/inner-circle-join.html
July 22, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed your time away. I try to take that type of retreat at least twice a year. It’s marvelous! I’m finding it more difficult to find places without internet access, though, which is my downfall. Keep me offline and I have a much better chance of just “being.”
July 27, 2009 at 5:40 am
Great self-awareness! I think you’ll find that your readers will respond extremely positively to your personal journey.
In my own blogging trends, I do a mix of how-to type content along with more personal musings. I always get a huge batch of emails after I write about something in my personal life! Not only do people enjoy getting to know you better, but they then also share their stories.
Looking forward to more!