Have you ever taken yourself on retreat?
Retreats are one of the important topics I cover in my book- The Successful Coaches Business Development Planner- but retreats are not just for coaches. They are for everyone.
Some of you are old pros at retreats- take this as a reminder to get your next one scheduled if you haven’t already.
If you are new to the idea of taking your own retreat, there are only a few rules and you can break those, too! And depending upon the season of life you are in, they will possibly look differently.
A retreat can be:
One hour
Half Day
Full Day
Several Days
You can do retreats:
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Mid Year
New Year
And really whenever you want to take one to get re-centered, refreshed and renewed.
Retreats can be for personal development, quiet time and rest, overall life strategy, introspection, business reflection and planning.
Retreats can be held:
At a cafe or coffee shop. (And coffee shop hopping is fun!)
At a hotel in town or out of town.
Out in nature.
In town.
Out of town.
Just make sure wherever you are is an environment with good energy that inspires you. You can do a retreat at home, although switching up your environment is good for creativity and focus. Get out of your comfort zone, which being at home is for many of us.
The few rules I go by are doing retreats alone- unless you are doing a team retreat. Have a rough agenda for your time, but also be flexible if something really starts to flow- keep with it and rewrite your agenda. Have some over arching takeaways you would like to achieve and plan your time accordingly. Plan in breaks and exercise.
My retreats always include good rest, meditation and writing. Weave in some things that give you energy and help you to stay grounded, especially if you are doing personal growth work which takes a lot of energy. Being grounded will help.
Eat healthfully, but definitely include treats sprinkled throughout! Food, to me, is important to a good retreat.
Schedule them ahead- especially if you want to go stay somewhere. I booked the place I am at as I write this back in January when they were running special book ahead deals.
If you are uncomfortable, know that that is a catalyst in itself. There have been several retreats where I have been alone and had a lot of emotion at the beginning- especially after being at home 24/7 during the height of the pandemic. It worked its way through me and I let it knowing it was a lot of pent up stuff just releasing.
Today- schedule your first retreat of any kind. Follow the guidelines I have mentioned here to create what suites you best right now. And then get excited.
Let what happens happen. Sometimes I feel like I did nothing, sometimes I have a breakthrough, sometimes I needed a break, sometimes I reconfirm things. Resist the want to judge yourself. Just let it be and keep pointing yourself at something you want to achieve.
I realize that I sometimes plan more than time allows, things might take longer than I expected. I am now looking for progress. Progress not perfection.