Why Go On a Women’s Retreat Weekend?

Have you ever thought that you have talents and skills that you are not using? That even though your life is good or maybe even great, that there could be more? Are you certain what your life’s purpose is? Are you excited when you wake up in the morning because your life is filled with purpose and passion? Do you emanate joy to the people in your life and those you encounter in your day? Do you feel like you are living your best life? If not, can you imagine what your best life would be?

These are all questions that I have asked myself. To me, they are the really big questions and they resonate with me. I think I have a great life and I am grateful for all the beauty and joy in my life. Practicing gratitude is something that enriches my life and sense of happiness. But I think I can be grateful and appreciative for my life and still ask myself, “Is there something more…” Is there something more that I can learn? About myself? About others? About the world? About life? Of course there is. And learning more about myself and things that can benefit me and others is part of my purpose. That is something that fuels my life. What are some things that fuel your life? What do you wish you had more of in life? What do you wish you could do more of, be more of? What would you like to give to others?

I think these are questions that are worth exploring. But how do you do that when most of the minutes of your day are spoken for before you have a chance to think of anything. How do you carve out time to reflect on the meaning of your life when you are in constant motion?

I think that is the purpose a retreat serves. What is a retreat? The word retreat has different definitions, but generally speaking, it means to withdraw or step back. Many spiritual communities have traditional practices of retreating from daily life to focus on their spiritual growth.

Today, going on a retreat can be for a variety of purposes such as spiritual, health, personal, business and so on. But all of them are to give participants an opportunity to step back from the busyness of their daily routine and reflect on their life. After time to reflect and recharge, participants can refocus on what matters most in life.

A women’s retreat is specifically for promoting and nurturing women. Many women are busy juggling the needs of their families, careers, and communities, so their own needs often fall to the bottom of the list.

Taking time to go on a retreat means putting yourself at the top of your list, for at least a weekend. It’s an opportunity to nurture yourself and think about what you really want in life. It’s a chance to revisit dreams you had in the past or explore new ideas. It’s also an opportunity to appreciate yourself for all your unique attributes and gifts and envisioning a way to use your life to the fullest. You are the architect of your own life, but it won’t look like your ideal vision unless you consciously plan it.

As you go through the various stages of life, your dreams and needs change. The vision for one period of your life will change as you move into another stage. If you are in a time of transition, it is the perfect time to envision how you would like the next stage of life to unfold. It is an opportunity to reinvent yourself.

Taking the time to appreciate yourself, learn more about yourself and envision the life you want, is a great use of your time and resources. You will have more clarity and a greater ability to live a life you love living. And it will benefit everyone in your life. It is not selfish to be the best version of yourself possible. It is the most generous and inspiring thing you can do!

Whether or not you decide to go on a retreat weekend, consider investing some time and energy in yourself and thinking of ways to live your life to your fullest potential. There is greatness in every person and it manifests differently for each of us. You were given the many gifts in your life for a reason and you feel your best when you are using them.

If you are looking for a women’s retreat, the Dream Your Dreams Women’s Retreat is a fabulous retreat taking place at the luxurious Rimrock Resort in Banff, October 14^th-16th

Visit www.dreamyourdreams.ca or email dreamyourdreams@outlook.com for more details.

Starting...

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Sometimes the road to our goals and dreams seems so daunting and unachievable, that it is easier to never take a step down that road. But I was introduced to a concept in books and courses years ago that I often refer back to. Everything that exists today, was once a thought. Not so long ago, we didn't have smart phones, computers, the internet and the list goes on. Someone had to have thought of these ideas before they came into existence.

The same is true of the results in our lives. Before we could have a job, car, home, our own family, we had to have thoughts about them before they existed. Sometimes we choose the results in our lives consciously and sometimes unconsciously. If we don't take the time to think about what we want to see in our lives, then our results might not be what we would ideally like. But if we make conscious decisions about what we want to see in our lives, the chances of them coming true are that much greater.

You don't have to know how your are going to make a dream come true at the beginning. It starts with the idea. Then it is the decision to try, to take action and do something about it, that moves us down that road. Even one small, tiny step in the direction of your goal, is a step closer to achieving it.

When I was young, I used to say that one day I was going to write a book. I don't know why I said this or why I wanted to do it. I didn't know what the book would be about, but I loved the idea that one day I would be an author of a book. I tried doing some writing in my late teens and early twenties, but I didn't go very far because I didn't have something that I really wanted to write. I got busy with other things in my life and that dream sat dormant.

Then when I was in my 30s, a friend of mine invited me to her book launch party. I was so happy for her. I remembered how I had wanted to write a book and was inspired by my friend having the gumption to fullfill her dream. At that point in my life, my children were so little, I couldn't imagine stringing a coherent sentence together, never mind writing a book. But then I met another friend who was writing a book too! What are the odds that I would have two friends who wrote books. This friend had children the same age as my children and she told me that she had hired a babysitter one day a week and she would go to the library and work on her book for the full day. I thought that was a brilliant idea, but I still didn't have an idea about what I would write. Then I met an interesting woman, who was my sister-in-law's best friend, on a girls' weekend. This woman's family history intrigued me and inspired the idea for the novel I would write.

But I still didn't have a babysitter and couldn't imagine finding someone for one day a week. Out of nowhere, one of my neighbours told me about an amazing lady who cared for her children one day a week who might have availability. So I hired the babysitter, wrote an outline for my story and wrote one chapter each week. I didn't know if this was the right way to go about writing a novel, but it seemed to work. Each week I felt so grateful for this project and eventually I completed the novel. Of course then I didn't know how to go about publishing it. At that time I met a woman who was a life coach and suggested she could coach me through the process of publishing my book, which she did! I published my book, Gypsy Dreams, and had my book launch party in March of 2013!

That book launch party was a moment I held in my mind throughout the process. To me it was the the moment of completion of my dream. When I look back to the beginning of that idea in my childhood, to a more fully formed dream, to actually starting, I feel as though I was guided. Every time I needed help with moving forward, something or someone came into my life to help.

There is a certain magic in having a dream, getting it clear in your mind and then starting! Just taking one small step in the direction of your dream moves you one step closer. With each step forward, you build momentum. You may encounter roadblocks or be redirected, but just the process of moving in the direction of your dream opens up a world of possibility that didn't exist before you took the first step.

Challenge yourself to take a step in the direction of your dream today. I guarantee, just taking even a small step will feel great. You don't have to have all the answers. Trust that the right person, or opportunity or idea will come to you when you need it. They will show up if you are looking for them.

Please share any steps you decide to take or any 'wins' on taking action to move toward realizing your dreams. I'd love to hear them!

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Sooo Grateful!!!

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I know that I live a good life. For that I am grateful to my husband, my parents, my children my friends. spirituality, life...

I have become aware that gratitude is a practice. The more I notice reasons to be grateful, the more grateful and happier I become. And it is such an easy thing to do, when you pay attention. Having a drink of cold water on a hot day is a huge thing to be grateful for. A comfortable place to sleep, enough food to eat, people to share a meal with. If I pay attention to everything I can be grateful for in a day, I am overwhelmed.

Living in Calgary, Canada in the winter is not always something people are grateful for. Growing up, I used to wish I lived in Vancouver or somewhere in California or Hawaii. It would be nice to live somewhere where the temperature never reaches minus 30 degrees celsius! And now that I am older, I can't imagine being more grateful for where I live. Every day that I drive my kids to school or hockey, I drive through the beautiful landscape to the west of Calgary, facing the pristine Rocky Mountains. I pass by large fields of grassland with cows or horses. The clear blue sky kisses the horizon line and it seems I could want for nothing more.

Is my life perfect - of course not. That is not something that anyone can boast of, nor should even aspire to. But even in the most challenging times of my life, there have been many things for me to be grateful for and I believe that to be true for everyone.

I believe practicing gratitude on a continual basis is one of the surest, easiest ways to improve your happiness in life. A few years ago, I started a gratitude journal (I got the idea from Oprah so it was bound to be good). Every day, I write 5 things that I am grateful for. On some of my worst days, I may list going to bed as something I am grateful for. On other days, I will write more than 5 items because I can't contain my gratitude to such a small list. This practice forces me to be aware of the many blessings in my life.

I challenge you to keep a gratitude journal for 3 weeks. Let me know how your experiment goes. I believe it will improve your happiness and the quality of your life. What do you have to lose other than a couple of minutes each day? Try it - you'll like it!

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Making the Right Choice?

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I took a series of personal development courses in my late teens and early twenties that focussed on the idea that our lives are a product of our choices. When life is going well, that concept sounds great. When life is challenging, that concept seems like a judgement. It also puts a lot of pressure on us to make the "right choices."

Now that I am older and have more life experiences to reflect on, I do believe that my choices have led me to where I am today. Some of my choices were good and others weren't, but all of them taught me things. The patterns of my choices have also taught me things. When think of choices I made  to play it safe or give up, I look back with some regrets. When look at choices I made that were brave and forced me out of my comfort zone, I feel proud of myself. Even when those choices didn't lead exactly where I thought they would, those were the times I grew the most.

Recently, I have debating a choice about whether to take a course. It is something I would like to do, but it is expensive and will take time away from my family and could lead me on a path that will significantly change my life. When I look at the pros and cons, I can see that I am really hesitating because of fear, (fear of an unknown future, of wasting money, of wasting time, of change, etc.). If I take the course and my fears prove true, I think I will still come out a winner because I will have learned something new that will change my perspective. I will have also faced my fears, which always leads to growth.

Is there something that you would like to do in your life right now that your are avoiding because of fear? If you are struggling with a decision, you probably know deep down what you really want. I like the quote below from Nelson Mandela, "May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears."

That helped me make my choice, (yes to taking the course)! I hope it helps you make your choice(s) too!

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YOU are wonderful just as you are!

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I like this quote because we are bombarded with so much information these days. We are constantly being given the message that we should be "more productive, thinner, better looking, richer, funnier, sexier, healthier." We might want to be some of those things and we can aspire to make those changes...if we want.

I love challenging myself to be the best person I can be. That often leads to setting new goals or challenges for myself. But I start at a place where I appreciate myself for who I am right now. We are like tiny seedlings. We will only grow if we are nurtured and given the right nutrients.

Feed yourself with positive affirmations. Love yourself for who you are right now and for who you can become. You have your own unique aspects of who you are. Celebrate them. Use them to benefit yourself and others. Become your own best cheerleader and laugh at yourself if you make a mistake. When you love yourself as you are, you have the confidence to do great things with your life - not to please others or because you should, but because you want to and you know you can. Believing in yourself starts with appreciating yourself (imperfections and all). None of us are perfect. We're not meant to be perfect. We are meant to be the best expressions of ourselves.

Enjoy being your You-est You! Write down 5 things you like about yourself. Then do something nice for yourself today. Try treating yourself like you would treat your best friend.

When you like yourself, life is joyful.