So many wonderful things happened during our recent Conference, it’s hard
to know where to start. I’m going to use the “Top 10” format for some
clarity about why I’m so excited about the value of personal retreats.
Obviously I’m totally biased and absurdly partisan when it comes to this particular Conference. Everyone should join us, at least once! (And like most good things, once is never enough!) But to keep this at least somewhat objective, let me do a little bragging about these three days first, then we’ll get to the larger picture.
We laughed and celebrated, we ate together, we debated. People took long solitary walks, spent time with their journals or on the phone with loved ones, and we gathered in groups to talk about life’s most important challenges. Mostly, these are talented people with great lives—who took time to make things even better! We had fun, and in the months and years to come, the dividends will keep on rolling! But let me get to the Top 10 Reasons For Personal Retreats:
1. What We Focus On Expands. It’s so easy to focus on the trivial in our daily lives. We go to work, run errands, follow our routine until we forget to focus on the Big Picture. Where you are going in life? What’s important? What do you want? What needs to change? Focus on these things.
2. Personal Retreats Give Perspective. If we look at anything too closely, it becomes overly complex and we begin to micro-manage it. Time and distance allow us to regain our balance and notice where we’ve gone off-course.
3. Personal Retreats are Healthy. Our bodies need time to re-charge and renew. Obviously, vacations do this, along with “Mental Health Days,” but there is something special about a personal retreat. They lower the blood pressure and elevate the spirit. They ease tension and energize our lives.
4. Personal Retreats Stimulate the Mind. Vacations can dull the mind and body, but retreats fire the imagination. Mixing with bright, talented people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives allows us to “think the unthinkable and imagine the impossible.” Anything seems do-able. Bigger really is better!
5. Personal Retreats Create Magic. Conferences and retreats throw us together with people of like-mind and diverse backgrounds. When we share our joys and solutions with talented, eager people, magic happens.
6. Personal Retreats Create Sacred Space. Conferences allow time and space to transform our lives. Whether it’s a quiet room in a business hotel, visiting a museum, or walking the 1000 acres of Green Lake, retreats invite us to take notes, ponder over a cup of tea, and enrich our lives in amazing ways.
7. Personal Retreats Help Us Know Ourselves. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That may be extreme, but sometimes we do forget who we are, what we value, or what we want in life. Retreats let us look in the mirror, make discoveries and take notes on our own lives.
8. Personal Retreats Challenge Us. Remember the old slogan, “Be All You Can Be?” Retreats make us bigger people. We get more air in our lungs and fresh ideas in our heads. Retreats help us grow taller, stronger and more confident. This is good!
9. Sometimes We Learn New Stuff. Personally, I often consider the “expert” at the front of the room the least important reason to attend a Conference, but once in a while, a new perspective or a vital idea does make everything better. To make life better, get where things are better. Put yourself where success and ideas and skills are likely to hit you!
10. Networking is Good. Sometimes it’s not personal, it’s business. Retreats connect us with people we might never meet otherwise, and when creative, talented, goal-oriented people get together, deals happen. New ideas flow, synergies are discovered and people make money!
There are a thousand reasons to attend a great conference, seminar or personal retreat, and really only two excuses not to, “I don’t have time or desire.” Don’t let that happen to you!
Obviously I’m totally biased and absurdly partisan when it comes to this particular Conference. Everyone should join us, at least once! (And like most good things, once is never enough!) But to keep this at least somewhat objective, let me do a little bragging about these three days first, then we’ll get to the larger picture.
We laughed and celebrated, we ate together, we debated. People took long solitary walks, spent time with their journals or on the phone with loved ones, and we gathered in groups to talk about life’s most important challenges. Mostly, these are talented people with great lives—who took time to make things even better! We had fun, and in the months and years to come, the dividends will keep on rolling! But let me get to the Top 10 Reasons For Personal Retreats:
1. What We Focus On Expands. It’s so easy to focus on the trivial in our daily lives. We go to work, run errands, follow our routine until we forget to focus on the Big Picture. Where you are going in life? What’s important? What do you want? What needs to change? Focus on these things.
2. Personal Retreats Give Perspective. If we look at anything too closely, it becomes overly complex and we begin to micro-manage it. Time and distance allow us to regain our balance and notice where we’ve gone off-course.
3. Personal Retreats are Healthy. Our bodies need time to re-charge and renew. Obviously, vacations do this, along with “Mental Health Days,” but there is something special about a personal retreat. They lower the blood pressure and elevate the spirit. They ease tension and energize our lives.
4. Personal Retreats Stimulate the Mind. Vacations can dull the mind and body, but retreats fire the imagination. Mixing with bright, talented people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives allows us to “think the unthinkable and imagine the impossible.” Anything seems do-able. Bigger really is better!
5. Personal Retreats Create Magic. Conferences and retreats throw us together with people of like-mind and diverse backgrounds. When we share our joys and solutions with talented, eager people, magic happens.
6. Personal Retreats Create Sacred Space. Conferences allow time and space to transform our lives. Whether it’s a quiet room in a business hotel, visiting a museum, or walking the 1000 acres of Green Lake, retreats invite us to take notes, ponder over a cup of tea, and enrich our lives in amazing ways.
7. Personal Retreats Help Us Know Ourselves. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That may be extreme, but sometimes we do forget who we are, what we value, or what we want in life. Retreats let us look in the mirror, make discoveries and take notes on our own lives.
8. Personal Retreats Challenge Us. Remember the old slogan, “Be All You Can Be?” Retreats make us bigger people. We get more air in our lungs and fresh ideas in our heads. Retreats help us grow taller, stronger and more confident. This is good!
9. Sometimes We Learn New Stuff. Personally, I often consider the “expert” at the front of the room the least important reason to attend a Conference, but once in a while, a new perspective or a vital idea does make everything better. To make life better, get where things are better. Put yourself where success and ideas and skills are likely to hit you!
10. Networking is Good. Sometimes it’s not personal, it’s business. Retreats connect us with people we might never meet otherwise, and when creative, talented, goal-oriented people get together, deals happen. New ideas flow, synergies are discovered and people make money!
There are a thousand reasons to attend a great conference, seminar or personal retreat, and really only two excuses not to, “I don’t have time or desire.” Don’t let that happen to you!
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