Beautiful scenic views. Fresh air. The soothing sound of water. Gourmet meals. Long walks connecting with nature. Intentional time and space for reflection, grounding and soul searching. Togetherness with like-minded women....
The idea of blocking out time on your calendar for self care and a change of scenery sounds amazing doesn't it? We all need time to recharge but what if it was also a necessity for your business to succeed at its highest potential?
Here are 5 reasons why a retreat is a worthy investment as a female entrepreneur:
1. Essential For Growth
Running a business, life and family can have these areas messily spilling over into one another. Retreats are essential for self-growth while providing adequate space and downtime to allow for reflection that our daily lives can't give us. Retreats allow us to get away from our hectic schedules to disrupt the chaos swirling around us in order to create an environment for intentionally slowing down (and as a bonus without feeling guilty because mom guilt is real).
2. Headspace = Creativity.
We all love the idea of taking time to dream and create but the reality for most of us is too many demands and distractions push taking a bird’s eye view of our lives and business to the back burner. When we leave visioning out of our strategy for success it's like jumping into a car and taking off down the road without a map or plan on where to go.
Action without vision leads to a stale business with an uninspired soul for without immense clarity that comes when we prioritize envisioning our ideal future and dreaming up possibilities, our lives and businesses can leave us feeling restless and unfulfilled.
A retreat can provide the tools, space and constructive boundaries to keep the passion and vision for what we’re doing alive instead of getting caught up in a mundane routine of to-do lists.
3. Me Time.
Time for thy self is essential to filling ourselves up in order to be able to help others. This is especially true for mompreneurs. I am sure you have heard the expression "you can't pour from an empty cup" but how many times do you actually take it heart?
We must make time for ourselves, our personal growth and self-reflection in order to give the best version of ourselves to our family, friends, colleagues and clients and a retreat is a great way to provide this kind of space.
4. Immersive Work.
We must give ourselves opportunities to completely immerse, not when we can or half way but completely in order to become astutely aware of who we are on a deeper level, our surroundings and with others. The best way to do this is to get away from the daily grind of life and attend an immersive retreat where experiences like these are the exact focus and intention.
Immersive retreats are where the fastest growth happens - personally and professionally. This is why Tony Robbins does a national tour of events and Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin do several intensives a year. It shifts thinking, patterns, and thereby the world around you.
5. Build An Inner Circle Of Support
One of the biggest success factors to my business and personal success, as well as many of the women I work with is community and sisterhood.
Having an intimate inner circle of supportive women who are like-hearted, understand the path of entrepreneurship, the struggles that come with it and what it’s like to be a strong dynamic woman is critical to reaching and expanding new heights in our business growth.
Because of the intimate nature of a retreat that can not be accomplished during a one day or evening networking event, a retreat allows women the time, space and closeness to build lifelong meaningful relationships and face to face connections in a judgment-free zone with other women entrepreneurs leading to a likely desire to continue supporting one another even after the retreat is over.
So with these reasons in mind, the real question we have ask ourselves is "What is the real cost for not taking time out of our busy schedules to rejuvenate, re-focus and re-align?"
How many opportunities could you be missing by continuing to run your life and business on autopilot?
What is it costing you to keep operating within your own comfort zone?
How much more of an impact could you be having if you had more clarity about what you do and how you can serve others?
How much time is being wasted because you’re overwhelmed and lack focus on where to best spend your time and energy?
The answer to these questions is the real cost for a retreat is not doing it. It's one of those investments you can't put a price on. The experience you will gain for the longevity and success of your business and personal fulfillment will be invaluable and as a business trip, it's also tax-write off making it a win/win.
As a female entrepreneur and CEO of You, Inc., you are your most valuable resource and investing in the right retreat could provide you a life-changing experience to carry with you for years to come both personally and professionally.
I hope this has inspired you to see a retreat as a worthy investment for yourself and a vehicle to take your life and business to all those places you have been envisioning and dreaming about. It's time to live into YOUR calling!