Be Gentle with Yourself

Most of June and into the middle of July were a marathon for me - full days of teaching, coaching and also running a number of public and corporate programs. On top of it, my trusty old car, which I had had since grad school (many moons ago) gave signs that it was time to retire her. So on July 15th I became the proud owener of a 2006 Chevy Equinox. It is a fantastic vehicle for all the driving I do between Toronto and Muskoka, and my 14 month old son, loves the space! While I would have normally kept pushing the purchase of the new vehicle off, I had pushed it as far as it could go, and in fact my worries about the old car's condition was causing me more stress than taking the time to purchase a new one.

An hour after the picking up the new vehicle we headed north, for what I've been calling a "working vacation". I had had visions for months that this would be my opportunity to catch up on all the business planning work I never seem to find time for. Well, two weeks into my three week "working vacation" many of my business planning and creative ideas are still in my head, as my holiday has turned into some excellent time playing and exploring with my son, responding to many new registrations for upcoming programs, as well as full of unexpected amazing business opportunities and coverage which I never could have forseen even a couple of weeks ago. Ealier this week I was being hard on myself, thinking that I hadn't accomplished many of the items on my "dream holiday list", but then I realized just how important it was to be spending my time on my what was evolving.

So...the message here - not to put off planning, but to be gentle with yourself, and allow yourself to coast in the flow of life rather than fighting against the current. It's working for me, and when I am able to cocoon myself away for a few short hours to put fingers to keyboard, it's amazing what's coming out!

Have a fantastic weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized

Your Balanced Life! Virtual Retreat and Podcast

Earlier this week I was interviewed by Elana Centor, BlogHer's Business and Career Contributor, on the work I do around work-life balance and virtual retreats. She has just published her wonderful article "Getting Balanced - Virtually" on my work, along with the podcast of our interview on virtual retreats at http://blogher.org/node/7879. I hope that you will listen to it.

Interest for my Your Balanced Life! retreats in August is growing quickly. More information about the Saturday August 26th Virtual Retreat which will be held by phone from 10 am - 4pm (EST) can be found here at this new webpage. It doesn't matter where you are, you can participate from your home, cottage, vacation, as long as you have long-distance phone access. The retreat is limited to 12 participants so register early.

Inquiries have also started pouring in regarding my one-day in person Your Balanced Life! retreat being held on Saturday August 19th. It will be held here in Muskoka (about 2 hours north of Toronto) Canada. A separate webpage will be available soon. Registration for the in-person retreat will close on August 8th. For more information, prior to the website being up and running, please call me toll free at 1-866-217-1960 or email me at jennifer@potentialsrealized.com.

I look forward to connecting with many of you by phone and in person over the coming weeks. For those interested, I will be holding a free information call on both Your Balanced Life! retreats, as well as the 90 Day Your Balanced Life Program which starts on July 31st on Mondays from 12 - 1 pm (EST). The first information call will be held on Tuesday July 26th from 7-8 pm (EST) and the second on Wednesday July 26th from 12 - 1 pm (EST). To register and receive bridgeline information, please email me at jennifer@potentialsrealized.com noting the call time in the subject line. In addition to receiving information about the upcoming programs, this is an opportunity for you to receive some coaching on work-life balance. I hope that you will join me.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Web: http://www.potentialsrealized.com and http://www.groupcoachingessentials.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Summer Time Renewal

Ah...the lazy days of summer. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year can be a little slower, and more focused on our needs or our families needs. How are you using this quieter time of year to renew and recharge?

During the summer months I am typically based out of of my Northern office - a few hours north of Toronto, and there is nothing like waking up in the morning and walking outside to see the mist rising off the river. I make it a daily ritual up north to spend 5 minutes by the river in the morning, reflecting on the day ahead. What is interesting for me is how this 5 minutes of deep thought really brings clearer focus for the day ahead.

Ask yourself: Where's my energy stock right now? What are you doing this summer to renew and recharge? How are you focusing on those things that are most important to you? What's your summer time ritual?

I will be holding a one-day Virtual Retreat for Your Balanced Life on Saturday August 26th, for those of you are not able to travel to join me in person for my summer Your Balanced Life Retreats. You can participate in the Virtual Retreat from your home -- all you need is a phone. We will be connecting every hour from 10 am - 4 pm (EST) for a short time at the top of the each hour, and the rest of that hour will be dedicated to you "retreating" at your own location, with activities and exercises for you to do at home.

The Your Balanced Life Virtual Retreat will be held on Saturday August 26th (one week after my in-person August 19th Retreat in Muskoka). The cost for the day is $97 USD (and your own long distance charges to connect by phone at the start of every hour). I would be pleased to send you a Virtual Retreat Information kit which includes more information. To register or receive more information, please email me at jennifer@potentialsrealized.com or call toll free: 1-866-217-1960. The Virtual Retreat is limited to 12 participants.

I hope tht you will join me this summer to retreat, either in person (August 19th) or Virtually (August 26th). I look forward to hearing from you!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
http://www.potentialsrealized.com