We were pleased with the positive comments from the Santa Fe Reboot Your Life retreat and evidence that it had value.  Goals were set.  Life lessons were gleaned.

One of the attendees at our Santa Fe Reboot Your Life Retreat was Annie Searle.  She has her own blog and has graciously allowed us to share some of her post-retreat thoughts and observations here.  You’ll see that she calls the retreat a weekend think tank.  That’s a great way to put it.  Indeed, it was a time to think (and interact and talk), mainly about the present and future.  What are my personal goals?  How could they be accomplished during time off from work?  How can they lead me?  Where will they lead me?  How can sabbatical lessons be incorporated daily for a more fulfilling life?

Annie even starts with a quote, as we are doing in the book we are writing called Reboot Your Life.  Thanks for this, Annie.

~The Sabbatical Sisters

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” – Thomas Paine

Since Thursday, I have been spending time quietly here at home.   Today, I’m looking at notes about my goals I made during the weekend think tank in Santa Fe, and putting them into a more finished form.

  • To be fully present in the moment, rather than anticipating the next turn of events.
  • To reach more often with the heart, not just with the head.
  • To live more simply.
  • To let go of negative thoughts.
  • To spend time with and thank good friends and close relatives.
  • To finish my “Art of Renovation” book manuscript.
  • To determine my “personal brand” –how to best use my interests and talents in the future.

My travels this past month offered an opportunity to work on more than one of these goals. Slowing down long enough to spend real time with people I care about is a form of renewal that provides a strong foundation for the other aspirations shown here.

My list also includes more tactical items like  walking every day, swimming several times a week, finding a mat pilates class, and starting again to learn either piano or painting.

As Thomas Paine says, all these are within my power.