We’re just coming off of a fabulous retreat in the Poconos. If you missed it, we held our 3rd conference in the form of a 2-day Retreat at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn. Nearly 50 women attended, plus vendors, sponsors and MapleCrest Ford Lincoln of Union, NJ hosted a car giveaway. It was exciting, breathtaking and truly memorable.
I’m curious as to whether you are interested in experiencing a life journey that involves true friendship, support, dreaming, evolving, love and money. And what I mean by money is living comfortably so that you’re not stressed….living with abundance and not scarcity.
I’d like to share a few of the top Retreat takeaways that really stood out for me during those two days connecting with women and listening to speakers:
#1 Life is a Journey: There’s no destination when it comes to happiness, self-esteem, confidence, success and love. It’s an evolving journey and in order to get all A’s in the game of life–Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement–we must be conscious of these emotions and feelings daily. These are habits to be practiced. Muscles to be massaged. That’s not meant to be negative or daunting, but rather it’s a positive: knowing that happiness and success are ongoing journeys to live and experience in the now, makes them more attainable and realistic. Another aspect of this takeaway is that we need others to help us maintain happiness and be supported. We can rarely succeed and conquer alone. Reflect on all of your successes. Have you gotten to where you are alone? I’d bet your answer is no.
#2 Connection is Key: Connection is sooo important. After 2 days at the Retreat, I can literally recite all of the attendees’ names and what they do for a living. I even know about their families, because we really scratched the surface around the fire at night, over cocktails, during dinners and lunches. We were able to spend quality time beyond the Retreat and listening to the expert speakers. I cannot fully describe what an impact that kind of connection has on the soul–and also how it can benefit your business. Moving forward, these women and I can easily support each other because we know what we’re all about; we have established mutual trust; and we can easily refer one another if we come across someone who needs one’s services or products.
#3 Money is Love: Here is a huge takeaway that originates with Sarah Walton, my co-host and a Retreat speaker. Sarah talked about how money and the transaction of money equate to love. This might seem like a novel idea. And an idea Sarah feels has somehow been lost along the way, over the years. This concept really stuck with everyone in the room when she introduced it. It was a major takeaway in our Retreat surveys and we spoke about it further at dinner. If you think about it, the monetary transaction is essentially a show of support: An I ‘love your product.’ ‘I love you.’ ‘I want it.’ ‘I want to work with you.’ Work shifting your mindset on money being a form of love and watch the shift instantly.
When we perceive money as love, it changes the dynamics of a relationship or transaction dramatically. Sarah spoke about that on the 2nd day of the Retreat.
Afterward, when people bought my book, I used that money to buy a piece of jewelry from Nitra Jain, Founder of Glitter Trunk, therefore showing support and love for another businesswoman. There you create a full circle, win-win…LOVE. AND… That same pattern repeated with many women in terms of shopping and supporting each other and their products and programs. That aspect wasn’t necessarily about the Retreat itself, but I feel that there was that much more activity in terms of shopping, trying out products and all around mutual support because of that commentary. We all literally fell in love with each other and wanted to show support.
We also knew that, no matter what happened, we’d become friends and would continue to fortify one another. All of this is not drastic or an exaggeration. At the end of the day, all present wanted to display our trust and support of one another. We knew that in the end we would be happy and nurture these lasting friendships.
#4 Manifest: Shared by the beautiful Mariel Alvarado and Brandyn Randolph, Founders of Lady Savant Society and The Retreat Co-Hosts, you manifest in various ways–consciously and subconsciously. What do we mean by manifest? The things you want: A car, house, job, career, family, money, experiences and more! This is a really cool exercise. Reflect on all that you have manifested and how it happened? Some are with intentional action and others are not so direct, right?
For these reasons, I now challenge you to shift your mindset. I ask you to envision, explore and evolve by finding support teams for your continued happiness, growth, confidence and self-esteem. Take the time to think about this and build your dream life utilizing some of these takeaways.
Note that this kind of challenge requires that you first pay attention – that means tap into your self-awareness. It’s summertime, an ideal time to get out there emotionally and physically. Go out and fill your schedules with activities that will enable you to live the journey you dream and desire. Why? Because you want and deserve it.
Sure, it will take effort to fit social and business networking and other activities into your already busy life. I’m not saying it will be easy, as life is not supposed to be. But our journeys are important for our souls, our stories and, ultimately, our celebrations and successes. Just as we discussed at the Retreat, there’s no guarantee at the end of each day, nor for tomorrow. You still want to —and so must–live the best that you can be now….along that journey.
If you have a story or experience of your own–something another woman in any part of the world may relate to or appreciate–you can provide support by relaying your experience and your story. I’m asking you to share with me and the Identity Community. None of us wants to feel alone. We wish to feel supported and validated.
We want your story. I encourage you, then, to email us at editor@identitymagazine.net with any stories or ideas that you’d like to share. We’d love to hear from you.
Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the above article. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
It’s taken a decade to accept, step into and embrace this crazy, beautiful journey we call life. There is never a destination and understanding that has brought some peace into my soul and spirit because I know it’s a daily practice–a way of life. This will always be something I pay attention to, have awareness and continue to embrace.
2. What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
Today I appreciate the past few weeks of this high because of The Retreat we just hosted and the women I met and got to connect with on such a deeper level than a day conference. I appreciate the women trusting us and our event to inspire their souls. I appreciate the women opening their hearts and sharing their stories. Together we were vulnerable and together we are stronger.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
Wow. I recently made #1 Amazon BESTSELLER for our latest book and fist in its series, Get All A’s in the Game of Life: Insights Along the Way, Entrepreneur Edition. Click HERE to learn more about it!
4. We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I have so many, I move too fast at times, but I get shit done! 🙂
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!) Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my courage to inspire and lead without comparing to others.
