Pausing to Think

I was reading about an exercise today from Renee Peterson Trudeau, a nationally recognized career and life coach. This exercise was very appropriate for me as I approach my fiftieth year...it included six questions...hard hitting questions...questions to make me reconnect with who I am, questions to make me reflect on what matters most...and questions to make me consider what I want to create next in my life...dare I answer them...I thought as I started to read.

I took a pause...like Renee said to do...and I started to think about how I would answer these questions:

1. What do you need most in your life right now (personally or professionally)? Okay, Renee, you asked...now I'll answer...personally....personally...I need a renewal plan...need to build up my strength so I can tackle the next phase of my husband's recovery process (My Soulmate - June 17)......I need my hubby to get better and come back home and things to go back to normal...whatever normal is...or used to be...but frankly I don't know what that is anymore...and since it is not going to happen any time soon...I need some strength-building exercises to build me up...wonder if extra iron tablets would do the trick.(That's enough of this question...this is difficult...I'm not ready with the answer to this one right now...what's the next question?)

2. What do you want your life and career to look like one year from now? Good, Renee, this one is easy...if I raised my hand in the class I could give the answer to this question...a year from now...just one year from now...I want to be a published author...to have a successful blog that many baby boomer women are reading...that has my second career in full swing...as for my life...I want to have my son in a successful first year of college...my daughter in a successful year at her first job (in New York City...where I can visit her...of course)...and I want to have my hubby home (but that was my answer to the first question...can I use it twice...wonder if Renee would be okay with the same answer twice?)

3. If you knew you could not fail, what would you do next? What a great question...this is a fabulous question...Renee is a very good life coach...she knows exactly what questions to ask...failure has always been my fear...after all these years...now I have the opportunity to think about what I would do next if I knew I wasn't going to fail...well...well...well...what would I do...maybe I would buy a second home at the shore...or start that blogging business for baby boomer women...or publish that book on my own...or go back to school for my MBA...or for my design degree. (I like this question...it's fun to think about!)

4. What topics, issues or causes make you come alive? I like this question too...this is an easy one...many topics, issues and causes make me come alive...I'm very passionate about many topics: fashion, food, beauty, home decorating, movies, books, magazines, exercise (fun sports like hiking, camping, bicycling...not that I do any of these sports right now...but that was not a criteria for the question)...I'm very passionate about many issues and causes: women's issues, family issues, kids' issues, poverty issues, health issues, global warming issues. (That's enough for now...I'm jazzed just thinking about all these things...hope I can get to sleep tonight.)

5. What is most important to you at your current life stage? This one is an easy one too...family happiness...personal health and happiness...feeling content. (That was a quick one...I like this question.)

6. What belief, issue, or obstacle is blocking you from experiencing the life (or career) you desire? Hmm, hmm...think I'll go back to that question #3...is it fear of failure...or is it just fear itself...or is it my age...nah, definitely not...although I would't mind having a few more years to think about this question.

Think I'll have to go check out Renee's book...The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life...or check our Renee's website, www.reneetrudeau.com...to see if she has any answers.

Judi