What's Next?

Last week I attended Stacy's What's Next? event, a program for virtual assistants who are exploring  (you guessed it!) what's next for them beyond their virtual assistance practices.  It was an opportunity for us to get away from the day-to-day routine of our everyday lives (and businesses) and have focused, set-aside time to work on our what's next.  Six of us came together with various ideas, some of us with new business ventures (like me), and others with ideas to build upon their current businesses.  Along with that so-coveted precious time to work on our ideas, we were able to draw upon the ideas, resources, and support from the group as we worked through our ideas. 

We held each other accountable with frequent updates throughout the days regarding what we had accomplished, any revelations we had, and what we were going to continue to work on.  Along with some intense work on our ideas, most of us took time for some play with treatments at the Jouvence Aveda salon, trips to the nearby Barnes & Noble, workouts, and just plain ol' getting to know each other.  The combination was dazzling, and we made more progress, had more insights, and made great decisions than if we had been on our own.

Personally, I came away so energized and excited about Write Well U.  By the end, I didn't think four days was enough!  I wanted more!!!  Not only did I have focused time to work on Write Well U, but I also had some a-ha's about its structure.  Something that might have taken me months to figure out through trial and error, I was able to make decisions about in under two days.

The one bad thing that came out of this was that I didn't sleep well.  A couple of days leading up to What's Next? brought me restless nights (I was pretty excited). And then at the hotel, given that I don't usually sleep well the first few nights in a new place, I was somewhat sleep-deprived.  My eyes hurt, and my double vision was pretty constant the last two days.  By the end of the retreat, I did finally sleep all the way through the night (How old am I?  Three months?) for a lovely seven hours.

I came home on Sunday, reconnected with my family for a while, and then promptly napped for 2 1/2 hours.  :-)

Now, my challenge is to not fall back into the daily routine of my life.  At first, Monday felt a little odd.  I found myself going, "What do I do in my office?"  However, that quickly passed, and I soon eased right back into the day-to-day tasks.  Going forward, I need to set aside focused time to work on Write Well U.  My new laptop (it's still not here - can you believe that?) will help - having a computer residing constantly in my creative space will inspire me to work on Write Well U more and more.  But I'm still responsible for making sure I have that time - and actually use it.

While it was easy for me to slip into "normal" life, I kept in the forefront of my mind the need to continue the good work I had started at What's Next?  I had some unscheduled time yesterday afternoon, and I tried to figure out what to do with it.  I lit one of our What's Next? gifts, a lovely candle from Zena Moon, the Creative Fire, and thought about what I should do with an hour.  I was tired (still tired!!!!), so I napped for a while in the sun (What am I?  A cat?).  Instead of beating myself up about not working on Write Well U, I felt more that I was truly stroking the creative beast.  I need to take care of myself in order to be creative, and sometimes that might mean napping in the sun instead of forcing myself to work when I'm tired.

Today, however, is a different story.  I'm heading out with my old laptop (remember - new one still  hasn't arrived - but I'm not bitter... no, not me....) to Starbucks, and I'll treat myself to my newest favorite, a hot chocolate with a shot of almond.  Yum!  I'll happily work on Write Well U (away from the routine of my office), sipping hot chocolate, and making more progress.

May your own creative beast be mighty happy and help you with your What's Next?!

Comments

[Stacy Brice]

I'm so glad you were there, and had such a positive experience! :)

My promise to you (and the others) is to continue to support you in making the space and taking the appropriate time so that your dream moves forward. :)

S