A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of hopping on a plane to California for the 2016 Radiance Retreat in Venice! A women’s fitness and mindset event that brought over 50 women together from all parts of North America (holler to my Canadian friends!) for work outs, deep discussions and happy hours.

And what is more, this was the first time I have ever traveled alone. And not just on-a-work-trip alone; I mean for myself and by myself. Despite knowing absolutely no one going into the retreat, I came back with an experience I will never forget. I hope to take another trip like this one soon, and I hope you make it happen for yourself, too!

Here’s why:

Following your heart

By traveling alone, I was able to be completely and utterly myself! If I wanted to, I could wake up at the crack of dawn to enjoy a coffee on the beach or catch up on much needed sleep. I could get all dressed up or strut my stuff in my comfiest sweats. Or I could do yoga on the beach or take pictures at sunset.

In this day-and-age we are constantly bombarded with distractions. Distractions from others, and from ourselves – telling us who we need to be and what we need to care about. I was able to tune into what mattered most to me.

My last night I thought I was going to treat myself to a nice dinner in Santa Monica – at the last minute I decided to read on the beach and watch the sunset. I was treated with an hour long show dolphin show, and I loved every second of it!

As odd as it sounds, we can sometimes forget the vibe we put out into the world. We can get caught up in our heads, and lose sight of who we are showing up as on a daily basis.

At the end of the retreat, we performed an exercise that left a huge impact on me. We each wrote our names down on a note card and passed them around the table we were sitting at. By the time the card traveled around the table, everyone else had written down what they appreciated about that person – the beauty they saw in that individual.

No surprise, my note card almost brought me to tears (and I know I was not alone). Why? Because it was a gentle and beautiful reminder of the light others see in me. Small comments like these can transform someone’s day (or someone’s week). It is so important to share with others the things that we absolutely love about them – and to do it often. I have promised myself to make a better effort to do just that.

Connection

This may sound counter-intuitive, but traveling alone brought me an immense sense of connection to others. Once I put away my technology, looked around and explored a little, I found myself being open to meeting other people and wanting deeply to connect with others.

Of the five days I was in California, I spent three of them at the retreat and the other two days I was able to explore the area on my own. I went to Muscle Beach and took a quick run to work out at the Gold’s Gym in Venice (aka the Mecca). I found the best coffee shop in town (obviously, Groundwork Coffee Company) and I was able to people watch (a pretty amazing pastime in Venice; there are plenty of characters there to keep you entertained).

And luckily for me, the best part of the Radiance Retreat was the people that participated in it. I felt a connection to these 50 women that I can never properly explain. Although we were all brought together by a love of all things fitness, we are also extremely unique. Some of us have full time careers in the business world, others are farmers or full time moms. Some are trainers and gym owners, others simply came to broaden their knowledge of something they were already passionate about. Everyone had a story – and hearing those stories was an incredible source of inspiration for me.

Personal freedom

“The person who has the right to do something is the one doing it.” I love this piece of advice shared by Jill during the Radiance Retreat!

It can be so easy to get caught up in the comparison game. But when it is all said and done, we are each powerful in our own right. We can do whatever we want with our lives. And that is kind of awesome! In fact, it is downright empowering.

As my sister always says “you do you!” Because in the end, you are the only one who can have a say in where your life leads. By practicing this advice in my own life, I have found that it has also given me the freedom to accept others for who they are and celebrate their accomplishments with them. If I see someone killing it at the gym or sharing a great piece on their blog, it brings me joy to lift them up. Not everyone has the tenacity and the courage to live their life with intent, and it is so amazing to see other people creating something beautiful with their lives.

By taking a leap of faith and going on a trip that I didn’t really do much planning for (surprisingly), I was able to learn and grow as a person. It forced me to take a look at my life and evaluate the things that make me happy and the things that detract from that happiness. I came back a better person because I was able to re-establish the things that were most important to me.

But personal freedom and growth don’t just happen on trips like mine. Growth happens little by little, too – it happens when we choose every day to live in line with our values and our priorities. It happens when we stand up for what we believe in and when we stand firm in our choices. It happens when we choose to reach out, and when we demonstrate compassion for others.

So get out there and explore a little! Dig deeper into what makes you tick. And don’t forget to tell me all about it!

xoxo,

Zoe

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