We all love the feeling of January 1st, right? We love looking back over the last year and reflecting on what went well (or what didn’t…) and we love the idea of setting the pace for the year ahead of us. Are you doing this in your professional life, too? I contest that you should. And here’s why:
Several years ago, I was in a particular season of life in which I was questioning all things career. Perhaps you’ve been there too, or maybe you’re there now. Either way, I’m sure you know how difficult of an inner debate this is. I had many conversations with trusted mentors during this time and one of the greatest bits of wisdom they ever gave me – though I didn’t know it at the time – was to take a personal yet intentional day off of work to reflect and plan. A vacation day. A Personal Day. Paid time off – not a weekend. To take this time on a weekend would be to steal precious rejuvenating time with family and friends…and this time of reflection was not to be relaxing or meditative. This was to look at scary truths, ask hard questions, and feel uncomfortable with the answers.
I tucked this suggestion away for later, almost forgetting about it until December of 2016 as I was facing self-initiated self-employment. I began getting many words of business wisdom from MANY different sources. All trying to be helpful, but ultimately confusing me and stuffing my brain with more than it was able to fit! My mentor’s words from years before floated like a whisper in my mind: “Take a day to reflect and plan.” I felt like I could hold myself up in a conference room and just THINK. and REFLECT. And PACE. And MUTTER. So, I did it.
I scheduled a day to use a local conference room and held what I called, “The First Annual Rogue Business Vision Retreat.” I actually NAMED it. I did! It was magical and I will be doing it more than once a year, perhaps twice or maybe even FOUR times! I believe that whether you own a business, work in a business, or don’t work at all, vision retreats should become a part of your year. Many have asked how I run my vision retreats, so I’m happy to offer up some helpful guides as you look ahead to hosting one of your own.
How to Run Your Own Rogue Mini Vision Retreat
1. Find a New Space Where You Don’t Already Work
Removing yourself from the familiar automatically alerts the mind to a new way of thinking. Rent a conference room for an afternoon, reserve a private co-working space, or ask a friend if you can use their office/conference room.
No distraction from phone calls, no piles of paper that you’ll fiddle with when you come to a speed bump in your retreat, no roommates or husbands asking where the trash bags are… just you and this new space that you’ll be thinking new thoughts in. You will want to find something with just enough space for walking around, but not too much to where you feel distracted. I also suggest finding a place with a MASSIVE whiteboard. We’ll get to that in a bit.
2. Dress Comfortably, Prepare Snacks, and Bring a Blanket
This part sounds obvious until you’re one hour into the retreat and you think, “boy I could really go for a snack,” or, “Wow I’m cold,” but you may not be in a space that offers easily-accessible snacks or you might be in a public space with controlled temperature. So now you have to leave to get nourishment or feel cold for the rest of your retreat time.
Focused thinking is hard mental work, and you want to provide the best opportunity for your brain to function at its highest level. So wear those comfy pants and a loose shirt. Put your hair up. OR – if you think better when you dress up, do it! You do you!
3. Bring a Whiteboard (Unless There is One Already) and Many Colors of Dry-Erase Markers
In fact, this should be the gift every person gets when they graduate high school. A 3×4 whiteboard with a mass amount of dry-erase markers. Steve Jobs used whiteboards all the time, and I have a couple in my small attic office. Isn’t everyone’s goal to be cool like Steve Jobs?
Why am I so obsessed with whiteboards? Because you can write something down and then erase it. Or move it. Or rewrite it because the first time you wrote it, it was sloppy. Whiteboards force you to literally put a word or an idea on a board with your own hand and DO something with it. Even if it’s to erase it. I’ve found whiteboards to be incredibly helpful in my work life, and I don’t know how I ever functioned without them.
4. Name the Day and Make an Agenda. Type it in Word and Print it Out
This will feel really, really ridiculous. But get used to that, because you’re going to need to get over doing lots of silly things like talking to yourself as you run your own meeting (because who else will?). Making a literal agenda will help you in a multitude of ways but most importantly: Your mind will only take something as seriously as you tell it to. Make an agenda with a schedule (yes, starting and ending times), talking points, objectives, and be ready to make a list of actionable ideas. Here are some suggestions to help you start your first vision retreat:
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What are words to describe yourself? Your business? Your Art?
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What are your ACTIONABLE goals for your artistic, business, or personal life in 6 months? 1 year? 5 years?
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What are your dreams? Do they scare you? If not, dream bigger.
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Use the words and goals of yours and write a Personal Mission Statement that touches on your relationships, profession, and, if applicable, your art.
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For the self-employed: Who is your ideal client? What have you learned about yourself in the last 6 months?
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For those unsure of their current career path: Write an exhaustive list of the things that come naturally to you in your current job, and also things that you love to do. Then, write the opposite. Things that aren’t natural to you, and things you don’t love to do.
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For those confused about anything and everything: Been there. Just write it on the whiteboard. Evaluate what you write. See what happens next.
