In the midst of everything that is shifting right now - in systems, structures, and our sense of direction - one of the most powerful things we can do is pause. Not escape. Not give up. But pause with intention. That is what I call the retreat habit - the practice of turning inwards for answers that can’t be found outside of us.
This idea of retreat isn’t about green juices or booking a spa weekend. At its root, it is about stepping back from the busyness - not to disappear, but to regroup. To withdraw from the external chaos and reconnect with a deeper inner compass. For me, this has become a lifeline. A quiet wayfinder through the times we are in. Especially when the world outside doesn’t make much sense.
I call it the Four Rs of Retreat: Recenter. Reconnect. Reflect. Realign. It is not about having the perfect conditions - just 15 minutes a day to ask: 'Where am I actually coming from today? What is true for me now?' Because when we are disconnected from that part of ourselves, we end up out of sync - in our work, our leadership, our lives. The outer and inner no longer match, and we end up just being thrown from wave to wave.
The reality of now, is that we can’t keep building our lives around someone else’s map. The tracks we were taught to follow are being redrawn - if they exist at all. This is the moment to lay your own tracks. And that begins by coming back to yourself. Not just for ‘me time’, but to truly listen in. To the voice that tells you the truth. That knows the way. That can show you not just what to do, but who you need to become next.
That is why the retreat habit is so important. It is how we source direction from within. It is how we stay aligned with what we are here to create - even when things are uncertain. Because purpose doesn’t arrive fully formed. It emerges through space, reflection, and the courage to listen. And it begins, always, by returning to your own truth.
10 Quotes
“The retreat habit isn’t about checking out - it is about withdrawing to regroup. It is not disappearing - it is stepping out of the noise long enough to come back to yourself.”
“When the external tracks disappear, the only way forward is to create your own.”
“You won’t just find the time to connect inward - you have to choose it.”
“We have been trained to tick boxes - but what if your purpose doesn’t come in a box?”
“15 minutes of true listening to yourself can change the shape of your whole day.”
“At pivotal moments, it is not your to-do list that matters - it is your alignment.”
“There is a part of you that knows the way - you just have to stop overriding it.”
“You can’t pathfind from someone else’s map. You have to draw your own.”
“What the retreat habit really builds is your inner wayfinder - the one who remembers who you are meant to become.”
“The next chapter of your purpose doesn’t come from performance - it comes from knowing.”
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