Do you need a Weekend to Recharge? Rejuvenate? Take this brief questionnaire and give yourself one point for each time you answer yes

Have you experienced any of the following personal or professional changes in the past six months?

• An illness, success, failure?
• A diet or new exercise regime?
• A sleep disturbance?
• A downsizing at work
• Did you move, remodel or get remarried?

Has a relationship changed?

• Has a spouse died, a friend moved away, a child left (or moved back) home?
• Was someone ill who needed your care?
• Has your home scene changed?
• Has a spouse retired or been laid off and is now home all the time?
  

If you answered 'yes' to three or more, it’s definitely time for you to set aside some time for yourself.

back to top

Announcing New Beginnings...

Take a deep breath and energize yourself before the holidays… and beyond

Announcing New Beginnings — a weekend retreat designed to help you relax, rejuvenate and rediscover

“Leap and the net appears.”
John Burroughs, American essayist

The holiday season is approaching and while many people feel invigorated by the festivity of extended family time, social gatherings and gift giving, others feel overwhelmed at the thought of the intense preparation and time management that’s involved in expressing their love, appreciation and goodwill.

Whether you’re anticipating the holidays with enthusiasm, dread or a feeling that’s somewhere in between, why not give yourself a gift before the season begins? One designed to help you slow down, reflect and recharge — so you’re ready to serve others in a way that’s more focused and enjoyable now and in the future.

December 7-9, join me and Peggy Fayfich, my strategic partner, as we guide you through New Beginnings, a weekend seminar designed to change your life. Our goal is to help you create a roadmap to increased energy, creativity and reflection that will allow you to continue to be all things to all people — without losing sight of your true self.

Who’s our target audience?

• Women in transition
• Boomer women
• Empty-nester moms
• Women who:
  • Need to change, but are afraid or don’t know how
  • Appear to be outwardly successful – but are filled with self-doubt
  • Feel stressed and are searching for balance

What’s our purpose?
In one enjoyable, relaxing weekend, we’ll help you:

• Realize your full potential
• Rediscover who you are once your nurturing roles fall away (employee, partner, mother, friend, caregiver, etc.)
• Reclaim your originality and creativity
• Define and embrace new possibilities
• Change what’s not working for you
• Tune into your internal Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Re-chart your life’s path
• Rediscover your sense of humor

What makes New Beginnings different and life changing?
New Beginnings is not a one-time, one-purpose fix for a balanced, more peaceful life. It’s a new start that offers ideas, applications and processes you can apply to specific real-world situations.

Peggy and I will take you deeper into your life and teach you practical processes to deal with whatever is happening now and in the future. This includes an in-depth action plan and accountability system specific to your life.

Location and cost
New Beginnings will be held at the Providence Villa in Gibsonia, Pa, approximately 15 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Known for its hospitality, the Villa welcomes all individuals who are seeking to pull back from the busyness of life and the demands and pressures that accompany it.

The three-story Villa includes all modern amenities and comforts, set on 16 acres of lush woodland property that features spacious lawns and trails.

To guarantee your space in the New Beginnings seminar, call Reach the Top at 724.935.1397. Simply leave a message that includes your name and contact information and we will return your call in less than 24 hours.

The New Beginnings seminar fee is $400** per person and includes guest accommodations, Friday dinner; Saturday and Sunday breakfasts and lunches; and all materials. The seminar begins Friday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. and concludes Sunday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m.

**Note: early bird registration is $350 until November 1, 2007; $450 after December 1, 2007.

Cancellation Policy:
In order to reserve a space in this weekend retreat, a $150 non-refundable deposit is required. Fees are payable in U.S. currency only. Balance of payment is due 30 days prior to December 7th. Cancellations must be made in writing (via e-mail or US Mail).

back to top

Five suggestions for renewal

1. Realize your work and play rhythms
When it’s time to work, do it with gusto and enjoyment. When it’s time to play, do the same. Typically, people are not used to playing, so this may take some effort on your part. Begin by deciding what activities you find most invigorating, then take steps to make them happen. For example, carve out time to ride your bike along a trial for 45 minutes each morning or evening; visit a museum once a month; or take a leisurely stroll on your lunch hour with someone you enjoy being around.

2. Tune out and turn inward
Seek to build consistent quiet/reflection time into your daily routine that includes a no-interruption zone. During this time, do not check email; receive or place phone calls; answer questions; or interact with anyone. Instead, turn inward by choosing a quiet spot where you can simply sit and listen to your own breathing. It may take awhile to turn down and tune out the non-stop voice in your head, but with practice, you can develop a quiet, calming routine that lends itself to personal renewal. One of my clients uses her walk-in closet as her meditation room.

3. Learn to say no
If you find saying no difficult, remind yourself that by saying ‘yes’ to something you’d rather not do, you’re automatically saying ‘no’ to something you might be good at and enjoy.

4. Remind yourself that an exhaustive to-do list does not equal fulfillment
When we’ve lost touch with our creative, playful selves, our lives may feel empty. Many times, we try to fill that emptiness with activities that distract us, but don’t offer meaning. Why not scrutinize your to-do list with the realistic goal of dropping activities that feel the most burdensome and including a few that make your heart sing?

5. Rest and sleep
While scientists aren’t sure why we must sleep, they’re positive we can’t go without adequate shut-eye for long. Do yourself — and everyone else around you — a favor and get at least seven hours of sleep each night. You’ll be more focused, cheerful and possibly get more done if you allow yourself to be physically renewed each day.

• Joan Anderson, A Weekend to Change your Life, Find your Authentic Self After A Lifetime of Being all Things to all People, Broadway Books, NY, 2006
• Deanna Beisser, Is it Time to Make a Change?, Positive Thoughts for When Life Presents You with a New Direction. Blue Mountain Press, 1997.
• Richard Bridges, Transitions, Strategies for coping with the difficult, painful, and confusing times in your life. Perseus Books Group, 1980.
• Cheryl Richardson, Take Time for Your Life, Broadway Books, 1999.
  

back to top

Embrace a new leadership role. Inspire and motivate your people. Transition into a new career. Shift into a meaningful retirement. Our goal at Reach the Top is to help you design and implement the next stage of your life successfully and joyously.

Donna Billings, Founder of Reach the Top, is a professional certified coach, an educator, a professional lecturer on leadership training, a consultant on organizational development and human resource management. She has 20 years’ corporate and academic background, and more than 10 years’ coaching experience in helping women through transitions; and has participated in several of Joan Anderson’s retreats – A Weekend to Change your Life, and a Spiritual Retreat to the Isle of Iona, Scotland. (See resources above) She has been through several life/career transitions, including a life-altering hike on the Inca Trail to Macchu Pichu, Peru.

Peggy Fayfich, Peggy Fayfich, Founder of Strategic REtreats, has more than 30 years experience in business and coaching. Throughout her career in the retail, nonprofit, telecommunications and financial services sectors she has coached other women through successful career and personal transitions. Peggy's own career is an example of effective career change starting in accounting and progressing through fashion buying, sales, human resources, senior management and consulting. Peggy has the unique abilities to help others identify and apply their strengths, skills and experiences to make successful career and personal transitions achievable.

back to top