My Week of Nothing

How my week of doing nothing gave me clarity on my purpose and business 

At the end of September, I did this incredible thing, entirely at odds with the busy lives we all lead—I went on a one-week retreat to do nothing. Away from work and business, away from my family and daily life. Away, doing nothing. 

It was an eye-opening experience that woke me up to my business and life. And it could do that for you too. Curious? Then follow me into the forest…

The power of a ritual

I threw back my hoods to let the rain wash over me. As I was standing by a couple of old oak trees, outside our retreat, the torrential rain reminded me of the temperate rainforest back home in British Columbia. I didn't know it yet, but home was where I was headed—a different kind of home, though, the kind you carry inside. 

I walked silently with my group across a field and then into the woods, in a pre-retreat ritual that allowed us to think about what might hold us back. As I took in the rain, I thought of the past year and a half, all of the things I'd been holding on to, and the impact of COVID on both my personal and professional lives. Then I visualised the stress and upset being washed away by the rain. I felt free, I felt present, and that was wonderful!

From doing business to doing nothing

My original plan had been to go on a business retreat with the Happy Startup School, but it got cancelled due to COVID. So when the opportunity to try something new came up, I seized it. 

The concept was simple: as we were all tired, working more than before, we needed a break. We needed to disconnect from work, our digital lives, the stress, and the lack of holidays. In short, we needed to disconnect from the past year and a half. The idea was to spend a week doing nothing on a remote farm to reflect, have quiet, be in nature, and experience all that away from our everyday lives.

The first step is to disconnect

The absence of 4G and mobile signal made the first level of disconnection, the digital one, instantly easy. I didn't even have to think about it. The second level of disconnection, though, required more work because it ran deeper than technology. So we followed another ritual to take care of it.  

We were invited to go into a circle in the forest and look around for objects that might represent what we were carrying with us. From what we want to what we need, all the things we have with us all the time, and that could get in the way of our week of nothing.

So that's what I did. I thought of the things that I cared about so much that they weighed on me, somehow: the Global Online Happiness at Work Summit—which I’d just run with the Woohoo team—, my business, leaving my children to do something just for me, and leaving my husband to look after them on his own.

I found objects in the forest to represent my children, my husband, my work, and everything I could think of, and, as instructed, I left them neatly tucked in a pile, safely stored all together with the other objects picked by my group. I knew I could leave them behind without feeling guilty, and I could embark on this adventure. I felt so light!

Making space for magical moments

I kept only one thing, two beautiful acorns that had caught my eye. They looked like twins and made me think of awe and wonder. After immersing myself in nature, walking in the rain, seeing the sun come out, and a double rainbow, I’d realised I’d been missing something for a while: I'd forgotten to look out for awe and wonder in my life. And that was something I would seek during that week. Those acorns were coming with me!

The magic I experienced during that retreat lay in simple moments that I was primed to fully appreciate because I’d made space for them. Watching the sunrise, going swimming in the lake, enjoying a dinner cooked over an open fire by candlelight, surrounded by many beautiful people to connect with.

Experiencing these moments, and eating delicious, locally-sourced foods made me feel what we were, which was cradled in a beautiful, regenerative farm that regenerated us as people as well.

Reconnecting with others

We were lucky at the time to be in a bubble, meaning no mask or social distancing was required (we were vaxxed and tested). As a rule, we also didn’t talk about COVID during the week. 

Being in that space together and sharing these experiences gave us room to create a deep connection with each other. At the end of the week, I felt so connected with the members of the group…and I realised I didn't even know most of their last names! I didn't know what most of them did for a living. We had been sharing and connecting at a profound level, not needing to ask the standard questions about our jobs.

So what changed?

That week made me realise I had become quite disconnected from the world and people around me before the retreat. And every little interaction I had during the retreat, every new experience seemed to snap me back into being and back to myself, like karabiners clicking together. 

It was as if up until then, I’d been floating a little, aimlessly, and now, I felt reconnected to people, to myself, to the world, to nature. 

That was transformational!

From freedom to clarity 

Something was missing, though. Going into that week, I had thought that everything would come from doing nothing, everything would appear very clearly. I expected that, after that week, everything would have slotted into place without my thinking about it. However, while I felt reconnected, I didn't have answers to all my questions. 

As weeks went by, though, I realised I had gained something precious that allowed the clarity I was hoping for to appear: I had been given a magical space inside that I could now access. A little space of calm that I can carry with me and dip into when I need to.

That came in part from the genuine sense of freedom I experienced during the retreat. We were invited to do a few activities, but we were free to decide whether to partake or not. This whole week of nothing became a week of Freedom for me. It allowed me to reconnect with that core value of mine. After I left, it started to become clear that I wasn't honouring that need for freedom in my life. 

Lessons I learned, in a nutshell

I drew a few lessons from this retreat, both personal and universal.

First, the importance of quiet, rest, and disconnection:  I’ve learned that when I can step away from some of the guilt that I carry with me in my life as we all do—about family, children, business, relationships, etc.—knowing that I can leave them in a safe space and come back to them, then I can truly rest. 

I remember that on my third day at the retreat, I found I was really tired—not quite exhausted but rather feeling like I needed some quiet, contemplative time, curling up like a cat in front of the fire. So I did just that, and a lot of it, and that felt so good! When we stop working, when we put down the world we are so busily working on, we rest, we gain perspective, and work becomes easier later.

My second lesson is the need for (re)connection, with myself, of course, but also with others. Again, making time and space for it is key to maintaining balance. Think of it as disconnecting from daily life to reconnect with life. Such reconnection gives the necessary space for awe and wonder to appear, which we all need. The great thing about it is that it opens up new territories, new ideas, and creativity. 

The last thing I left with was that I wanted to go and find and create. I wanted to get back to my core purpose of surprising magic, finding awe and wonder, experiencing it, creating it, and creating space for other people to experience it and be reminded of it. 

And I’ve come up with the perfect way to do that!  

From my retreat to yours?

This experience was so transformational for me that I want to run retreats for my clients and integrate what I learned into what they do. I want them to experience that journey and reap its benefits.

We’re now working on a few concepts for business retreats for team (re)connection, mergers and acquisitions, or digital transformation kickoffs. These retreats are all about integrating, creating space and time for people to have an experience, feel emotions, to allow them to leave to create a symbolic movement from one aspect to another in their work life. These retreats also enable people to benefit from resting, having time for conversation, and time for taking care of themselves.

If this sounds like something your team or company could use, email me, and we'll set up a chat. I’ll answer all your questions and give you new ideas on how to deepen the connection in your team to achieve your business objectives.