Gaining a clearer perspective — An experience that taught Beatrice to align her work and life goals.

Industry: IT / Telecom
Job title: Portfolio Manager

Here is what Beatrice had to share after her experience participating in a Surdek retreat.

The main challenge I addressed

I felt that I needed to take a moment to take a step back because my life was rolling along at a crazy pace. I needed to see the big picture of where I wanted to go in my life and in my career. I wanted to take the time and space for introspection to make sure that I was giving myself the right means to achieve my goals.

This retreat is about taking a moment for yourself because life goes by so fast. I feel like we sometimes forget that we have the right and the duty to take some quiet time for personal reflexion. In our daily lives, we get lost in the crazy pace and our need to perform at work. We are afraid to show and talk about our weaknesses and it can feel as if there is nowhere to go for help.

We need a place to take a closer look at ourselves and reflect about where we are in our lives. This retreat is exactly that kind of place.

How my mindset changed

Two things had a big impact on me. The first was being able to share so openly with other people. It was interesting to see that we are not alone going through our various life experiences and that we are all on a similar journey. One of the participants shared many of her life stories with us and I could recognize myself in many of them. She allowed me to put new words, to name and better understand what I was experiencing in my life.

The second thing that had a big impact was that it allowed me to see my life and my career in a much larger perspective. I used to look at my life on a five or ten-year horizon, but this experience forced me to look much further. It also widened my perspective and forced me to bring together my personal and professional lives. It helped me better understand what was truly important for me in my life.

What I learned

I concentrate and focus more on the things with importance now. I look at life through a different lens. In my professional life, I put more emphasis on the aspects that I like or that I would like to develop or push myself further.

Three key moments of my experience

• Right at the start, the realization that we could share openly in a secure atmosphere. The level of trust and openness between participants was extraordinary. There was a lot of respect in the room.
• The exploration around living a designed life really touched me. It was a powerful moment that allowed me to see my life differently than how I used to see it.
• The five Tribal Leadership stages was also a key moment. The last stage “Life is great!” was very inspiring for me.