Personal Retreat 2025

Every year I go to to Montreal on Grey Cup weekend with friends. We watch the Grey Cup on television, I do a personal retreat and we have some fine dining experiences. It’s a tradition.

Each year I look forward to my retreat and the beneficial outcomes that come from personal reflection. This year was my 26th retreat and I still remember my first one. I highly recommend them.

For those of you who are not familiar with personal retreats the agenda is as follows:

1. Write down everything you would like to do before you die. Do not consider if you are able, if you have time or if you have the resources. If you would like to do it, then write it on the paper.
2. Write down what you would like to do in the next 5 years. You will be prioritizing the list from agenda item 1.
3. Write down what you would do if you knew you were going to die in 6 months, assuming you would be healthy for 180 days and die on the 181st. What would you do? Many would say they would reconnect with a relative or old friend or they would right a wrong or address an issue with someone they were once close with. Your list may have those items but may also have other things on it.
4. Finally, do a financial checkup. I do a net worth statement to see how I am doing compared to last year. I also do a monthly budget.

By reflecting on my retreats over the years, I’ve seen the ways in which my priorities have changed. During my first retreat, I spent hours (a day and a half) on steps 1 and 2, building a list that had a lot to do with work, clients and my firm. When I got to step 3, the first thing I wrote down was to quit work. I had spent a day and a half considering what I would like to do with work and as soon as I knew I was going to die, I quit. My reflection gave me pause. Actually, it changed my life.

If you would like to know more about personal retreats or my personal experience, please let me know. It would give me great pleasure to share.