A Retreat About Nothing

I was selected to be an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) at the Edward Lowe Foundation. (If you're a second stage entrepreneur ($1 million+ in annual revenues) and haven't heard of this foundation, you have to check them out!) As an EIR, I would get to stay at the amazing Big Rock Valley (the foundation's 2,000+ acre headquarters) and devote three days to whatever I deemed most beneficial to myself and my businesses.

In preparation for the retreat, I met with Dr. Dino Signore (Manager of Entrepreneur Education at the foundation) two weeks before my retreat. We discussed my goals for the retreat and what I wanted to focus on. I had all the ideas about all of the things - I was going to work on strategic plans for two of my businesses, decide what topic I wanted to write about for my upcoming book, brainstorm some good B2B relationships I could cultivate to drive sales... I was jazzed and excited and ready to go. And Dr. Dino took copious notes and listed to all my ideas and then said to me "Amanda, I'd like to share with you an idea that people sometimes think sounds kinda crazy. Have you ever considered a retreat about nothing?"

WTF, Dr. Dino?!? My life and business aren't some Seinfeld episode (and yes, he and I did discuss that reference). I don't have time for a retreat about nothing, I'm a busy business owner and each minute of this retreat needs to be planned out for maximum benefit. But I humored Dr. Dino and said "Sure, sure, that sounds like an interesting concept, I'll think on that."

Fast forward to last Tuesday - I arrive at Big Rock Valley and am greeted with all the information about BRV and an agenda for my retreat. And you know what's on that agenda? Breakfast in my quarters, communal lunch, communal dinner and an optional fireside chat with the other EIRs. That's it. The rest of the time is mine to do with as I choose. I don't know the last time I've had three days with that lax of a schedule. Even on family vacations, I've got sites to see and museums to visit and dinner reservations to make and I've got to do all the things.

So off I go to the farmhouse I'll be staying in. It's super cute and comfortable and quaint and I immediately feel like I'm visiting my Grammy Hayhoe (which is an amazing feeling for me, she was one of my favorite people in the whole world). I bring all my stuff into the house, sit down on the couch to rest for a moment... and wake up two hours later. Whew! Didn't realize I was that tired! Guess I better unpack and get down to all the strategic planning I have planned.

After unpacking, I sit down at the kitchen table with my Remarkable tablet, laptop and journal. I'm reviewing my notes about what I wanted to accomplish for the retreat and see Dr. Dino's comment "... a retreat about nothing." Ha! That still sounds so funny. I pull up an excel spreadsheet and start doing some financial forecasting about one of my businesses. Playing with sales and expenses and seeing what my 1 year, 3 year and 5 year forecasts will look like. I make some great progress and decide to take a quick break and get something to snack on.

I walk into the kitchen and the BRV team has this amazing spread of snacks to choose from - fresh fruit, chips, popcorn, candy, granola bars, teas, coffees, hot cocoa, juices. I grab a banana and stand at the kitchen window staring out into the meadow. I have no idea how long I stand there and gaze at the trees, the snow covering the ground, the clouds in the sky, the bunnies hoping from bush to bush trying to stay dry and warm. At some point, I realize I've finished the banana and am just standing there, leaning against the wall, thinking about nothing. And it feels good.

Huh. I go into the living room, sit down on the couch and look out the front window. There's really not anything particularly of interest to look at. I just look around and see all the trees, the snow, the red berries on the bush in front of the house. I look at the main drive, notice that the asphalt is in really good condition and that they've done a nice job maintaining it. I just keep staring out the window at everything and nothing, thinking about everything and nothing...

Suddenly my phone alarm goes off - well, shit! It's time to get ready for dinner. Where the hell did the afternoon go?

And the rest of the retreat pretty much continues like that, except I get more intentional about doing "nothing". I do get some reading done, I go for walks, I do some journaling, I think about my businesses and I think about my life. The majority of the time, though, I pretty much just sit around and just do a lot of thinking about nothing in particular. I let my mind wander where it wants, but take care to make sure to jot down notes about where it wanders to. I ended up thinking a lot about what I want out of life, what makes me happy, what makes me sad, and I came up with more than one business ideas that I may try or may never look at again. I felt a lot of feelings (some good and some bad), felt very confused at times, but overall I feel like I accomplished a lot - while still somehow feeling like I didn't really accomplish anything at all.

Edward Lowe, the founder of the foundation (and the inventor of kitty litter), spoke a lot about this process he called "pondering". He believed a lot in the value of pondering and said it is a "one-on-one dialogue with your mind". This article by Ed describes more about his beliefs on pondering and it's benefits to the entrepreneur. And after my "retreat about nothing" where I pondered all day long for three days, I'm now a believer in scheduling time for pondering.

So, yes, Dr Dino was right. I was ready for a "retreat about nothing" even though I didn't know it. I'm thankful he mentioned it, even though I was completely prepared to go in a different direction. And I'm thankful my wise inner self was smart enough to overpower my brain and make me go in a different direction. After having a few days to reflect, that retreat was the most unique, and most uncomfortable, and most beneficial business retreat I've ever had.

So here's to the power of a Retreat About Nothing! May you, too, someday experience the joy and wonder and uncomfortableness and benefits of such a retreat. I know I'm already looking forward to the next one!