PERMISSION TO HUSTLE RETREAT: STOP ASKING FOR PERMISSION AND JUST BE YOU

39 women – 1 cruise ship – 5 nights. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. But I assure you this is not a joke. This was a retreat to stop asking for permission and just be you!

Permission to Hustle was the brain-child of Audrey McClelland and Vera Sweeney. These two amazing bloggers wanted to get back to the blogging basics. So often at blogging conferences, there is plenty of learning going on, but you fail to make connections with other bloggers, or the sense of community doesn’t continue once the conference is over. Audrey and Vera wanted to do something to change the disconnect and encourage bloggers to stop asking for permission. 

Enter the Permission to Hustle Blogging Retreat. This invite event was held September 10-15 aboard the Carnival Paradise cruise ship. PTH Retreat was a time of firsts for me. It was a time of reflection, growth, and realizing I need to stop asking for permission to take care of myself and my family and to just be me.

PERMISSION TO HUSTLE WAS A TIME OF “FIRSTS”

When I received my invite, I literally was frozen. This would be the first trip I embarked on without family or friends. I would be traveling solo for the first time in my 53 years on earth. I was excited but afraid. When I received the details, I was sure I was going to attend, and then I looked at the invite list. Although I knew some people by name, I really didn’t know many of the names on the list. Being an introvert, I thought maybe I should decline. When my friend Tina from Footprints in Pixie Dust asked if I wanted to share a room, I made the decision to attend. And there ending up being several firsts for me on this trip.

• First trip without family
• First time stepping foot on foreign soil outside of the United States and Canada.
• First time swimming with sting-rays
• First time spending time with a group of women that I didn’t feel judged, stupid or not accepted.
• First time I really realized how important spending time on myself was to my overall health and mental state.

WHEN THE LEARNING HAPPENED:

During our two days at sea, we had incredible times of learning, sharing and bonding. As information was freely exchanged, we learned about SEO, Pinterest, Podcasting, Niching Down, and where the name Permission to Hustle came from.

I am slightly older than many of the women on the retreat. I graduated from high school in 1982, and when I was young and deciding what to do with my life, most women selected careers such as teachers, hairdressers, stewardesses, and nurses. In fact, in 1984 The New York Times Magazine reported: “that from 1960 to 1983 the percentage of lawyers who are women had risen from 2 to 15 and the percentage of jobs in banking and financial management held by women had risen from 9 to 39.” I was not ready to begin that fight to climb the corporate ladder when my first desire was to be a mom.

Even as a mom working from home, there is still guilt over my choices. While much has changed for women in the workforce, Permission to Hustle was born because women are still feeling the guilt over their choices. It sounds funny that you have to give yourself permission to do whatever is necessary for yourself and your family, but that is exactly what women are faced with, and instead of supporting one another, far too often we criticize each other.

Permission to Hustle Retreat was a no-judgment, guilt-free zone to help women take control of their businesses and to give them tools to break through that invisible glass ceiling that still exists. Permission to Hustle allows women to stop asking for permission and just be you.

FINDING MYSELF AND JUST BEING ME:

It was on Day 3 that I really found out who I am. Grand Cayman was the stop for the day, and Carnival gave us our choice of two excursions. I selected the Stingray City and Green Sea Turtle Center.

Have you ever thought, “there is no way I am going to. . . (Fill in the blank)?” I said that to myself – I am not going to get off the boat in Stingray City. Steve Irwin died because of a Stingray. Stingrays are wild. The ocean is their home and where they breathe, and I should stay on the boat where I can breathe.

Except when we got to Stingray City and I saw the water and the stingray swimming, and I thought to myself, “Patty, you are 53 years old. You may never get another chance to walk among these creatures. You have said no to everything your entire life. Get off the darn boat.” And I did.

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF:

I am braver than I thought

I have a voice and a story to tell that is powerful and can help others.

I still have a long way to go to be comfortable in my own skin.

I can overcome any obstacle – and most of the obstacles are in my own head.

I need this community of women. We need to encourage one another and lift each other up.

I NEED TO STOP ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AND MY FAMILY!

WHAT DO YOU NEED PERMISSION TO DO?

Do you shy away from experiences because of your body image or perceived inadequacies? Do the voices in your head make you think you can’t accomplish things?

Those voices only have power if you give it to them. Saying no to the voices and yes to the truth of who you are gives you way more power! It is time to stop asking for permission and just be you!

BACK TO REALITY:

So I came home ready to take on the world. And guess what happened? My internet was down. And no matter what my husband did to fix it, I continued to have problems for an entire week. I allowed this setback to discourage me. I allowed those voices to get me in a funk for a time. And then I said enough. I threw myself into the community of women I had just spent time with, and I listened to some wise advice, took on the challenge of blogging 5 times a week, and pulled myself back up.

So what are you struggling with? What are those voices saying to you, and how do you intend to overcome them? Drop me a line and let me know!