Sacred Moments Shape Stronger Leadership

Jun 25

I’ve been thinking about retreats a lot lately. Probably because I just finished two this month, finalizing one in July and a few on the docket in the fall.

This "retreat thinking" caused me to recall a wellness retreat in a remote seaside Newfoundland that I participated in last fall. As I prepared for the retreat I became overly fixated on one 5-minute segment of the retreat—a cold plunge in the North Atlantic.

On the morning of the plunge, we drive to the wharf in Devil’s Cove. The wind is howling and the windshield wipers wiping.

The first one out says, "It’s cold out."

And I’m thinking, "We haven’t even touched the water yet."

I look at my compatriots, "Look at the beach. It’s nothing but jagged stones. I’m glad I brought footwear."

"At least the water is calm."

Our retreat leader can see we are all quite anxious. He gathers us and helps us prepare. He says,

"Stretch out your arms and as you raise them to the sky, take a deep breath."
"Do it again."

"And again."

"When you find your place in the ocean, look skyward and focus on your breathing. Remind yourself that you’re not going to die. Get your breath under control, relax and enjoy it."

"Enjoy it ?" I’m thinking.

"Ok, let’s go."

The 8 of us run into the frigid Atlantic. It unfolds as he predicts. A sense of calm does surface. 40 to 50 seconds pass, and it’s time to get out.

There’s cheering and high-fives and half the crew returns for a second dip. We have the entire plunge on video.

This 60-second block of time has become the centrepiece of our retreat—a most sacred centrepiece. The video is for our eyes only. Not for sharing on social media. This was our moment where we trusted what we couldn’t see and overcame a fear we couldn’t name.

Transformational moments like this only happen when you step back. And it seems so counterintuitive to step back because of the demands of the urgent.

So for you, it’s critical that you find time on a daily basis to step back even for just a brief moment, and on a weekly basis to step back for intentional reflection and on a monthly or quarterly basis to step back for some meaningful self-development.