My First GOTG Retreat
by Carrie White | Independent Gallery Guide
> Me (left) and my friend Mandy at our very first GOTG retreat!
A few days ago, I was attempting to reorganize my business supplies. As I was digging through it all, I came across something extra special, a book given to me at the very first Gallery On The Go retreat. I had not forgotten about the book, it had a place on my business shelf and I had thought of it frequently over the years, but I hadn’t touched it, read it, or written in it since the retreat. The book I am referring to is called “FIVE.”
This book asks a simple question:
“Where will you be five years from today?”
Well, it hasn’t been five years since I was asked this question. It hasn’t even been three full years yet. At the time I was asked this question, I was a high school English teacher turned stay at home mom with a three year old boy and a not quite one year old girl with special needs. My husband and I were struggling to deal with some of the intense guilt, disappointment, and stress that comes from having a baby born prematurely. Things were rough, really rough, to the point that I had seriously considered not going on this silly little retreat anyway. I had only been an Independent Gallery Guide with Gallery on the Go (IGG) for 3 months and had guided less than 10 total parties.
Was it really going to be worth it?
Well, before I knew it I was riding up to Estes Park, Colorado with the amazing Mandy Thomas, marveling at her ability to drive, chat, and dip her Chick-fil-A nuggets in Polynesian Dipping Sauce without spilling or dripping anything. I was quickly seeing this girl had it together. I was in complete awe as she told me all about the incredible spread sheet and in-depth research that she had done while finally biting the bullet and getting her first smart phone, which was sitting on the console syncing and activating while we were talking. I still had my trusty flip phone lying at the bottom of my purse. That was just three years ago people! Now how often do we all look at the screen of our smart phones each day? Who would have thought?
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when we finally found the tiny little cabin where our retreat was just getting started. I settled into my bed for the night. It was an absolutely adorable shabby chic daybed that just so happened to reside in the kitchen of the cabin.
Humble beginnings, make for sweeter success.
The next morning we all woke up ready for business (and shenanigans). We drove over to the famous Stanley Hotel (notably known for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shinning and for being the site of my wedding :) ). If you haven’t been there, the hotel is absolutely gorgeous, so we decided it was the perfect spot to hold our first retreat “break out session”.
> The Stanley Hotel in breathtaking Estes Park, CO
We found a quiet room that no one was using and claimed it. The five of us (well over half the then active IGGs) sat down. I had known Maria for three months and knew she probably had something cool planned, but didn’t expect her to produce five impressive spiral bound notebooks outlining our retreat itinerary complete with workbook inserts to help us as we made our way through this journey. Next came the book…FIVE. There I was sitting in the very room I had gotten dressed in for my wedding just over five years ago, (crazy coincidence huh?) sitting with four gals I barely knew, and I was handed this book asking me where I would be in five years.
AHHHH! I had absolutely no idea!
The more these inspiring women talked though, the more I wanted to figure it out, the more I knew I HAD to figure it out. So I went along with it. As the book said, “The goal was not to provide a list of what ‘should’ be done with the next five years — but to stir up some exciting possibilities of what ‘could’ be done.” I only got to about page 12 of my book during our short retreat. The seed was planted though and it was watered by the empowering discussions of these inspiring ladies, and of course a little bit of fun too....
> Who can resist $2 Ladies Night?!
We laughed, we cried, we had a close encounter with an elk and I begin to realize that this business I had jumped into on a whim, just because I wanted something fun to do with my weekends without feeling mommy guilt, was something way bigger than I ever realized.
So where did I see myself in five years?
This is what I wrote:
“My mission is to live life; to never go through the motions, but to be aware of the world and myself, to be willing and motivated to better both. My mission is to put the happiness of my husband and children above all, but not to forget about myself. I want to look back on my life and feel a sense of accomplishment and joy, not just getting things done, but doing things.”
The book went on to ask what my number one goal was. Three years ago, I wrote that my number one goal was to finish grad school. I planned, without a doubt, to return to my “real” career.
That was three years ago. Where am I now? Well, that silly little hobby I started on a whim....it is going pretty well. I haven’t taken any graduate courses, but I have followed my mission statement pretty closely. Just turns out that I am “doing things” slightly differently than I expected. By remembering to feed my own joy, I have invested more time into Gallery On The Go and those seeds have bloomed into a pretty nice garden. I have four AMAZING team members and this tiny little company I jumped on board with is growing leaps and bounds. The money I earn from Gallery On The Go granted my husband and me the financial confidence to upgrade our home and lifestyle. All this while still being able to stay home with my kids and allow my husband the freedom to pick the schedule that works best for his career. Where do I see myself in two more years, five more years, ten more years…? Well, I have started to wonder if I could possibly party my way to retirement. Hmmm! Sounds pretty good!
What I know for sure?...
Five years ago, Gallery On The Go did not exist.
Three years ago, there were less than 6 Independent Gallery Guides; today there are more than 90 in 11 states.
Three years ago, I had less than 10 parties in three months. Today, I average around 10 parties a month.
The three years following that first retreat have been an incredible and empowering ride.
In just a few weeks, I will be at yet another amazing Gallery On The Go company retreat.
In five years, my oldest child will be in fifth Grade and my baby will be in third grade. I will be 38 years old. Whatever I am doing, my goal is that it will bring me as much joy and pride as I feel after leaving a painting party as an Independent Gallery Guide <3
Life may be a bit of a roller coaster ride, but…”You don’t have to take life the way it comes to you. You can design your life to come to you the way you want it.”
Don’t be afraid to rebuild that track baby!