Guidelines to a Successful Retreat

Its March already, come April most company will have their annual retreat. Although it should be a time between you and the Lord, you may also want some guidance to help you recollect like a spiritual director. Below are some suggestions for your retreat.

Bible Reading. The time to sit down and read slows us down and gives us perspective. The specific way of reading Scripture in a reflective way is called Lectio Divina and consists of four stages:

1. Reading - slowly and repeatedly
2. Meditating - digest the words that you have read
3. Praying - talk with the Lord about what the words mean in your life.
4. Contemplating - rest in the presence of God and in his Love.
   
   

Devotional Reading. A retreat is a great time to read the reflections of men and women who've run ahead of us in the journey of faith. There are all sorts of devotional readings that you can shoose from, depending on your preference and inclination.

Prayer. There is no right way to pray during a retreat. What's important is that your heart is right. You can pray the Psalms, the Rosary, use prayer books or go into silence. Choose whatever way helps you commune with the Lover of your Soul. You can even walk and pray at the same time.

Slow Down. Spiritual refreshing doesn't mean another to do list from A to Z. You can sleep, nap, stare at the clouds or listen to the birds. Waste your time with the Lord who gives all good gifts.

Journaling. Some people are fitted to this way of doing a retreat. Writing down your thoughts and prayers could clarify things for you and it's highly therapeutic too.

Learn How to say NO

Learning how, and when to say no, takes practice, especially if you're someone who's honestly interested in helping other. Here are some tips to helps you to say NO.

• Try and lose the guilt. By all means, be generous in helping others but let it be within the bounds of what you're capable of.

• Make sure you fully understand requests before you agree to anything.

• Avoid a culture of consensus. Often, we agree to do things to make people happy and on our side. Unfortunately this isn't always beneficial.

• Stick to your plans. If saying yes to something throws your plan to get something done way off, make sure you question if it's worth it.

• The best intentions might not have the best outcomes. Even if you feel you are helping by agreeing to take on a task you may be actually hindering other task from getting done.