?? A New Year, A New You
James Traub
Divorce & Wellbeing Coach | Guiding Parents to Their "Best Possible Divorce" | Men's Work Facilitator
Brothers,
The Journey Inward is a newsletter for men who are ready to begin an exploration of their inner landscape. Rather than discuss what’s going on in the world-at-large, we’ll be focusing on what’s going on in your world–the world of emotions, feelings, needs, values, goals, and desires.
As you’ll soon discover, your experience of the people and the world around you is a reflection of what’s going on inside of you.
My goal with this newsletter is simply to bring forward new concepts and ideas that will help you to explore, understand, and cultivate a more peaceful and authentic inner state, and support you in becoming the great man you want to be.
?? Don’t forget to subscribe to this newsletter, as new editions will be published every two weeks.
?? This past week I celebrated my 41st birthday.
There is so much talk of turning 40, however that milestone seemed to come and go without much consideration.
This year, however, turning 41 truly feels as though I’m stepping into the second half of my life–with different goals, a different attitude, and different expectations.
And I’m excited about that! ??
The highlights of my week included an awesome show by The California Honeydrops and a visit to a local wellness center that offers float therapy.
If you’ve never experienced a float tank, I highly encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and give it a try.
Sometimes also called a ‘sensory deprivation’ tank, floating is an opportunity to give your body a near-total break from sensory input.
There’s nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to smell, nothing to do, the water is a comfortable 98.6 degrees, and the buoyancy created by the high salt content means you float without any effort at all!
Many people think a float sounds terrifying, but if you’re comfortable being alone with yourself (and your thoughts), floating is a wonderful way to hit ‘pause’ and take a break from the world.
In fact, I find it so relaxing I often fall asleep for a bit! ??
?? The Journey Inward Podcast
Keeping with the birthday theme, my gift to myself this year was to hit ‘record’ and publish the first episode of The Journey Within podcast.
Similar to this newsletter, the goal of this podcast is simply to bring forward new concepts and ideas that will help you to explore, understand, and cultivate a more peaceful and balanced inner state, and to achieve greater success and satisfaction in your life.
Rather than monologue and provide you with one man’s opinion on these topics, my vision is to bring these topics to life through conversation with the people I find inspiring and who have helped me on my own journey inward.
This will include coaches, yogis, therapists, physicians, and many other interesting characters from all walks of life.
?? The Gift of Breath
Another gift I’ve given to myself this year is enrollment in a 10-week online course to learn the Wim Hof breathing method.
(If you’re unfamiliar with Wim Hof and his methods, I encourage you to set aside 30 minutes to check out his free mini-course and get a taste of how powerful this tool is for quickly shifting your mental state.)
In addition to feeling a desire to evolve the breathing aspect of my daily meditation practice, I’ve found Wim Hof’s reverent and playful attitude towards the cold to be a perfect complement as we transition into late fall & winter.
Having spent my childhood in Hawaii, I’m a wuss in the cold. ??
I hate it.
But I don't want to hate it.
And, as I quickly discovered in the first few videos of this course, the cold is not only a powerful tool for enhancing cardiovascular health, it's also a wonderful tool for facilitating personal growth and discovery, which I'm all about!
For the first time (perhaps ever!), I'm really looking forward to the chilly temps ahead and am eager to have a new experience of the cold, despite the fact that I just turned 41!
The 10-week online course is just $120, and if you're interested in doing it alongside me, I’d welcome your participation as a fellow brother in breath!
♂? Upcoming Men's Retreat
Finally, I’m tremendously excited to be hosting my first men’s retreat this coming weekend with the support of my dear friend Daniel.
We’ll be retreating into the mountains of North Carolina for several days of fellowship, introspection, and an exploration of how emotional intelligence can be a powerful tool for men to create the success and satisfaction they’ve been looking for. ??
My goal is to lead quarterly men’s retreats, initially here in North Carolina, and eventually branch out into new locations where men from around the country will have the opportunity to join and participate.
There are certain things in life (your satisfaction being one of them) that don’t lend themselves well to ‘thinking’ about it. ??
Rather, there’s a wisdom that already exists in the feelings and emotions that rise and fall as you experience the people, places, and activities around you, and this wisdom ultimately holds the key to your happiness.
Most men haven’t been taught how to listen to this inner wisdom. ??
Even worse, many men remain in situations and environments that continue to encourage suppression and avoidance of emotions, which means they're often living and working in environments with high levels of tension and conflict, which slowly chips away at their health and their longevity.
These retreats are an opportunity for men to learn these important skills and create new relationships so that they can move purposefully in the direction of a life that serves their highest goals and desires.
Before we go, if you like this newsletter, please share it with someone who might also like it ??
See you again next Tuesday.
Cheers ??
James
P.S. - If you know a guy who’s going through some ‘stuff’ right now and might benefit from working with a coach or cultivating a deeper relationship with his inner world, please feel free to mention my name.
James, Happy Birthday! And what good work you’re doing, as represented in this newsletter. You seem to have a full dimension of perspectives covered! And adding new ones!!!
Happy belated Birthday, James!