I recently went to a writing retreat in Montana, and I’ve been thinking about how important it is to invest in yourself and your passions and talents – because as an entrepreneur, YOU are your greatest asset.

I made the investment. I took four days for myself in Whitefish Montana – snow and ice still on the ground – to spend five hours each morning and three hours in the evening in writing workshops with a group of women I’d never met, and a teacher I’d only heard about online.

The workshop was led by bestselling author and soul-sister Laura Munson. Our group of six writer-students greeted the day in a beautifully converted schoolhouse to listen, talk, learn, write, and stir up the possibilities for ourselves and each other.

We sat in a circle of cozy chairs, mugs of tea an coffee by our sides, notebooks and pens in hand. We learned about Scene and Dialogue, Place and Change, Conflict and Character. We wrote together, read our work out loud, listened and gave feedback, and then wrote some more. There were nods of agreement, hands raised in question, many laughs and lots of tears.

After dinner, we settled in front of the fireplace for our three-hour evening workshop. Two readers each night shared their stories, and we gave them our full attention, an hour of heartfelt response. It was any writer’s dream: a thoughtful and engaged audience. A circle of like-minded creators. A new group of friends.

There are always moments – and Spring reminds us of this – where our lives seem to beg us for a bit of renewal. To shake the dust off. Challenge yourself. Try something bold and new. The retreat in Montana was my bold move.

As a coach, it’s so important to refuel yourself. Fill your creative well so that you can draw on it as you work with others. As you move into April, think of this quote I heard from my yoga instructor:

“Growth needs attention like a plant needs sunlight.”

Shine some sunlight on your dreams. Give attention to who you want to be. And let me know if you want to chat about what you’re building and creating for yourself.