The Graceful
Return:
Relish Your
Journey After
You've Come Home
 Overcome the
Letdown After
Any
Transformative
Journey
You’ve
been on a long
journey – a
vacation, a
student year
abroad, living
as an expatriate
– and now you’ve
returned. But
home, and you,
might not be the
same as when you
left.
Returning to
your everyday
world, you may
be disappointed
that the thrill
of the journey
is over. You
want to keep the
inspiration from
your journey
alive once
you’ve come
home.
Hollywood films
never show the
homecoming – we
see the hero at
the end of his
adventure,
sailing off
toward the
horizon, fully
empowered and
enlightened from
his journey. We
don’t see the
hero return home
where he tries
to figure out
how to bring his
heroic insights
to bear on daily
life.
Despite
the off-screen
nature of coming
home, the return
from a trip
marks a
significant step
in the hero’s
journey. Once
home, we can
recall
experiences and
use them to live
a better life.
Whether you
consider
yourself a hero
or not, you’ll
still want to
make the most of
the time, money
and energy
you’ve invested
in your journey.
My e-book,
The Graceful
Return: Relish
Your Journey
After You’ve
Come Home,
offers a map
to make the most
of your journey
even after
you’ve returned
home.
The Return Home
Can Feel
Strangely
Foreign
My most recent
journey, a
one-year stint
living and
working as a
creative nomad
in Europe,
sparked the idea
for this guide.
Upon return to
my country, I
had to start
from scratch. I
so badly wanted
to make
something from
my trip that I
could share with
others in a
meaningful way.
But I was
confused and
discombobulated.
I couldn’t
organize myself
and my thoughts
in a way that
made me feel
normal. I didn’t
get a grip until
I turned to my
art making
tools, those
creative ways
that provided a
path through the
confusion.
 Through
writing,
mindmapping and
storytelling, I
got my footing
and acclimated
to a new normal.
And I came to
write The
Graceful Return
so I could share
what I found to
be an incredibly
valuable
process.
You’ve probably
had plenty of
guidance on how
to leave home
and how to
survive in new
territory. But
there’s scant
support for the
return. Coming
home can stir up
many emotions,
and
straddling the
gap between the
adventure and
the mundane, you
may feel
isolated and
confused.
And the strange
thing about a
journey is that
when you come
home, things
often seem
unchanged.
Normal, even.
But your life is
not normal
anymore, and the
disconnect
between
appearances and
your inner
reality can
cause you to
feel, well,
slightly nuts.
It doesn’t have
to be so
difficult. I’ve
taken countless
trips. I was
recounting a
story to a
friend. I said,
“I’d just come
back from Europe
and was
completely
confused and
scared and not
sure what was
next. I’d just
had this
incredible
experience and
now what?” My
friend reflected
back to me that
she’d heard me
say that many
times. When I
thought about
it, I realized
that every
return home
involved a
period of
transition and
integration,
where I took the
fruits I’d
gathered on my
trips and made
something of
them. And now
I’ve gathered
a
set of tools to
make your return
from any journey
more meaningful
and empowering.
As a coach for
more than ten
years, I’ve
guided my
clients through
their inner and
outer
transformations.
In The
Graceful Return,
I use a way of
questioning that
helps you gain
valuable
insights so you
can make lasting
and powerful
transformations.
I bring both my
own experiences
as an adventurer
and my work as a
coach to help
make any journey
more meaningful.
 What’s
Your Journey?
The Graceful
Return
guides a
thoughtful
process of
self-investigation
that allows you
to share the
fruits of your
adventure. Feel
empowered by
your journey and
use your new
insights in your
life back home.
The Graceful
Return is
for anyone
coming home
from:
-
a student
year abroad.
You’ll have
new
perspectives
on life at
home, and it
may be hard
to relate to
the friends
who weren’t
away. Don’t
let the
empowerment
you felt
abroad slip
away; put it
to use for
your next
bold move.
-
an adult gap
year.
Perhaps you
took a
sabbatical
with the
hopes of
regenerating
your career
or life.
Maybe your
new
direction
isn’t clear.
How to know
if you’ve
found
insights
that will
help you
chart your
next move?
-
a military
deployment.
You’ve lived
a completely
different
life than
the one at
home, and
perhaps now
you’re
experiencing
conflicting
emotions.
Use The
Graceful
Return
to feel less
isolated and
pro-actively
sort through
feelings and
memories.
-
a stint
living and
working
abroad.
Carving out
a life as an
expatriate
takes great
effort and
commitment.
You’ve
enjoyed a
totally
different
world, and
now what?
Starting
over can
take time,
and
intentional
reflection
can make it
easier.
-
a
round-the-world
trip of any
length. How
do you
encapsulate
all the
experiences
you’ve had
so you can
share your
journey with
friends and
family? The
aftermath of
an adventure
can include
letdown and
isolation
but it
doesn’t have
to be so
challenging.
-
your
long-planned
vacation.
After a
much-anticipated
event,
there’s
often a
post-trip
funk. You’ve
been living
large and
loving it.
How to
capture that
feeling of
adventure in
your daily
life? The
Graceful
Return
offers a
path to
understanding
what
enlivens you
so you can
live the
journey
daily.
There are as
many journeys as
there are ways
to experience
them. You don’t
have to go to
Europe for six
months or
completely leave
home to be on a
transformative
journey. There’s
a wealth of
information for
how to embark on
the journey, and
very little on
how to return
home gracefully.
Until now.
The return home
can be very
isolating, but
it doesn’t have
to be.
 The
Graceful Return
offers a bridge
between the
intensity of a
journey and the
daily routine of
life back home.
Use your
epiphanies to
process your
experiences and
develop ideas
that you can use
in work and
life.
Transformative
journeys offer
you awareness
about what’s
important to you
and what you
care about.
The Graceful
Return helps
you
capture those
insights and use
them to relish a
life that feels
like an
exuberant
journey, whether
you’re traveling
or not.
Using writing
and art making
tools, tap into
the wealth of
insight you’ve
gained to
understand how
your experiences
have affected
you. Put
language and
images to your
feelings and
stories to make
it possible to
share them.
Empower yourself
with a bit of
time, intention
and creative
effort. You’ll
feel so much
better for it.
Take The
Graceful Return
The
50-page e-book,
The Graceful
Return, will
give you
guidance to make
the most of any
transformative
journey. Part
One acknowledges
that sometimes a
return home is
anything but
graceful. Coming
home can seem
very strange,
and you’ll want
extra space and
time to get your
footing.
The Graceful
Return
offers important
reminders to
help you take
extra good care
of yourself
during this
transition time.
Carving out
space, giving
yourself time,
managing your
finances and
staying in touch
with the people
and places
you’ve left
behind are
addressed.
In Part Two,
you’ll find
suggestions for
how to bring the
fruit of your
experiences to
the table with
common art
making tools.
Writing,
three-dimensional
art,
storytelling and
photography are
all ways that
you can capture
your thoughts
and feelings for
yourself and to
share with
others.
Each part of the
book is divided
into eight
suggestions or
ways that
provide an
easy-to-use set
of tools for the
returning hero
to make her
journey home
more graceful.
I’ve included
tons of coaching
inquiries (these
are the powerful
questions my
clients get so
much value from)
that you can
choose from to
guide your own
insights.
Save yourself
time, angst and
confusion with
this invaluable
journey aid.
Buy your
electronic copy
of The
Graceful Return
here.
The e-book
and its
bonuses cost
$19.
 Some
of the issues I
cover are ones
that are
difficult to
approach in any
context. With
intention and
compassion, you
will navigate
the tricky
waters of:
-
Fielding
questions.
Even the
best-intentioned
friends and
family can
ask the
wrong
questions.
Learn how to
field the
awkward
questions
(“What are
you going to
do now?”)
and ask
yourself the
questions
that will
actually
help you.
-
Manage
finances.
Money plays
a part in
any journey,
and you’ll
want to make
sure your
financial
needs are
met so you
have space
for your
return. I
invite a
conscious
exploration
of your
financial
picture so
you can have
peace of
mind.
-
Carving
out time and
space.
Sometimes
when you get
home it’s
like you’ve
just been
ejected from
the moving
walkway at
the airport
and into a
whirlwind of
at-home
activities.
Slow down
and make
time and
space so
your
equilibrium
is attained
more quickly
and easily.
-
Managing
expectations
and
emotions.
How we
approach our
return can
have an
enormous
impact on
how
difficult it
is. Be aware
of how your
own mind can
derail you
and use
The Graceful
Return
to have
greater
peace of
mind.
In Part Two, I
bring decades of
work as a writer
and artist to
share simple
tools that
anyone can use
to be more clear
and focused
during a
transition.
In The
Graceful Return
you’ll find
suggestions for:
-
Writing
Whether
you’re
journaling
for yourself
or crafting
stories to
share with
others, I
offer
several ways
to get your
thoughts out
of your head
and on paper
even if
you’ve never
written
anything
before.
-
Visual
Arts
Photography,
collage,
scrapbooking
and drawing
can allow
access to
your inner
world in
ways that
words
cannot. You
don’t have
to draw a
straight
line or have
any
experience
in art
making to
use these
tools to
draw
powerful
connections
and gain
insights.
And, if you
choose, your
art making
efforts can
easily be
shared with
others.
Pick up your
copy and
immediately
crossing the
bridge from your
journey to home
will become
easier. The
Graceful Return
is available for
immediate
download. This
50-page e-book
is a digital
file that is
read with Adobe
Reader.
(Download a free
copy of Adobe
Reader here.)
You may be
thinking, “But
I’m no artist! I
can’t write a
story to save my
life!” That’s
okay. It’s not
about making
art. It’s not
about looking
good for a
critical
audience. It’s
about finding
tools to help
you access your
most cherished
thoughts and
feelings. Art
and writing
provide powerful
means to tap
into what’s true
for you below
the surface you
show the world.
People have been
using these
creative tools
for centuries to
understand and
express the
mysteries of
life.
 How
you live, how
you travel, how
you embark and
return from a
journey are all
part of your
unique creative
expression.
Bring your
creativity home
with the tools
in The
Graceful Return.
I used these
tools myself and
have coached
others through
the process of
making the most
of a journey.
With a little
extra attention
and focus, the
joys of the
journey can be
extended long
past your
arrival back
home.
The Graceful
Return
makes a great
gift if you’re
welcoming
someone back
home.
Parents,
friends,
spouses,
community
members can give
this unique gift
to the loved one
coming home.
Show that you
do care
about their
adventure by
purchasing a
gift copy of
The Graceful
Return.
Order your copy
now through our
secure server
and have The
Graceful Return
within minutes.
Bonuses
There’s a lot to
cover on this
topic, so I’ve
included three
bonuses to
accompany the
50-page e-book.
Included with
The Graceful
Return: Relish
Your Journey
After You’ve
Come Home
are the
following
bonuses:
-
The Real
Me This
Values
Exploration
exercise
will give
you clarity
on who you
are and
what’s
important to
you. Having
awareness of
your values
is
particularly
useful to
make a
graceful
transition.
Knowing your
values will
help you
answer the
question,
“Who am I
now?”
-
Free-Writing
Guide
Writing is a
powerful
tool in
making a
graceful
return. This
simple
method will
make writing
easy no
matter how
stuck you
may feel.
-
Resources
Guide
I’ve shared
tons of
resources to
save you the
time and
effort of
tracking
down ways to
make your
return
graceful.
You may have
tapped into your
true self while
away from home.
How to bring
that back with
you and
incorporate that
essence into
daily life and
work? The
Graceful Return:
Relish Your
Journey After
You’ve Come Home
provides a
landing pad –
helping you
recognize how
you’ve changed
and giving you
tools to help
figure out
what’s next
Don’t get sucked
right back in to
life and lose
the magic of the
journey. Use
The Graceful
Return to
navigate the
course of a
project, a
career change or
a deeper
discovery about
your life and
work.
My Guarantee
 I
live by the
power of
intention
matched with
creative action.
If you buy
The Graceful
Return, read
it, and try the
exercises and
are dissatisfied
with the
results, contact
me and I will
happily refund
your money. I
believe you
should feel good
about the
products you buy
and I put a lot
into making sure
my products
deliver what I
promise.
Pick up your
copy of The
Graceful Return:
Relish Your
Journey After
You’ve Come Home
now. The cost of
the e-book and
the bonuses is
only $19. Hiring
me to work with
you one-one
would cost
hundreds of
dollars but you
can guide
yourself through
this process for
the cost of
stowing your
luggage on a
plane.
Simply
click
here and
you’ll be lead
through a simple
process to
purchase and
download your
electronic copy
of The
Graceful Return:
Relish Your
Journey After
You’ve Come Home.
This 50-page
e-book is a
digital file
that is read
with Adobe
Reader.
(Download a free
copy of Adobe
Reader here.)
For The
Graceful Return
and the bonuses,
you’ll pay only
$19.
If you have
questions or
comments, please
do not hesitate
to contact me.
The best way to
reach me is
via email.
If you prefer to
order The
Graceful Return
with a check, no
problem. Just
send $19 (or $15
before September
30th,
2009) to
Original
Impulse, Inc.
P.O. Box 300044
Denver, CO
80203. Once I
receive your
payment,
 I’ll
email you a link
to download your
e-book and
bonuses.
I’m convinced of
the power of the
journey to
transform us,
even though it’s
not always easy.
My intention is
that The
Graceful Return
will make your
journeys more
meaningful and
empowering so
that you can
take more of
them, more often
and more easily.
To your great
journeys – many
graceful
returns,
Cynthia
P.S. You’ve
spent countless
cash and
valuable time on
your journey.
Don’t let the
richness of it
slip away in the
busyness of life
back home.
Unlike many
things you buy
for a journey,
The Graceful
Return comes
with a
money-back
guarantee if you
find that what
I’m sharing here
isn’t for you.
Pick up your
copy today and
make the journey
last longer.
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