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When Did You Stop Dancing?
Singing? Playing? When did you stop expressing your wild and crazy ideas? When did you silence your song? Here is where you began to abandon your soul. We've all stopped short of claiming our full potential. Few of us were encouraged to live authentic lives. We were taught to conform, to play it safe, to color inside the lines, to keep our voices down. We wanted love and feared disapproval so we stifled our uniqueness and spontaneity, our boldness and, ultimately, our aliveness, in order to be acceptable and accepted.
My friend Leslie was a hospice volunteer. She tended to the needs of the dying. Tears in her eyes, she told me how often she encountered people who regretted that they didn't follow their hearts enough in their lives. Many acknowledged that they were good parents, grandparents, or siblings, contributed to their families and communities and met their responsibilities as best they could. But all too often, these men and women said that they let their lives be consumed by practicalities. They put off their dreams or discounted the importance of their aspirations. Some were simply afraid to risk, afraid to appear foolhardy once they became 'adults.' Leslie was so affected by their end of life stories that she took a serious look at her own life to see where she was abandoning herself. She decided to quit her job and moved from California to New York to pursue her passion for acting.
We can't all pick up and move to pursue our visions, but we can look honestly at our lives right now and ask the question that the poet, Mary Oliver, posed in her poem "The SummerDay." "What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Your dream is alive and kicking, waiting for you to turn in its direction. It may be a whisper or, perhaps, a loud voice urging you to take your paints out of the closet, plan a river rafting trip or start writing the novel you've thought about for years. Now is the time to give an unequivocal YES! to your dream. Commitments are powerful; when you commit, you are fully aligning with your vision. Now is the time to take action. Even if you have only 15 minutes a day to devote to your dream, that is a start. Just take the first step. Your soul will jump for joy!
I leave you with the words of the psychiatrist and writer, Theodore I. Rubin, MD: "I must learn to love the fool in me - the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool." |
GETTING UNSTUCK:
A Transformational Process for Overcoming Blocks
Are you feeling stuck? Do you have a vision for a new career, but can't take action on your ideas? Are you procrastinating with regard to a project? Do you long to write a short story or train for a marathon, but find yourself putting everything else first? Are you in a transition, but don't know what to do next?
In this three session class you will:
- Clearly identify the obstacle that is holding you back
- Get to the root cause of this block
- Discover your unique key to getting unstuck
- Clarify the resources you need to move forward
- Create attainable action steps
Tuesdays: January 13, 20 and 27, 2009
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Mill Valley, California
$105 before December 28 $120 after December 28 |
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TWO FREE WORKSHOPS
Saturday, January 10, 2009
TRANSFORMATIONAL WRITING: Writing for spiritual growth and transformation
Rockridge Library, Oakland, California
2:00 - 4:30 pm
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
OPENING THE WRITER'S GATE
Fairfax Library, Fairfax, California
6:00 - 8:30 pm
Contact me if you'd like to register for these workshops or for the GETTING UNSTUCK class (415)721-0766 or susannewest888@yahoo.com. |
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INSIGHT TO ACTION COACHING
INSIGHT TO ACTION COACHING phone or in-person coaching sessions can help you:
- Clarify and attain your personal and professional goals
- Navigate through periods of transition
- Quiet the voice of the Inner Critic
- Overcome blocks and limiting patterns
- Decrease stress and enhance wellness
- Access intuition for decision-making and clarity about your life direction
I specialize in helping clients overcome blocks and translate ideas and visions into reality. Fees are based on a sliding scale and time frames are based on individual wants and needs.
A FREE CONSULTATION is available.
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WRITING FROM THE SOUL
ONGOING GROUPS:
San Rafael, CA
Alternate Thursdays
Last Sunday of each month
INDIVIDUAL COACHING SESSIONS (phone or in-person):
- Overcome writer's block
- Start and/or complete writing projects
- Discover your natural writing voice
- Develop confidence and ease in writing
- Create attainable short and long term goals
A FREE CONSULTATION is available. | |
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For more information, or to schedule a Free Consultation, you can call or email me at susannewest888@yahoo.com or (415)721-0766 or visit my website www.susannewest.com. A free monthly newsletter is also available.
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