I have been known to cringe when people say the name of my business incorrectly--most times they say "Get Off and Go" instead of just "Get Off Go". Not a big deal really, but it matters to me so I thought I would explain where the name came from in hopes people will remember it.

Two summers ago I was deep in the midst of digging inward to understand myself better. I filled countless notepads every time I sat in the sun, words just poured out of me onto the paper. Some ideas were sparked by the self-help books I was reading, other times I just needed to get crap off my chest . So I wrote, and wrote, and in the process I began to heal and find my true path.

Sometime near the end of that summer I realized that what I really wanted to do was help others move forward. It is what I now consider my life's purpose, and something I do easily and intuitively. In fact for a long time it was actually easier to help others move forward than it was to help myself! When I looked down at my notepad one day after doing an exercise to uncover my innermost wishes, I had written 'I want to help people get off go.' And just like that I was on Go Daddy to see if the web address was available. To my surprise it was --this after the maddening weeks I spent typing in random things like eatpoop.com just to verify my belief that everything (I wanted) was already taken. The fact that it was actually available might have been the first of many signs from a higher power showing me I was finally on track.

Now imagine the "Go" in Get Off Go as that first space on a game board --kind of like the Go/Start space on the Monopoly board-- your token is poised and ready, all lined up, prepared but still stuck all at the same time. You need to roll the dice and create some forward motion to begin the game.

I run across people every week that are stuck, or at least stalled in their lives. They are standing on the "go" space but something holds them back from making their move -- it can be fear, negativity, self-doubt, a lack of belief in themselves or even that they are listening to others around them tell them they can't. Sometimes old patterns or beliefs need to be identified, busted up and removed to start the forward motion. 

I know this precipice well. I stood there for a few years, assembling my parts and pieces, hesitating, reassembling, hesitating more, then finally being brave and reaching out for help. Only no one answered. Seriously. I was ready to go, and there seemed no one willing to help. I didn't need a counselor, or a therapist--I had done enough of that kind of work on my own. But I did need a gentle push to get me moving forward. Strange isn't it that the life coach (es) I emailed and called years ago never even bothered to respond.

My wish is that Get Off Go attracts people who are ready to do the hard work necessary to heal and thrive. As a person who has recently traveled along this same road, I can be of help to others. I am not good at sales; I never will be. But I AM good at listening, asking questions, connecting dots, and helping people think differently. The best way I know how to reach out to people is to host workshops.

So here is my summer workshop line up:

Thursday, May 29  VISION BOARD WORKSHOP

Tuesday, June 3 BEGINNING MEDITATION

Tuesday, June 17 CULTIVATING GREATER SELF ACCEPTANCE

Tuesday, July 24 THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

Tuesday, July 1 WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK--GOING DEEPER INTO FEAR

If you are ready to move forward, or if you find yourself needing a change in direction and could use help figuring out the first steps, please consider joining me at one of the workshops. Go with the one(s) that resonate with you, because deep down you already know what you need to Get Off Go. 

Namaste.

How often do you discount your own thoughts and intuition? Daily?

When a niggling voice inside seems to want you to do something and you hear it but you talk yourself out of it anyway, why do you suppose that is?

Maybe you need to get out of your head and into your heart.

If you are living in your head (closing off your heart) you may second guess yourself often or rationalize that you are making things up, and start to tell yourself you can't possibly see, hear or believe in something your inner self just "knows". You think yourself right out of the correct decision for you.

Or how often do you hear a voice deep inside telling you that you are making a mistake and then go on and ignore it anyway --only to hear the voice later berate you for what you knew was not right for you in the first place? Your knowing inner voice can easily be drowned out by your own mean thoughts, and what you perceive others think is the best decision for you. 

The secret to trusting your intuition is to learn to hear your inner voice. It all starts with tuning inward.

What if I explained this by saying that you are thinking with a closed mind --maybe even a closed heart. Instead of allowing your spirit to soar with possibility you operate from a safe (yet fearful) place which ends up holding you back. What if your true inner voice and knowing cannot manage to break through the busy, action-filled, goal-oriented, accomplishment-based, self-critical shield you put around your heart to protect yourself?

If that sounds frustrating, futile and exhausting; it is. I've been there. Wouldn't you feel better if you could open up and crack through that shield  learning to hear, trust and accept your inner knowing?

When we operate from a place of fear (even if we don't yet associate the place we are coming from as based in fear) we will make decisions that go against our own intuition, and I guarantee we make life much harder than it is supposed to be.

I learned it the hard way. For me it was about attempting to work backwards from the future. I desperately feared being incompetent, unworthy, a burden to others so I worked way too hard to stay ahead of the game. I wanted to keep those I felt responsible for safe and failure free: my family, my children, customers, co-workers, pretty much everyone. I turned my focus outward when what I really should have been doing was focusing inward on me. This I now know only spells C-O-N-T-R-O-L FREAK and ends in FRUSTRATION. I was blocking my own ability to follow my intuition and flow easily with life. I was running away from myself instead of toward the inner me,  and I was making life too hard. It is not supposed to be that way, for anyone.

Question of the Week #50 / Are You Thinking with A Closed Heart & Mind?

If the answer to this question is yes, please do not ruminate for one more minute about getting help. Just do it. You are worth it, and it is not selfish or weak to need help. There are many qualified life coaches, therapists, and energy healers who can and will direct you to resources that will resonate with you and work for you.

Running away from our fears by attempting to control the outcome of our lives, something we have no real control over, is exhausting and causes us to miss out on all the JOY life is supposed to hold. 

My wish for everyone in 2014 is to open up and begin living life the way you were meant to.  There is no time like the present to begin, it really is all we have.