|
Dear Clients,
I'd like to start by first acknowledging my mom, family, many
beloved friends, clients and teachers by saying, "Thank You!
Thank You for your love, belief and support throughout my life.
Without YOU.... I would not be who I am.
I know what it's like to hit rock bottom, going from one knock
down, dragged around situation after another. I have known
helplessness and hopelessness. It was from this place of despair
that the strength and determination to discover the 'more ' of
life was birthed. It is my intention in sharin' my story to
convey that I or Advanced Health, Inc. is not about business as
usual. We are about the transformative power of your heart.
Invite all who have ever asked, "Is this all there is?" to know
that very question suggests that you already know there is more.
A poem I wrote many years ago was about a flower that had it's
face down in the mud. It was begging God to give her just one
ray of sunshine so she could stand up and bloom for him. Along
my journey in life I have come to learn that you do not need to
beg God for anything and that I am not a victim of life. These
notions are an illusion, a lie. There was this glimmer of a
remembrance that influenced my soul to seek out something more
better. How could I settle for what was being told to me which
did not add up? The quest for truth gave me reason to keep
putting one foot in front of the other when darkness crept in.
Along the way I began to discover that through adversity
blessings show up in disguise. It is what I call the back handed
blessings just waiting for you to discover them and to realize
that this is a game. A game with my well-being at stake. From a
Divine eternal perspective it actually all becomes funny. If you
don't get the joke I am referring to, ask me about it and I'll
explain it.
I began with defining a virtue; LOVE, and then began to walk
that definition to discover it's truth. From that, I asked what
it means to be responsible. Which led me to discover the
adventures to be had in life. Never again could I ever be a
victim and if I found myself feeling like a victim in a
situation, I knew it was the sign to dig deeper and ask better
questions until I found the perspective that changed the
dynamics of my reality. Inch by inch, I rewrote what was real
and possible for me. It all started with a strong desire to be
rid of the pain because I believed there was a better way.
In short, I learned that adversity is the sand in the oyster
that creates and births a pearl. And oh what a beautiful pearl
it is!!! I have also learned to never walk alone. I keep my baby
hand in the larger hand of the Almighty. Always on the lookout
for ways the Invisible Unseen Forces that are everywhere and
within everything are communicating and guiding me so that I
fully awaken and serve the purpose my soul chose to be here for
at this time for. Also, if you ask good questions the Almighty
will ALWAYS give you an answer. If your not hearing the answer
it is either not the right time to be revealed to you or you
need to hone in your listening skills. The discovery of doing massage for a living came in that sort of
survival made. I had just tumbled from nursing so hurt, angry,
confused and scared. I had a notion about the choice of being
responsible but no idea as to how to implement it. The pattern
of being the victim was in the lead and the toll it was taking
eked the life out of me, bit by bit. I was either going to forge
a better way or find myself on the losing end of life.
I wasn't really a natural at massage. You know, one of those
people that naturally have warm, soft hands that when they touch
you they make you feel so loved. No, that was not me. My first
teacher kept telling me to soften my hands, shaking her head in
frustration, as she taught us to dig deep into dense strong
muscles. That request was an oxymoron to me. It was the threat
of living on the street that awakened the desire to learn and
propelled me on to make discoveries. In this situation, the
first discovery was understanding what this teacher was trying
to convey. Little did I know that a pattern was emerging. This
pattern over time indicated that I was in training, being taught
some fundamental living skills in alignment with Universal Laws.
Perceptions attitudes and beliefs shapes how one experiences
life. The attitude of being responsible, life is an adventure
and all is just an experience, is very different from
helplessness and hopelessness or hoping and praying that
something will come and save you as your worn torn being
weathers the storms of life. My favorite theme question is, "Is
this true?"
My next round of instructions came from Potomac Massage Therapy
School and they taught me Swedish massage. This was a softer
work and it was easy to have soft hands. Trouble was, I was not
fond of Swedish massage, it felt nice but it did nothing to
address my pain like deep tissue did. Somehow I learned how to
have soft hands and go deeply into the muscles, working out the
kinks and leading the body back into it's rightful anatomical
position. Clients loved it. Their pain was arrested enough to
get them through the week. They came back on a weekly basis and
before long there was a waiting list to get to see me.
Eventually the threat of being on the street faded and there was
room to dream of a business based on the principles of healing,
which is simply an intention to Love. A simple intention does
not imply Love is simple. Love is a verb and the path of LOVE is
one that steps you right out of your comfort zone and into the
unknown. It is a path that few ever really walk.
I did not know then nor did I know at that time what Love would
teach and require. As I said, I had merely set the intention,
which is synonymous to opening Pandora's box sending me on an
adventure beyond my small mind conceptions. As I began to
develop my vision for business, what emerged was a business that
would set an example in all facets based on the healing
principle of LOVE. I wanted to demonstrate that a business that
pivots from the heart can be profitable. I invited massage
therapists to come and build their vision under the umbrella of
my vision and they could launch off the platform I had built.
Long story short--I was very naive. I went through a huge check
list of my weaknesses thinking that's why it was not working
out. I addressed each weakness one by one and learned much about
myself in the process. All of that was good self-discovery and
when I finished with that I was still left with uncovering what
else needed to happen for my vision to work. I then learned that
there was nothing wrong with me and there was nothing wrong with
my staff. My vision was simply a head of it's time and I needed
to put it down and find a way to take care of myself. It grieved
me to surrender my vision but not for too long, because the
Almighty Creator opened the doors for me to buy a home, a place
to rest and heal until the time was right for my vision to be
born. That time is now.... My skills as a therapist have never
been better and ever growing, my heart continues to open and
expand making my connection with the Almighty Creator stronger
than ever. I have come to understand that the path of
uncertainty is the path that guarantees you are not locked in
the box, it is on the edge where you can die and it is also
where all possibilities are born.
You may be asking yourself, "Why is she telling me this?" It is
because I care and want you to know that I have known the depths
of despair and I did not just wake up one day and my world was
rosy. Like you, it is full of lumps and bumps. It is not what
happens to you that matters, it's how you choose to respond and
your ability to discern if your responses enhance your
well-being or not. What I have worth sharin' goes a step beyond
responding to life and into a place of awareness that you are in
a co-creating relationship with your Almighty Creator,
accessible only through your heart. Your only true source of
power that supports you in living your life's purpose. Why do I
care about that? Because when you begin to live from your heart,
your light begins to shine making the world we all live in
brighter. We cannot change the world by doing things outside of
ourselves but the world does change when you go inside, open
your heart and establish an ongoing relationship with your
Almighty Creator. This is my heart's desire and I invite you to
come get on board the train. It may sound quirky and
unconventional but then again what do you have to lose. If we
keep doing what we have always done then we will keep getting
what we have always gotten. Is that not the definition of
insanity? It's time for change, for us all to grow-up, mature
and evolve into our highest truth so that we can do something so
much more fun. I invite you to begin your journey to
self-discovery. Advanced Health, Inc and I offer you the sacred
space, a lot of heart, some skills and some cutting edge tools
to support you on your adventure called life.
Many Heart Blessings,
Sharon
Sharon Goodwyn has been serving the community as a health
care professional for 29 years. She became a Licensed Practical
Nurse in1977 and established Advanced Health, Inc in 1989
|
