"Wings Gave Me the Freedom to Soar!"

Barb Brown - December 2005 Grad

Over the past year I attended the Personal Effectiveness Seminar (P.E.S.) and CrossOver, the first two core seminars Wings offers. These seminars were transforming life experiences.

I had been at a crossroads when I stepped into the Personal Effectiveness Seminar I had ended my marriage. My career had reached an abrupt ending as well. I felt lost. I felt stuck. I was unsure how to proceed. Suddenly I was faced with a big world and I let fear rule my reaction to events. I was afraid of abandonment, betrayal and financial insecurity. I was afraid of what other people thought and might be saying about me. I was open to changing careers, but was overwhelmed by the possibilities.

Wings helped me to tune in to what I wanted in my life. I took a year to re-invent myself. I made dozens of new friends, rediscovered my dreams, found meaning in simple acts, and acted in service to others. I became aware of what wasn’t working in my life. I was able to forgive others and myself. I set some goals. I made a list of things I have always wanted to do---and I did them! I trained for and rode in a cycling metric century ride. I attended a writer’s conference on Whidbey Island. I learned to knit. I read books, took yoga, exercised every day, and most importantly, I spent quality time with my children. I remembered to breathe and get in touch with my intuition. I realized that I am a beautiful, confident, playful woman, living in gratitude.

The seminars helped me to let go of resentments, regrets and concepts that had been holding me back. I began to respond with love rather than fear. I learned to “trust the process” and become more spontaneous. I began speaking from the heart and found others responded to this openness. I stopped using negative self talk and started repeating and believing positive thoughts about myself and others. I began to see that everything that happens in this life is an opportunity to learn and grow.

The day after P.E.S. I went to a second job interview where I was to give a speech. Throughout the seminar I had been considering what to talk about. I felt inspired to talk on the topic “How One Person Can Make a Difference.” It was the best speech I’ve ever given. I felt centered, full of life and light, humble and serene, yet full of passion. During the interview they also asked me to write an article on the most important concept to relay to young people today. I wrote about respect, again from my heart. The entire interview flowed and I knew I had found where I was supposed to be. In the end, I was offered the job. Things fell into place and were provided: a summer home, a place to live near a good school, tuition for my children’s education, and a renter for my Eugene home. The new job offers everything I am looking for.

Wings gave me the strength to get “unstuck”. I had the courage to consider a career change and a move to another state. I have made fundamental choices by which I live my life. I choose to be true to myself, to be healthy and to be free. I choose to be the predominant creative force in my life, creating the life I want to lead. I found my inner source of strength and realized that it is my challenge, in this life, to learn from all of my experiences. Taking the seminar was an opportunity to stop, look at my life, and choose how to move forward.

Wings gave me the freedom to soar.