Are You Ready to Change Your Life?

Are You Ready to Change Your Life?

(ARA) - Feel like there is something missing from your life? Do you ever hear yourself saying, "If only I could (make that change, loose ten pounds, had more time/money)," or "If my (spouse, child, parent, friend) would only 'blank,' then I'd be happy?"

For Jane Freres, it wasn't so much an "if only" or something that was missing, but the struggle to get through a major transition period in her life. After going through a difficult divorce, she had to figure out who she was, what she wanted in life and how to be her own person.

"I spent a lot of my life working hard to take care of others, but when my kids went away to college and my marriage came to an end, I didn't know how to take care of myself," she says.

Freres tried working with a therapist, but that didn't improve her situation, nor did talking to other people change the way she was feeling. Then, one day, a close friend returned home from "The Mountain Experience" and convinced her it was something she should try. "It really transformed my life," says Freres.

The Mountain Experience, offered by The Garden Company, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, is a unique personal growth program that, over the course of five days, teaches people how to overcome the obstacles that are holding them back. The program was created 20 years ago and is taught by Kyle Mercer and Janice Lindgren, who are constantly refining the techniques and tools of the original process.

"The people who come to The Garden Company have an awareness that there is something in their lives that they would like to change. They are intent on finding a way to make that happen. Our knowledge, care and experience provide clients with the best-known tools to make it possible," says Mercer.

Here's how the process works: days one and two of the Mountain Experience are the self-discovery phase, during which you will get a clear and accurate picture of your current life, identifying what's working and what's not working. Exercises clarify if and how you are hard on yourself. You expose areas where you are not giving yourself choices, which creates a trapped, frustrated feeling. You begin to understand what's behind difficulties in your most important relationships, and how a shift in awareness can create a more loving and fulfilling connection.

Days three and four are dedicated to learning and practicing the art of letting go of emotional baggage. When we let go of the persistent, heavy emotion, from the past, which creates unhealthy patterns in our lives, we experience freedom and possibility. Letting go is a skill you will be able to use repeatedly, retain for a lifetime and teach to young children.

Day five is devoted to showing you how to take what you've learned and integrate it into your life, preparing you for your return home. You learn specific tools for making decisions easily, communicating effectively, leading in your career, deepening relationships and engaging in life with energy, awareness and intent.

"There are a lot of different programs that talk about personal transformation and motivation," Mercer says. "Our effectiveness is what sets us apart. We're unique in our capacity to teach people how to make lasting change."

It wasn't a personal problem that brought Dr. Michael Feldman, a dentist from Hewlett, N.Y., to the Mountain Experience, but his sense of curiosity. "I was taking a consulting course several years ago and was very intrigued by what one of the speakers, Janice Lindgren of the Garden Company had to say: 'Some days you wake up and know it will be a bad day. Others, you wake up and know it will be a good day. How would you like to have more good days?' That really hit home for me," says Dr. Feldman.

So, he signed up for the course and came away with a better strategy for coping with stress, which used to run rampant in his life. "The Mountain Experience was instrumental in helping me better understand and accept myself, friends, family and coworkers, which in turn helped me create a process for eliminating the cause of stress," he says. "Now, I know how to step back and look at things from a different perspective and I have a lot more better days."

To learn more about The Mountain Experience and the difference it can make in your life, sign up for a free one hour personal consultation by calling (877) 554-6836 or log on to www.gardenco.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent