In this season
of gratitude and giving, thoughts of what makes us grateful became more
prominent in our minds. We are so
grateful to you, our customers, for finding a home at the Center and telling
your friends and family about the wonderful experiences you've had here. A week doesn't go by without a new customer stopping by and saying “I’m so glad I
heard about you!” We are glad too and know that by spreading the word you have
and will continue to help ensure that we will be here in for years to come. And for that we are truly grateful.
The celebrating
of our anniversary also made us stop and think about how the Center came to be.
It began with a small inner voice saying, this kind of place should be all over
the country. When Charmaine Taylor was in her early twenties, she began
studying and learning about different ways to look at things. Her upbringing
had been very traditional and this was the first time she let herself climb out
and see what else there might be to learn. She enrolled in some classes on
meditation and intuition at a center in the Northeast and suddenly felt like
she was hearing the truth for the first time. The experience she had was so
profound she felt there should be a place like it in other cities across the
country where people could go and learn just as she did. And so the idea of TheOpen Mind Center was born.
As often is the
case, life happened. Charmaine worked in the corporate world and cultivated a
successful career, got married and had two wonderful sons. Her life was very busy but
all the while she continued to use the teachings she had learned long before
and they helped her through many rough times in her life. She never forgot the
dream of having a place where others could go to learn and appreciate different
ways of thinking then use them to deal with struggles of their own.
Early in 2007, with a move to Atlanta under her
belt, Charmaine found herself with more free time than she had had in many
years. Her boys were getting to an age where they were off doings things with
friends and extracurricular activities at school and her role in their lives
started to evolve. Noticing this, the boys encouraged her to “get a life” in
the most loving way possible. Almost simultaneously, she was approached by an
individual to help set-up a network of practitioners to assist people through
life’s challenges; and watched an acquaintance deal with a difficult situation
in a very detrimental way. With these forces coming from all directions,
Charmaine felt an overwhelming sense that a place like she had been dreaming of
was needed by so many that she finally decided to bring it to reality. She kept
thinking, if not now, when? The universe was telling her it was time to make
her dream come true and open the kind of place she had been manifesting for so
many years. On November 22, 2008, The Open Mind Center opened its doors with
the intention to be a place of learning, growing and support.
Charmaine’s original vision was that the
Center would be a place where people can learn, grow and relax in an
environment that is stimulating and yet comforting. And that it would offer the
best products and services to bring about positive changes in the lives of the
clients who come through the doors. To this day, the vision has not changed.
Not only has it brought positive changes to the lives of the clients, it has also
made a deep impact on Charmaine and all those who work at the center, as we witness
the many lives that have been truly changed because the Center exists. The
energy of the Center is warm and welcoming and because of that, people know
it’s a haven when they are having a bad day. The practitioners are gifted and
empathetic. The clients know that the services they provide will allow them to
leave the Center feeling better than when they arrived. The benefits of the
original vision are more than Charmaine could have ever dreamed.
Our original mission statement, The Open
Mind Center desires to become the most comprehensive center for holistic
learning, creative expression, wellness and environmentally-responsible and
inspirational products in the United States, still guides us today. With that
roadmap in place, we look forward to continuing to bring products and services
to our clients that enhance their lives every day and give them the tools to
handle the stresses that life sends their way, just as intended.
