How Does the Online Idea Party Work?
You have a dream or a wish, and an obstacle to getting there. (If you don’t think you know your wish, work through my kick-starter and read this post. To learn why you must put logic aside to find your dream, read the following.)
The online Idea Party is here to help you – and the other fellow party goers – with your wishes and obstacles.
Voices from Success Teams and Idea Parties:
Having a team to report to and hearing what everybody did each week is very exciting. It’s kept me moving all year. In the past I made some good starts on my own, but found, every time, when the energy ran out, I ran out. Now it doesn’t run out.
Jade G.
Children’s Playroom Therapist, New York Hospital
I would do a painting a year, a sketch a year. If it was only me I know I would never do it. Having to tell you makes all the difference. It’s crazy why I didn’t do this years ago, it’s so easy all of a sudden.
Caroline R. Personnel Executive, Macy’s Dept Store
Post Your Wish and Your Obstacle Here!
And help your team mates out when you can. Use the Reply link to help, the form below the comments to add your own Wish and Obstacle.
(Your first comment below has to be approved, so it may not display instantly depending on the time of the day. Once your email address is approved you can post instantly. If you want your own profile photo to show up beside your comments, instead of the cute little design, upload your photo on Gravatar.com and give them an hour or so to make it happen.)
I would love to work with animals and create. I studied Veterinary Nursing briefly but dislike the politics in that role and I love to paint, mostly animals. I have a degree in History and Art History. I would love to work in a non-kill animal shelter/ sanctuary. I reside in New Zealand (North Island) and am a 44 year old female. I live in a remote area and do not have the money to drive and volunteer anywhere in town. I would be happy to sell up and move to a new location if there was any vacancy and work available nearby. I would also need time to paint. I find it hard to fit creative work into my life when working in meaningless full time jobs. I welcome any ideas.
It sounds like you pretty clear as to what you want to do. I would just put together a resume seeking that type of position and just send it out to animal shelters and different places and see if you can get hire to do what you love.
If history still interests you, that veterinary nursing training might make you perfect for a living museum with animals like https://www.historicalvillage.org.nz/ Lots of meaning and room for creativity in most living museums.
There is also a painting lovers group you could join….I’m sure they have events on weekends or during non-work hours so you can start painting with others: https://www.meetup.com/AucklandPleinAirPainters-NewZealand/
There are probably other painting groups too, on meetup.com that might be near you.
I want to start my own businessin marketing digital websites. My obstacles is I’m not able to find focus and right people to do the content.
OK, how about I focus your challenge with some questions..?
I’d think that the actual content is supposed to be provided by the business. So – it’s the members on the inside of the business who are supposed to be doing the job you say you’re missing. How to get them to do that for you?
Maybe a questionnaire, or an outline of content that you’re going to need? This would give you exactly what you’d need to know to provide them with a digital website.
What I mean is to: think about exactly how to word these questions of what you need from them. (Avoid repetition! is there any other type of website that isn’t digital?)
Are you saying you need videos made or other type of specialized content provided by people you don’t know yet…? To get these people who could do this work for this business, perhaps look for them on “fiver.com” and offer them jobs for more than five dollars as you need to get what they can do for the website your business ordered? I would look on Fiver FIRST and then offer than as a solution to the business when suggesting how to design their website.
what about website maintenance? Businesses are really going to like a website design update service. However, setting up the business with a blog is an easier way to deal with this. You don’t want to get saddled with updating things for sale endlessly. Or maybe you do, if you’re getting paid?
To get these jobs, how about calling up businesses on their phone who have really lousy websites or don’t have them at all? Pick businesses to call who are located next door to each other so you won’t have to travel far between them to see them in person to fetch their content?
I would like to share my life experience and a real dream I had last night..
I am based in Nairobi, Kenya,on the African Continent.
At about the age of 6 I had a little patch of earth measuring about 4 ft by 10 ft which I called my farm. My parents encouraged me to play on my farm and plant various crops
I am now retired from a career in Insurance,but have maintained my interest in Agribusiness.
The internet has opened up new possibilities for sharing, growth, achievement, and when I discovered Barbara’s videos , I knew I had found the perfect coach, mentor mother,facilitator for me to live the life of my dreams !
I was therefore a little disappointed , actually shocked, to find that I could not interact with her physically. Patty and Ulla have been very helpful in helping me recover from the shock .
But last night I had a real dream.
In it I was given a rare bird , and a speedboat to to transport the bird to a sanctuary down the river.
I was taught how to handle the bird, and was deemed to be the best person to do the transportation . All this was occurring in a very big house,more like a hall,with high windows.
Somehow, I got distracted , and the bird flew out of my arms.
I pursued the bird, which had landed close to an open window. As I approached it, the bird flew out of the window.
I climbed up to look out of the window to see where it had gone.
As I reached up , the bird flew back into the house , and I caught it with my bare hands !
I was so happy and excited , and resolved not to let it out of my hands again !
I share this in the hope that there are dream experts who will give me further insights .
For me , the dream has reinforced my other dream.
I have a dream to build a Perpetual Growth Fund in honor of my late mother Rachel, and Barbara.This will celebrate the fact that as we continue to connect and to collaborate across borders, there is nothing that we cannot achieve once we set our minds to it.
The obstacles are ; 1 Finance
2 Volunteers to act as accounting partners
I would need to restrict the volunteers to the first 11 – eleven- people who are interested in sowing a seed and seeing it grow over the years .
Benaiah
Sweet dream!!
Rarely it is finances that stop a project from happening. I’ve heard Barbara say this time and time again.
A “Perpetual Growth Fund” to do what?
Agribusiness? What sort of Agribusiness?
I would recommend that you begin this “dream” you have now in a small form. Use a smart phone to make videos about how it will be expressed for many more people and being a free crowdfunding site; updating it regularly. People are much more interested to give money if they know what purpose their money fulfills. Any way you can, help some people with your idea, even if it’s just a model of the way it’s going to work when more money is available. Make an outline or pictures of the way this agribusiness you imagine can sustain itself,( a bit like a “business plan” that a bank would accept.) Indicate to everyone how people can be involved – not the 11 people at the “Accounting Partner” core you’re mentioning at the end who will “sow the seeds,” …what I mean is describe the many or what sort of people this “Growth Fund” will help and EXACTLY how it will help them.
With these actions, you will allow people to not dismiss your ideas as another scam. There are many people who make donations to a cause and lose trust that their “help” doesn’t reach the people who needed help.
the problem is that rarely, donations alone do not change anything for people who need help. In fact, donation can ruin small businesses that WERE providing what’s now freely donated!
What changes things is to put tools in people’s hands and allow them to create a new lifestyle for themselves. Spell out: HOW are you going to do that?
My wish: I want to write a novel… (In Portuguese because I live in Portugal.)
Obstacle: I am 45 single mum, and I work full time, and I don’t know where to start. I read books on the matter of writing but they are a bit difficult bc I never had storytelling classes before.
Here’s a starting point idea for you… Create yourself a character, what they look like, their age, how they act, their story and life experience so far, maybe why they are like they are – someone who appeals to you in one way or another – and see where that starts to take you…
Just start at any point. If you have already images of persons or dialoges or situations or a topic you want to describe in your mind, so start just writing these scenes, dialogs, ideas, fragments… down in a blank book or your computer or iphone. Then in the process you will see how these puzzle pieces will find their place. If you have still a concept or Story in mind you can also make a raw structure, yet i persobally find it more easily (and more enjoyable) to begin with writing just Shirt pieces and let them find there structure by themselves
Hope this might be helpful.for you. Enjoy writing!
Some people start a blog that they make private and use that to write, later assembling the blog posts into chapters. But I more enjoy just having a notebook and jotting down idea…or even on scraps of paper that you can recombine later – but keep them together!
It’s nice to imagine what genre of story you’d like to write. Look at movies in your favorite genre…in a different way other than “watching movies.” Watch to understand the outline of how the story is presented..(not the content of the story.) Watch while you’re jotting down what you notice.
Many authors begin by writing a history of their characters, but they don’t put that history in their story. That’s a fun thing to do, when you don’t feel ready to “get serious” yet.
You don’t need “classes” in storytelling – stories are everywhere! Just ask yourself what is the classic movie outline of how a story unfolds. Screenwriting is quite codified these days…
introduce characters,
Show how they are affected by a challenge or problem,
show other characters who make it more of a problem
– things get problematic…then things get really intense…
then something happens that’s unexpected
(this is where the history of a character is handy) that might make the situation worse before it gets “better”)
…The character is changing to deal with their issues
– sometimes characters get helped, sometimes hindered.
Then, wrap up the various threads you’ve left hanging and figure out a way for everyone to be transformed or hopefully happy at the end.
Tah Dah!
I like your plan and I’m sure this is going to be a useful service that many will be able to take advantage of specially those who are home- bound. I do have a suggestion that perhaps instead of focusing on doing yoga you could offer just general therapeutic individualized exercise plans not focusing on the yoga aspect of it that perhaps would have a wider appeal to more people, and therefore asurancing your success in this very worthwhile endeavor
Dear BC Members, I will be 70 in a couple of weeks and am starting (after many trials & tribulations) my business of Adaptive Yoga (matching a yoga practice that fits YOU!). I have had LOTS of training and experience and I am pivoting my energies and passions to teaching and sharing yoga online for people who need yoga now more than ever. My focus is on the individual whatever age and condition they are in and finding poses at a level of intensity and give them a yoga practice that is specifically designed for their needs. There are a few things I need help with: affording a decent place to live that has a space for me to teach yoga online; putting a calendar and schedule page on my website and getting Students!! (Beginners, Those Returning to the Mat, Seniors and Those Seeking An Adaptable Yoga). Thank you for suggestions, help and connections!
I am sorry to learn that Barbara passed on last year . I live in Kenya, on the African continent and only discovered her through her youtube videos yesterday.
I was visiting the site to let her know what a great job she was doing, and to let her know about my late mother , whom she reminds me of in many respects; She was honest , down to earth, plain speaking, and nothing was impossible for her ! Yesterday, watching Barbara, I experienced the same feelings of loving care and concern for others that I had last experienced when my mother was still alive.
That must have been a wonderful feeling, Benaiah. We’re all glad that Barbara left us so many YouTube videos, so we can hear her again. You can find the first version of her first book, Wishcraft, online at http://wishcraft.com, if you’d like to learn more. Or subscribe to the Survival Guide for Dreamers, with a year of daily messages from her. Also, our next book club begins soon. Registration opens in two days at https://barbarasclub.com/bookclub/iotl/
We would love to hear your Wish and Obstacle when you are ready to share them.
Thank you for your kind words, Patty . My dream was to honor my mother. But now I feel that honor would be incomplete without incorporating Barbara. Can I incorporate these 2 great women in my dream, which will be a bit lengthy
Dear Benaiah,
Welcome to the tribe. We all have lost a mother yet we feel oblidged to follow our Dreams and wishes more than ever – not only for ourselves but also in honor of her.
So let us know your wish and lets see what we can do for you…
Hi I have a new 1 bedroom condo in Hollywood Florida that I staged beautifully for sale
It’s a great condo but it doesn’t fit my needs…
I need a condo with a heated pool and a balcony
I’m on beautifully landscaped property with all stores close by
Great area
My Wish: To Swap Condos for agreed amount of time
I’ll take great care of yours as you will mine
Obstacle: I don’t know anyone who wants to do this
Please dont say put Ad out…done that
I need to swap in sunny location
Florida,California, Las Vegas, Arizona
Thank you for your suggestions in advance
I hope you find someone, and I’m afraid I don’t know where to look. If you don’t find someone to swap, consider checking with nearby hotels for the price of using their heated pool and maybe even a balcony. I once inquired at the Marriott across from my office, and they gave me a fantastic monthly price, much, much lower than I would have imagined, including not just the heated indoor/outdoor pool but the locker rooms, showers, sauna, Jacuzzi, etc. I even got guess passes, so I could bring my son from home on the weekend!
Thank you Patty for this suggestion
Hi Maureen,
There are several swap houses sites on internet, perhaps you have tried them but since you are not mentioning them on your post, I’m commenting just in case.
Much luck to you!
Euge
Thank you Euge, I was not aware of the house swap sites online..I will look into this
Thank you I appreciate your response
Maureen Joy
Have you checked out the site: caretaker.org ? The Caretaker Gazzette has been going a long time. They’re designed for finding people who do long-term business and house sitting… but there are also some listings in there that are house trades too. So that’s a spot that you might want to advertise. It attracts “normal” people because you have to pay to subscribe to get the information – it’s not free.
I would love to be part of the next idea party after watching Barbara’s video I think this group is such a good idea. I have a background and social work and can appreciate the difference having support and other people to brainstorm with how valuable it can be.
Me too!
what part of the world are you located in?
What’s REALLY cool is doing REAL idea parties…(once we can have parties again.) Real parties turn into some sort of barn-raising affiliation, when they’re doing as Barbara Sher intended.
I just watched a Barbara Sher Ted Talk and would love to be a part of this group! I have a dream of living in a cozy cottage with a fireplace and a big enough space for a garden to grow my own food and sell the excess. My obstacle is money, and feeling responsible for others by caretaking when they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. And I would love to be a part of helping others to get their dreams if I have a suggestion.
Welcome, Laurel! That sounds like a very reachable goal. Money is never a real obstacle; if you list what the money would buy, you will get better help from the group. That urge to caretaking sounds like a bigger obstacle. Take a closer look to find out what benefits it’s giving you, so we can help you get them a different, less constricting way.
Are there any limitations on where your cottage sits, or are you free to go where they are inexpensive, the land is fertile, the natural disasters are few, and the growing season is long?
Do you picture living in that cottage only alone, or might you volunteer to take care of someone elderly and living alone in such a cottage already, willing to let you buy the cottage from them over time with your caretaking and the food you grow?
The fireplace suggests some non-growing time each year. Do you have a talent you could use in the winter months to pay your property taxes, repair your roof every 20 years, and replace your furnace every 10 or 15?
Will you need to buy meat or pet food, or can you live off what you grow?