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.)
Francene –
I wonder if you may not see what path really excites you. I appreciated Barbara because she brought to our attention the fact that we are not meant to live such sanitized compartmentalized lives as “the commercial world” has been in its’ own way promoting. Think about your “dream life” when you see yourself at one with your surroundings. Then tell us what you see.
Love,
Faithy
I don’t seem to be a part of this process. I have been reading other’s comments but where do I go to get into the group process.
I have read many of Barbara’s books through the years and attended one of her idea parties in Des Moines as a result of an IPTV fund raiser. I really enjoyed it but continue to be so vague about what I need to be doing to get going on a dream.
Thanks
Yes, I wish there was a group we could all join. I know there was a google+ group and Barbara has something that I think we can subscribe to for $40 per month? I personally could use a little “hand-holding,” some sort of support because whenever I consult with career counselors they just hand me out a lot of positive thinking, platitudes, etc. but no real, tangible advice.
There’s a free bulletin board that has been running happily since 1999 – with great discussions and groups. It’s at http://www.barbarasher.com/boards
There’s a group email some people like (I used to but it changed and got too complicated) called ‘Yahoo group email.’ I’m not sure what the links are but I can find them if no one else knows what they are. It’s fun: Every time anyone sends an email, everyone in the group gets it. And every answer goes to everyone in the group as well. It’s great if it’s a small group.
I once joined the fabric arts group email and got 2000 emails in my inbox every day! So I quit. 🙂
There’s the I Could Do Anything book club (which you can’t join now, because everyone’s in the 12th or 13th week of 16 weeks already, but we’ll do another next year.) The cost for that was $77 total.
The next book club will start in September and that will be based on my book, ‘Refuse To Choose,’ also called ‘What Do I Do When I Want To Do Everything?’ It’s for Scanners, people with lots of interests who can’t bear to limit themselves to only one (and shouldn’t!). That’s going to be the bomb! And the cost will also be $77 for the whole 16-week program.
People really get to know each other in the book clubs. They’re wonderful.
Of course, you can wait until the next sign-up date sometime in November and join “Hanging Out With Barbara Sher” (which is me). Everyone loves that. The usual cost is $266 (I think) for a whole year, but sometimes we have special deals. I send you three very unusual, special things to do and think about (and a video or audio to laugh about) each week and the discussions are sensational. What no one knows, because it’s never said, is that Hanging Out is also a kind of Identity Rehab in which you get your self back. You don’t notice because you’re having fun.
Until I ask about it. Then you notice. 🙂
I’m sure there are other ways to get together. If you’re serious about accomplishing a goal, you can do the telephone Success Teams run by Patty herself. Just let us know.
I am a Canadian who has been working as a corporate trainer and living in Mexico for the past 10 years. Ideally I want a home base back in Canada closer to my daughter in Ontario. I dream of living in some kind of community, though I am introverted and more of a loner. I want to earn a living being useful, not being poor and struggling, working with younger people perhaps because I relate to them for some mysterious reason. I am happy to help anyone on their plan to move here if I can. I want to do something different. I hope I can be of help to anyone on their own journey as well.
Hey Orlanda.
I noticed you wrote this:
” I am happy to help anyone on their plan to move here if I can.” Were you referring to Mexico? If so, I had some questions about living in Mexico City, i.e., is it safe for women, do women get hassled a lot when walking down the street and do you know anything about UNAM, the University in Mexico City? Any info you could relate would be helpful. Thanks! 🙂
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Linda, the painter, more power to you.
I do not know if you are painting inside, with the toxic chemicals that build up, or are working where you have good ventilation. This can be stressful in it’s own way because creating Art does not always mean a safe work environment.
As someone who has worked in fine dining as well as more casual low cost restaurants, I have seen real burnout. Owning a restaurant – that can be a huge stress, and suck all the time out of your life. It seems inevitable that you are torn, as any restaurant needs tremendous commitments in time, energy and – well, you know far better than one who merely worked there.
Could you set aside a day per week when you commit to painting and also getting the proper tools (help from a mentor who you really admire as an artist) to do your best?
I grew up around the Chicago Art Institute, loving to sit and look at luminous french impressionist landscapes and portraits. I value prints of these well loved masterpieces because they are stunning and yet so accessible. If you look to your inner art lover and paint one really well thought out canvas of something that resonates with you, perhaps you will not see it as a waste of time. You may see the value of this goal and commit to quality rather than quantity.
I hope this helps as I have been painting lately, too, but with health concerns affecting how I approach the work. I still love it, and think color is a magical tool, but try to keep safe and well ventilated.
Thank you Faith for your idea. I paint outside with a view of my yard. My husband encourages me to paint daily and he takes the brunt of running the restaurant. Customers come and chat as I do my art. This week I have started cutting the wine and liquor bottles that we have readily available. I’ve been playing for two days now making vases and utensil holders for the tables and also wind chimes. As I am creating this type of art the hours pass quickly. I’m thinking that the key for me might be making useable stuff that has a function instead of flat art. Our restaurant is a very casual beach bar and grill. It has its good days and bad days as far as the stress level. When I read your idea it made me realize just how supportive my husband is rather than thinking that her pushing me.
I STARTED PAINTING 4 years ago.
I say I want to make a living being an artist.
I OWN a restaurant where I have sold some but not much so I feel like
I’m not making a good use of my time when I paint. Check I’m not sure I’m really an artist anyway but I feel good when I paint although it stresses me out too.
Okay, here goes…
I have no idea what I want to be when I “grow up” and I no particular, marketable gifts/talents/inclinations/aptitudes towards anything. I’d like to make my next half-century actually meaningfully worth something. Can anyone recommend a reputable career counselor/therapist/person in the NOVA area or some other cost-effective (inexpensive) means to get… SOMETHING? I’m lost.
s.
What great timing you have, Sandles! How about an I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was Book Club? Extraordinarily cost-effective. Step inside…
http://barbarasclub.com/bookclub/icda2014/
Hi Sandles, great suggestion from Patty about the I Could Do Anything.. Book club seems tailored to your situation. When I read your question I thought of you going thru the workbook on Wishcraft, Barbara’s book that has helped so many of us dream a little and actually manifest them! If you would like to have a call in which you could share a bit more of your situation you might email me at alixready@gmail.com
Thanks for the replies to my problem with desert gardening. I can see that this is something the community gardening group should be able to apply as we have a plumber in the group. It was good to see the desertification concerns, as well. We should recognize and be sobered by the ruining of the earth.
Wish – to do research on a PBS NOVA project (it’s even on my bucket list). Obstacle – home bound (disabled), was told I couldn’t volunteer (not even online) because those researchers are unionized, the letter to the producer was never answered, and I don’t qualify for an intership. Pro’s – degree in chemistry, and extensive research skills. Any other ideas?
Do you mean you want to do the research to put together a Nova episode, rather than the scientific research they report on? WGBH’s staff is, indeed, unionized. They can’t hire you or probably even use you as a volunteer. But if what you long to do is the research to organize a show’s topic, experts, and visuals, consider doing the research for a show, then pitching it to them.
Here is a list of their shows to date: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nova_episodes
Can you come up with something new that involves chemistry? Can you use scholar.google.com or online chemistry journals to figure out who in the scientific world is working on the problem that interests you? Can you think through the segments of an entire show, even if you cannot personally come up with all the people or watchable science for it? Can you find other people (on the Sher boards or on discussion forums for TV production students) to join in on the parts you need help with?
Maybe doing the proposal will be enough to satisfy your itch. If not, pitch it to Nova. If they are not interested, pitch it (or better yet, a small piece of it) to their website, their magazine, a local PBS station, an NPR show, a local news program, a college station, or a local documentary filmmaker. Once the small piece has been produced, pitch the whole show to Nova again or to the BBC or Canada’s Frontline or even CNN, and include the video/radio/web pages in your proposal, along with quotes from viewers.
Get started today. You don’t need their permission to do the part it sounds like you long to do, only to get it produced. If you come up with a fascinating show, it just might get produced. If not, at least you will have experienced doing the research.
W: In the end of 2014, I need a good enough job covering my bills and leaving me enough time for my hobbies and allowing me to bring the dog to work.
O: I need an experienced coach or success team ( online or in Berlin area) to support my search for free / little money / as part of their training.
Free because I already spent money on coaching / courses which gave me some ideas about my skills and interests but no real hint what to do, I need somebody to support implementation. I could write a book about what I already paid for ….