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.
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My dream/goal is to own my own home on a Caribbean island. Well who’s isn’t? Anyhow, I have the island picked out, I’ve visited there several times over the last 10 years. I’ve stayed long enough to know it’s no paradise but it’s the kind of paradise I want, small community. The obstacle, money. I need an income stream or business idea I can do on the island that makes me enough money to live the creative life I deserve. There’s a small hotel I would love to own there, that would be the best possible outcome for me. Thanks for your support, I’m short on friends right now.
Good topic.
Give us some details. What do you have to work with right now (talent, experience, skill or other resource-wise)?
JC friends are just a “Hello!” away. Talk to everyone you come across if only about the weather. If you see someone doing something you think you could do to create an income stream, ask them about it. People love to talk about themselves and what they do. You could make a friend and get some valuable advice at the same time. Is there a local product you could sell online from your island? Often we forget that the local items we take for granted are not as readily available everywhere. Maybe that could provide some income. Just a thought. Keep your eyes open and keep dreaming. You never know what may come along.
Is there sea glass on that island? you could make jewerly out of that and sell to the tourist. or even sell the seaglass on ebay or etsy…
there are alot of seaglass collectors and lovers all over the world. I do this from where i live overseas….when i get the time!
A great Idea would be to take some time off and work in that hotel that you like for a month or so to really see what it would feel like to work it and experince it first hand. I dont care ifs it even in housekeeping. No positions then volunteer. When people see you work and get to know you, you never know what could happen. Just a thought!
I have too many dreams to narrow down…but I will focus on just one that would make sense for me during this time. My kids are always asking me to tell them stories at bed time. I often shock myself at how the stories turn out since I did not know that story to begin with…I simply made it up as I went along. Some of my stories I really should have recorded while I was telling them. When my kids listen, I can tell they have been taken into the story. My oldest son loves art and perhaps he would love the idea of creating the characters from my stories.
My biggest obstacle is my spouse. He has always said there isn’t any money in it. And, why do I need his input…he is not my parent. He is an engineer and that is his focus. He has never been able to get around my lack of “focus”. The irony is that I did obtain a degree in fine art when my twins were only two and the passion was very much there. I insisted on finishing my degree no matter what he thought I should do. He thinks if I am not doing it on my own everyday then I am not that serious and he does not have to get behind my efforts. I know that I need to just do it and not let him get into my head. I believe he has a small fear of my success. I used to be such a dreamer…I could do anything…be anything. But now all I see are reasons not to do something based on his ideas of achieving. He has stated that he has achieved while I have not. I strongly disagree…but am also confronted with the idea that he will not be there while I make my dream happen.
I just need to record my stories as I tell them. Put them into book form. And move along like the inch worm in my last story. I see it. I really do. I always have. I know where the torture comes from.
I do know this one thing about me. Once I get through the first gate…that first perceived issue…I am a rocket. It happened when I went after my degree. The hardest and most difficult part was just starting. And, yes, I want to start a lot of things. So…”don’t get me started” shouldn’t be my mantra. I just need to start. And having people in my life who believe in my efforts as much as I do…that is where I get my fuel. I am so glad you are out there Barbara!!
🙂 Just make sure you don’t do anything without an easy recorder nearby. My iPhone turns out to be useful after all, for that reason. It records forever, and still takes photos and movies. I occasionally call someone, but not often. 🙂
You can decide what to do with the recordings later, but don’t lose them. Upload them to someplace (Dropbox?). Just say to your husband and even yourself that you’re just saving them for the kids, in case they’d like to hear them when they get older.
Get someone else to transcribe them (preferably someone who admires them, and you) because you’ll be too hard on yourself.
And don’t think about the larger implications. Just tell stories, have a good time, enjoy them yourself. Gather them. Maybe after awhile you’ll have 30 or 50 of them. One day you might want to share them with parents who aren’t storytellers but wish they were. But don’t make it too big at this stage of the game. You don’t want to scare your secret inner story-teller with all those other worries. And the stories are for your kids, that’s why they’re so good.
Just save them.
Is there someplace on the web (like YouTube) that you could post your recording? If nothing else, a ‘hit’ counter would be a good indicator of how many people really would listen! Or is there some way to insert recordings into a blog? Start a mailing list and alert parents to new recordings. Or you could contact a public radio station — they’re always looking for volunteers, and there may be a slot open once a week that will air your stories. Our local Christian station does that with stories told by the DJ’s daughter. And I get what you mean by your husband possibly being afraid of your success.
Hi! Thanks Barbara, for addressing a topic that’s so rarely recognised, yet resonates with so many. I’ve just found your book ‘What do I do when I want to do everything?’ and am getting to grips with the descriptions of scanners, and the exercises which I look forward to doing.
I was wondering if anyone can help me with my situation. Here’s my story: I was good at most subjects at school, particularly the humanities. I’ve also always been talented at art and writing. My dream when I was a child was to be a writer and illustrator. After I left school, I did an art foundation course then started a BA in fine art, but left the course after the first year, because the approach was conceptual and unstructured, and I prefer drawing and painting from observation. At the time I felt like I’d failed, because I hadn’t got on with art school, and I actually stopped doing art for about 5 years. But deeper than that, I felt really lost about where I was going in life. I started a degree course in languages (French and Russian), which I completed in 2009. Languages were my other gift. Since my degree, I’ve been teaching English as a foreign language to adult international students at a language school. I enjoy the work – it’s good to help people understand things, and I’m able to do it part-time. For the rest of the time, I work on my art – about a year ago I found an art school which actually teaches drawing and painting from life in a traditional way, and I go there every Saturday, and also paint in the afternoons at home. I’ve just had my first commission, to paint a friend.
I’m quite pleased with the way things are going at the moment, but I want to figure out where I’m going long-term. I’m going to turn 30 in September and am quite worried that I don’t know my plans yet. I do know one thing for certain – I want to develop my art for the rest of my life, professionally. I know I’ll need a part-time source of income, so that’s what I’m trying to figure out.
From what I’ve read so far in your book, I think I’m a cyclical scanner (although I do pick up new interests, the key ones I return to are art, languages/writing, and helping people) and a serial master – I really love doing things well and developing them to a high level. My dream is to find a subject which I could really learn in depth, then write about it and teach it to others. I’ve thought of studying history of art to MA level and then trying to find a job teaching it to others, but people I’ve spoken to who’ve studied art history say there are no jobs in it, especially if you only want to teach part time. The other doubt I have about art history is that I want to do something that will really help people in their lives, and somehow art history seems a bit removed from most people’s needs, even if understanding art could enrich their lives.
I would really like to write books about something, books that would help people somehow or enrich their lives, but I don’t have anything worth writing about – I don’t have enough specialist knowledge in any area, or experiences worth writing about. I’ve tried to find jobs in writing, but it seems like more of a freelance activity than a dependable source of income, so perhaps teaching is the best kind of part-time job to go for. I couldn’t teach in a school, because I’m quite fragile and shy, even though I’ve learnt to act confident, and my friends who work in schools say it can be really tough. Also, I like discussing ideas in depth, which suggests further or adult education.
What I’m doing at the moment is writing to people who have different kinds of jobs, trying to find out as much as I can about what they’re really like.
Does anyone have any ideas about good ways forward for me?
Thank you!
Hi Autumn. Your story could be mine. I also started school as an art student but ended up somewhere else. In my case marketing. I have often wondered how to get “where I’m going” and felt a little lost at times. The difference is I am approaching 50 and have maybe a little more experience being lost than you. For what its worth, here is my advice to you.
Stop worrying about the future. You are happy with where you are now. You are exploring your art, teaching and helping others achieve their goals, and you’ve found a way to pursue your passion while keeping a roof over your head and food on the table. You have accomplished what most people would love to do. Knowing what the future holds is over rated. I know people twice your age who still haven’t figured out what they want out of life. They are some of the most interesting people I know. I’ve heard it said that luck is where opportunity meets preparation. Keep exploring. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep doing things you love. Keep your eyes open for your own opportunities Take time to enjoy what you have each day. The future will take care of itself.
Hi Jeff, thanks for your message. Yes, I agree with you – I should remember to be content with what I have, and not think that it’s ‘never enough’! The only issue I have at the moment is that I don’t know if I can stay teaching English part-time long term, because I’m only earning enough at the moment to rent a room in a shared house. Also, because I don’t know how long I’ll be staying in that job, I haven’t joined the pension scheme, and I need to make sure I have enough for retirement (if I live that long!) And my job isn’t very secure because the language school never know how many students they’ll have, so most teachers like me are on temporary contracts that keep being renewed. So I’m hoping to find something ‘long-term’ that’s a bit like what I’m doing now, but more secure and maybe a little better-paid. But you’re absolutely right about enjoying today. It’s easy to worry about the future, and about the past – that you haven’t achieved enough, whatever that means. But an illness that a friend’s been going through recently has helped me appreciate what a blessing it is to be alive – so my resolution is to stop worrying!
Uncertainty can feel very well…uncertain. But, you seem to have found talents and passions to get you through it. Have you thought about starting your own language school/business? Maybe you could find students who would be willing to pay more for private tutoring? Maybe business people who’s schedule doesn’t allow for a school type setting.
You mentioned art history. I know the classified ads aren’t filled with art history jobs, but many people do make a living teaching, working in museums, writing, or even arranging tours to study art in museums around the world.Or, maybe you could write about art history in a way that allows for more people to enjoy the subject. I know most of the books I have seen were more boring than watching grass grow.
Or, maybe you could teach art. I met a guy who has a website that charges just $5 a month to members for access drawing tutorials that help people learn everything from the basics to more advanced topics. It doesn’t sound like much but if he has a few hundred customers, it really adds up.
You didn’t mention having children or anyone other than yourself to support at this time. If that is the case, then now is a great time to learn, explore, and take risks. Want to travel? I hear they need English teachers in Thailand. Watch for opportunities to do more of what you love and help others get more of what they need. If you haven’t read Barbara’s book “Wishcraft” , I would suggest you read it. Its a great start toward getting where you want to be.
I know the lack of security can be scary. If you save up a little money for the lean times, you will feel more comfortable. I know saving can be hard especially when you don’t have much to save, but you can do it and you will get great comfort from knowing you can go for a short time without an income. Too many people trade their dreams for a steady paycheck. If you can avoid that, you won’t have to worry about retirement. You won’t want to retire. You’ll be living your dream.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your thoughts – those are some very good ideas.
Can I ask for your opinion on something? This morning I realised very clearly that I would like to do work that in some way helps people to understand things better, enriches their lives, inspires them and helps them live better lives. I would like to do this through writing if possible, or partly through writing, because I think I write more clearly than I speak. What kind of work does that suggest to you?
Thanks!
Hi Autumn. Sorry for the late reply. I’ve been away from my computer. I believe there are may ways to enrich and inspire people to have better lives. Writing is certainly a good place to start, but keep in mind your art may be another. After all they say a picture is worth a thousand words. That said, if you want to reach people with your words, there has never been a better time in history to do it. The internet allows people with very little money to put there message out in the world. In your case blogging might be the way to go. start by identifying who you want to inspire. I think it was BIll Cosby that said ” I don’t know the secret to success, but I know the secret to failure is trying to please everyone.” You have to know who you are trying to communicate with. Seth Godin wrote a great book called “Tribes” that might help you find your tribe. You can also subscribe to his blog for a lesson in how just a few words can really get you thinking. Speaking of subscribing, try finding bloggers online who inspire you and see how they speak to their audience. Once you know your audience, you can set up a free blog at blogger.com or wordpress.com and start telling your story. At first yo umay have very few readers, but if you spread the word people will find you. Check out the story of http://1000awesomethings.com/ to get an idea of how a blog can grow without a real plan to grow it. Bloggers often end up putting together real published books based on their blogs and reach even more people. Check out Chris Guillebeau at The Art of Non-Conformity. He just put out a new hardback book called “The $100 startup” that lauched as a result of his blog. I have been trying recently to find my tribe as well so I can start my own blog. I don’t know all the details of how to get it going, but I’m sure it can be done. Why not give it a try?
Write about this:
“I’ve been teaching English as a foreign language to adult international students at a language school. I enjoy the work – it’s good to help people understand things…” Write about yourself teaching, and write about the people in the class. They all have important stories and if you care about their stories — and them — you’ll write good stuff. It’s a great place to start.
I’d disguise them and put the stories up on a blog. And, in your place, I’d write my heart out.
(I’d also look for a Good-Enough-Job so I had some money in my pocket.)
Hello again, Barbara! A former guinea pig here!
As you know, I am a Scanner. Well, I turn fifty next January, and I want to take a year off work to do a different Scanner experience each month by travelling across the US for the whole year.
Ok, I realize that may not be feasible (money, hubby, dogs, etc.), so my new thought is to focus on a new area of interest every single month in that year. I am thinking I could do a weekend jaunt every month, sort of a mini-scanner year, to figure out my next career step, and then maybe hike the Colorado Trail that summer! (I have always wanted to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail).
Ok, so Dream: To spend my fiftieth year exploring all my Scanner loves in hopes of maybe finding a second career….I love teaching, but do not love all the testing, paperwork, etc. that takes away from my time with the kids.
Obstacles: Money to take off for a year, or to do all these soul-searching weekends of travelling as opposed to taking a year off, plus convincing my husband that I need to do this stuff alone, without hurting his feelings. He has already offered to go on the trail with me. I would love for him to do part of the trail with me, but really want the alone time, too. And I dont want my mom to worry about me while I am on the trail. There is actually a very funny video I found on U-Tube about what people say when you tell them you are going to hike the AT……and the Colorado trail is MUCH shorter……
Is there a way I could do all these adventures cheaply? I havent talked about all the adventures I want to do, but they are things like kayak with whales in Washington, swim with manatees, hike the CO trail, work on an organic farm, attend a writers’ weekend, do a solo on an island off the coast of Maine, etc……..
Hello at all from Frankfurt, my wish that I like to become true: In 12 month I live in Greece. WOAAAAAAAHHHH….Dangerous, don’t say that so loud, psssttt, keep it by your own, you may fail….yeah…that is one of the obstacle.
Greece is my mother-land, my mom is greek, I love Greece, I love the sea, the beach, the sun.
And I have little kids. The elder one is 5 years old and the other is 23 month and has the down-syndrom. My husband is the one who work and bring the money home.
So here are my ideas to realize my dream:
1. learn greek
2. get your information according to schoolsystem and everything for supporting the down-syndrom
3. find out, where do you like to live, Thessaloniki or nearer to the beach or ist both possible
4. start you onlinebusiness, so you are independent from working somewhere for less (I was working in a bar years ago for very less money, It was not enough to stay in greece so I moved back to Germany)
Okay, that was it.
Thank you, for helping
I hope my english isn’t that bad!!!
Elena Sommer
4.
My wish is to release my Renaissance Soul (thanks to you, Barbara, I am finally able to define myself) from the death grip of the evil twins: fear of failure and fear of success; and create my unique life… one of freedom and balance, one that encompasses all my talents, gifts, passions, and interests; one that allows me to move effortlessly from one interest to another without quitting a job or having to explain myself to others. To take my interests of real estate, travel, writing, photography, interior decorating, music, history, reading, cooking/baking, animals, and morph them into an incredible life; to have time to finally earn a college education; and most importantly, to teach my children that life is what you make it, that there is not one specific path; that we all have the right to live life as we choose.
Thanks to 25 years of hard work in the real estate and mortgage industry, wise investing, and the support of a wonderful husband who is working in his own dream field, I’ve begun this exciting adventure: I started my own real estate virtual assistance business and signed my first client, started volunteering at the local library, became certified as a pet sitter, traveled to London, Paris & Dublin, and even applied to the local community college, but something strange has occurred… I’ve started to procrastinate, dawdle, shuffle things from here to there. I am frozen, paralyzed with fear! HELP!
Hi Cindy!
CONGRATULATIONS and way to go! Also, sending along a little HANG IN THERE note, as well! In my experience, I’ve found that it’s pretty darned typical to ‘hit the wall’ when I’m in the midst of trying something new. Maria Nemeth, a professional coach and trainer, says procrastination, dawdling, feeling frozen and paralyzed with fear are all signs that you are making your dreams a reality! She says that when we are doing that, we are traveling into new and unknown territory. Our bodies and minds want to pull us back to the ‘safety’ of what we know, even if we don’t like it! So, keep on moving forward. And, as Ceasar Milan (the world-renowned dog whisperer) says, acknowledge your fear (or whatever it is), claim what you want and make it happen!
Wishing you all the best.
Jean
Hi, there. Well, I’m not too good at sharing. It always seems as soon as I do decide to share and go for my dreams something will happen and there I’ll be with something ‘more important’ – like life – to take care of, and the dream gets put on the back burner. Then I’m stuck with this feeling of ‘oh God, I’ve failed again’ when the someone I shared with asks me how’s it going and I have to come up with lame excuses why I haven’t done what I said I wanted to. So, I tend to not share until I know I can finish what I’m dreaming about.
Still, I’m going to stick my neck out here. I want to have something I write either published or filmed. I’ve finished at least one screenplay that has actually won a couple honorable mentions (that was a long time ago), and I have several stories in the works…one of which is also a screenplay. What gets in the way? My fears are the first thing, of course…and there’s so much to be afraid of! But then again, there’s life, too. Never seems practicle to persue writing since there’s no money in it, and then, I have other responsibilities and interests, which drag me away from the focus I need to finish things I start. I can do it…finish, that is. But the guilt I feel at having to be that focused and virtually ignore all else…everyone else…is horrible. Anyone out there relate?
1. There’s not really so much to be afraid of. It’s not like bunjee jumping. It’s just plugging away at the computer for 30 minutes a day.
2. Life definitely intrudes, but we do some things every day all the same: wake up, eat breakfast, walk the dog. Put writing on that list and see what happens.
3. You can’t write for money until you’re already successful. Then you don’t want to. So forget money. Your goal is to have something published or filmed.
4. You don’t need to finish things you start. You just need to work on them a little every day. Then they finish themselves.
5. You don’t have to be focused and ignore everyone for more than a half hour a day. Nothing to feel guilty about.
Next! 🙂
Dear Barbara,
The model you offer for living the life in accordance with person’s talents gave a very warm feeling to me. The topic of living a happy, fulfilling life has been written a lot about but I would like to mention how your work stands out. It is not an easy task to write a universal how-to guide because of the difficulty of creating general rules from certain cases and communicating them using the limitations of the book format. In my opinion, your books are very well-written for several reasons. They withstand the temptation of sliding into pure philosophical approach as many other books on this topic do. Unlike the latter that tell what should be done, your books tell a lot about how. The language tone is encouraging, which relaxed my defensive mechanisms. The angle you took makes you credible to male audience as well, I think because your ideas to logic, which men understand. The deep respect for every human in the reader made me feel empowered and made the voices of my dreams stronger. The message you communicate through your books comes from the heart and that is what makes them genuine. I would like to say, “Thank you” for sharing your findings.
I found “Wishcraft” on Amazon about 2,5 months ago, it had excellent ratings, so I ordered it. After reading it several times and doing some of the exercises I got “Live the life you love” from the library and studied it very carefully. I also did the exercises in “Live the life you love” and then I received “Refuse to Choose”, read it at least four times, took notes (almost hand re-written the book). Last weekend I listened online to the ‘Hanging out..’ Twitter party. I make notes in the Scanner diary about any idea that I get excited about, create backflow charts in Excel. Certainly, writing is really helpful tool for me. I feel that I am quite knowledgeable on the theory part but need a push to speed things up a bit and get into action. I thought about Success teams, buddy but I feel like I need the right environment of people. To illustrate what I mean, let me give an example. To develop abilities in a sport, one needs to have interest in the sport; a coach, who can plan practices, help uncover your talents, stimulate motivation; an environment or team of other athletes following the same path. I have interest and know that other components exist despite missing now. Feeling blindfolded I keep banging into the wall not knowing when I discover the door and if I am even moving in the direction of the door. I know that once I hit my tracks, things will start develop exponentially. Certainly, this may not be sufficient information to ask you for pointers but I decided to start this way and see what comes out of it.
Best Regards, Oleg, Russian reader, currently leaving in Canada.
Thank you, Oleg, for your kind words. I appreciate what you’re complimenting me for.
Would you like to be more specific about what you’re interested in?
Hello Barbara,
I am having difficulty defining the next goal. I think I was looking for an audience because after I read your reply, I took my daybook and wrote 4 pages explaining my background and the path that led me to the present. Even though it was very exciting to write about, I am not sure if this is a good idea to post it as it is very long. Basically it talks about how I was equally good at all subjects in school, tended to go and learn best from inspiring teachers, had difficulty choosing a major, even more difficulty with a career. After being interested in certain areas and exploring I move on to other areas (sometimes come back to the previous interests at a new angle.) If this is relevant, please let me know and I will post it. Four pages though!
This writing allowed me to summarize what I know about my current situation and here it is. I am happy with my family life. I feel good physically and even though not working now, can stay afloat financially for the next few months before I have to look for a job. So I am in peace with the current searching stage as it feels to be the right direction.
What’s missing is feeling of meaningful application of my energy and talents outside my home. I understand that it may not be crucial whether it is a job or business as these are methods. From what I read about in your books I like the description of what you do. My experience tells that the reality may be different but my gut feeling says that you style is close to what I am after. I see the nature of the work as consultancy, providing a service because people need it and look for it unlike being a school teacher who addresses the audience stuck in the classroom with no other choices. The work requires problem solving, which in turn requires learning on my side. It is mostly free of useless procedures and bureaucracy. The work is interesting yet leaves enough time for other ventures. You are to decide how to set your priorities: training, writing, consultancy, presentations. It is not a gimmick and has real value for people. The purpose is to help rather than to make money. It supports financially other interests as well as provides opportunity for social interaction with genuine people/colleagues. These interactions turn into friendships and create a circle of people around, which acts as a nourishing environment.
It is still a long post, so thank you for listening. Oleg
Oleg said: “Even though it was very exciting to write about, I am not sure if this is a good idea to post it as it is very long.”
It might be too long for here, Oleg, but I’d like to know what was exciting for you to write about. Can you pinpoint that?
Part of the enjoyment was expressing my thoughts in writing. I think it stimulates my intellect and emotions or smth creative inside to produce what did not exist before. Another part was reliving the 35 years of my life and seeing me from outside, analyzing certain aspects of past experiences, maybe getting closer to seeing patterns and understanding of what I actually am. Also a feeling that I accomplished a few things I wanted when I was going for them instead of avoiding the attempt altogether.
Barbara, since I am Russian, I blame Russian classic writers for my lengthy messages. I also wanted to add this though. The most appealing form of writing that stimulates my creativity is addressing a real person, a letter in other words. This way I think about person’s level of comprehension, language (Russian, English) she/he uses, age, sense of humor, relation type, my attitude, and so on. These factors create a type of a frame within which I am free to pick any means of expression to make it a magnificent read to my audience (audience may be 1 person). Instinctively I feel when I get outside of the frame because it always sounds phony, like something I would avoid telling the person to his face. When writing about my life experiences I was addressing you, and was focused on expressing my story in a form that would be interesting and informative for you to read (From my perceptions and assumptions about you as my audience.) It is hard to express this more precise because the process of picking a tone and style of writing happens quickly and almost unconsciously. It also occurred to me that I never really did anything with this ability other than enjoying it when writing letters, cards, and emails.
In the end I wanted to add that I am enjoying one on one conversation more than discussions in a group for similar reasons. It is harder to use several styles of conversations with people in a group simultaneously while in one-on-one you and the person you talk to are focused on each other without distractions.
Yes, some people are much better at one-on-one communicating than others. Many writing teachers believe (and I agree) that letters are the form that always brings out the best in a writer. Instead of trying to imagine your ‘ideal reader,’ you actually know who you’re talking to.
Hi Barbara!
After 3 books, two telephone sessions and a retreat, I still feel like I failed. I’m now a member of your club (the moniker “VJ” must have come from my email). Not that I haven’t been doing a lot of things, but they don’t continue to work. (Nor do I, ha!)
After researching it, I didn’t go the route of teaching to fund public speaking. (Teaching needed an MA, I didn’t want to work with children, the few speaking places seemed uninterested or needed my speaker resume.)
I did finish my welding degree with honors (unemployment got me into that!) and like to do welding art. However, I couldn’t afford the $240 class that gives me the “shop” equipment, because no local welding outfits will hire me! (I can send a picture of my fish sculpture.) I tried valiantly to rent a room from someone, anyone, with a welding shop – no dice. (So far.) Someone actually told me, “Of course, you would be expected to pay with sex.” No one will ever tell ME “I know what you are; now we’re just talking price.”
I lost my first welding job because I was “too slow” for the shoestring operation, lost several places to live in fast succession, which led to shame.
I figured, as long as I was outside of the box, why not think outside the box? *Getting* outside the box has been the problem! Two wishes and obstacles – Here goes:
Wish 1: I thought of going “on the road” in one of two ways: my truck, which can carry welding gear for working, or preferred, my motorcycle, which can’t. (Picture Principal Skinner in “The Simpsons” riding off on his motorcycle saying “Up yours, children.”) Why didn’t I become an accountant, eh? They can work without helmets, leather boots and leather coats. Obstacles: (1) Can’t decide – motorcycle = fun but no enroute work, and truck = maybe work but more gas and less interest. And eventually my savings will need a transfusion. Can’t work in, say, Nebraska windmills, or better yet, the Canadian Maritime Provinces. (The call of the wild to a lifelong born & raised USA West Coaster.) Maybe I shouldn’t try to work just yet, and travel around asking about work?
Wish 2: Why not volunteer to use my welding skill to help rebuild Japan after the tsunami? What matter it’s volunteer if someone feeds and houses me? (And preferable flies me there, unlikely.)
Obstacles: (1) I contacted a laundry list of organizations: Red Cross, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Sister Cities, and a few others I forgot. I got regretful declines if I got anything at all. (HFH would have to overcome visa, language barriers, money for housing problems, etc.) (2) I can’t do this and motor around the country at the same time. (3) No, I don’t want to volunteer at home in my local county; I am disgusted with an area of slow employment that doesn’t want me, and need an excuse to travel!
Obviously, manufacturing my clothing (on which I did a small bit of research) would have to wait. I do know of a factory in Seattle if it comes to that again. We all remember unhappy stuff much easier than happy stuff, and I still remember the *quick* discouragement someone in the retreat was “offering” me in a place where there is supposed to be encouragement! Even as an introvert, I am getting better at meeting people, but never meet anyone who has the inside track to clothes manufacturing. (They don’t have to have a welding shop, heh.)
Tell me that “Scanner” isn’t spelled f-l-a-k-e.
I worried (something I do a lot) that inflection doesn’t come through in print. I have felt a lot of guilt about possibly being a “flake”. Perhaps that is very common, and why scanners need these workshops. But the feeling like a failure in some ways must come through!
I have had a big dream for a long time about having a Center for the presentation, preservation, and promotion of the values of indigenous people, worldwide. This has been a dream since 1984. The reason that it still resides in the dream state is that I have no idea how to start such a project. I have had the great honor and distinction to work with Native Medicine People for the past 30 years, and have a legacy of ceremonies to share, but this spiritual stuff doesn’t go far enough. I have gloomily considered getting an MBA, which would teach me a great deal about creating, managing, and marketing the project, but do I really have to get it? And would it even teach me what I need to know? Mission statement, vision statement have been drafted, and that is about all, so far.
Dear Mary Ann
What a wonderful idea for sharing your knowledge!!
Forget the MBA. Have you tried getting in touch with someone who helps other people start up businesses? (There are lots of people out there who do this for a living..) Whom else do you know that could help you? Begin by telling EVERYONE you know about your idea.
A good idea is to start small. Start local and expand globally as a next step.
If it existed today: What would the center look like? Where would it be? What would visitors see? Who would work there? Where would the money to run it come from? Is there a foundation out there, that already exists has a similar project ongoing? Could you join forces them and use their resources – they might be exited by the idea?
Just shoul, if you need more ideas! 🙂
Monika
I have worked with Mark LeBlanc of http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.com/. He is a business coach specializing in starting and growing small businesses. He conducts one-day workshops on the weekends in many cities. He has been very helpful to me.
Just wondered if you’ve checked these folks out:
http://www.internationalfunders.org/english/about-ifip/ifip-values/
Or if something like this (Smithsonian American Indian Museum job) might be of interest:
http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/315547200
Not sure what part of your dream is the most important to you. Knowing that would help us to help you.
Best of luck!