Barbara Sher’s Idea Party

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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.)

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4,428 thoughts on “Barbara Sher’s Idea Party

  1. Hi everybody!

    My wish is to have my own stable with showjumpers and travel the world to compete with these wonderful animals!

    My obstacles? I have no stable and no money to do this.

  2. Hello Wishers and Dreamers,

    I am a long time professional Singer and Teaching Artist.I have a great anount of experience teaching singing to a wide variety of ages.Taught evertwhere from nonprofits to hospitals to rec centres to schools to my own studio.I have a BA in Philosophy from a pretty good and pretty well known school. I am also certified in a great singing methodology from a famed Vocal Coach.
    My wish is to teach Pop Vocal techniques to aspiring Singers at the Tertiary level. Teaching at the College level usually takes a terminal degree but I see where schools that have popular music courses have Professors that have a first degree only. Possibly because its a relatively new field in the Tertiary world.
    Im passionate about this and have become a really good Teacher.
    Any suggestions on how I can do this?

    Warm regards,

    Susan

    • Susan, what is the tertiary level, please, and where do you live? E.g., if you live in Portland Oregon there are more possibilities than if you live in Oil City, Penna. for example. (I know — I escaped from Oil City and now live in Portland)
      Blessings,
      Richard

    • Thank you, Susan It seems you could at least teach in the community education part of a community college curriculum. Maybe that would lead to something bigger and more solid at that college.
      Also, Portland has alternative education, e.g., the Portland Underground Graduate School https://www.pugspdx.com/
      How about starting a singing group with a theme that resonates with you that is open to all comers, and start giving lessons to folks in that group?
      …just a few ideas that come to mind. Many blessings, Richard

  3. I want to write a book to help families affected by mental illness break the silence and healing. I have the tools and ability,
    but
    my house is such a disaster after moving that I get distracted by all the work right in front of my face.

    • Dear Hazel,
      I think you need help getting oranized your house for having more time and energy to write your book. I hope I am right understanding that you need someone who helps you tidy out and sort by things and getting your household organized in a better, more enrgized and effective way. If it is that what you want so you may ask for help people in your neighborhood or friends or just look at the internet. There are people who do that. And you might also use the concept of feng shui to energize your rooms (I made such a great effort just by placing my writing desk in an other position within the same room). Sometimes you need just a littel changing to reach a great result – and in general try to delegate as much work as you can for having more time and energy to focus on what you realy want to do.

  4. Hallo, Ich bin aus Sud Europa und liebe die Deutsche Sprache. Mein Traum ist es in Schleswig-Holstein auf dem Land am Mehr zu leben, arbeiten, erforschen. Meine Hinderniss ist meine Angst und mein Mann. Er mochte nicht mitt. Entschuldige mich fur die Umlauten aber meine Tastatur hat keine.

    Liebe Grusse nach Sylt

    • vielleicht könntest Du erst einmal für ein paar Wochen alleine dorthin fahren, eine Wohnung oder ein Zimmer mieten und schauen, was Du dort machen kannst, um es auszuprobieren und zu fühlen, wie es ist dort zu leben. Danach bist Du vielleicht stärker deinem Mann gegenüber. Oder Du versuchst deinen Mann zu überreden, eine oder zwei Wochen mit Dir dort zu sein, damit er es auch erleben kann, aber es nicht zu viel für Ihn ist.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Ulrike.

  5. Dear all,
    I have a great dream: since I am 15 I would like to sing with Jose Carreras. I am a trained classical singer, but when I was 26 my mother died from cancer. Afterwards I did not realize a career as an opera singer and became instead an ethnomusicologist. 5 years ago I had a burn out and went out of the university, found a new teacher and learned a new technique that gave my voice more volume, I would like to engage in Carrerras’ leucemia foundation and encourage people to not give up their own wishes and dreams when there is a member of the family having such a fate. But I feel ashamed by that whish and I do not believe in myself. I fear of not beeng good enough and embarrass me. First I need people who dont question my wish and do not tell me that I am crazy or megalomaniac for having this wish. And I need support by people who believe in me and help me get a teacher or coach or trainer who helps me. I am now living in Berlin/Germany, But I am also willing to travel to an other German town if there is a good teacher.

    • I believe in you. Your dream and your current singing voice is enough to start.
      You can sing now by creating a local charity event to support the foundation. https://www.fcarreras.org/en/actosbeneficos/imagina
      Use your imagination, your own story of loss, your desire to help others, and you voice. Sing from your heart and people will come to you and support your goals.
      Never, never, never give up.

        • Hello – You have a great dream! Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by it. I love it! Go for it! I was embarrassed by my own dream, which I’ll write fully here. I’m writing an epic western novel called Alias Jeannie Delaney. It’s the life story of a devastating cowgirl who’s the fastest gun in the west and bisexual. The subject matter embarrassed me, but I’ve had fantastic feedback since I opened up about it, and now Husband is helping me with the editing. So please go with your dream, and good luck!

          Jo Hampshire UK
          Creating My Odyssey – Liberating the Real Me After Thirty Years Of Depression and Anxiety
          www jo-b-creative.blogspot.co.uk

      • Dear Hazel. I need Help I lost confidence How can I keep the energy high. My entire environment says that I am crazy and I should give up. I am so nervious that I have really lost confidence in my voiuce. Yet the more poeple discourage me the more hold on this dream. I sent an email to the carreras foundation and there was no answer. Should I force it?
        and try it again and again?

      • tanks for this “never give up!” I need suppor1 Where ot find people supporting me believing in myself?

        How is you book going on Did you solve the housekepping challenge?
        Beste whishis, Ulrike

  6. Hello great people,
    First I have to say I’m scanner,very creative and freespirited person.
    I broke the engagement with my fiancé 2 years ago, I’m 34 and pretty lost.
    I’m graphic designer and usually do work as freelancer ( finished academt and doing this job for almost 10 years now) but I feel lost and I think that
    i feel that way because I live in the wrong place. I’m frome Serbia ( europe)

    my wish: To travell the world while working as freelancer and also help animals all around the world because that makes me really happy.

    the obstacle: I don’t have enough money also enough work and clients to even consider living like that..

    • Wow Aleksandra! You are me living in an alternate universe, haha. I could have written EXACTLY what you wrote, word for word.

      Much like you… I live in the wrong place, my freelancing work has dried up, I got out of a very unpleasant relationship 3 years ago and I have not met anyone since. I’m also LOST and without money, and the light at the end of the tunnel is barely visible. Much like you, I love traveling, I am creative, and I love animals. I am currently studying vet nursing online as a backup career. Because I love animals, but also because I am scared about the future and no job prospects. Also, I realize that I can travel and do vet nursing almost anywhere 🙂

      I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone, and to maybe give you some ideas… although this is perhaps like the blind leading the blind, since I am also losr, haha. I have thought a lot about freelancing lately, and it is not going to get better. The prices are going down as people in developing nations are getting online at a very fast rate and able to charge very low rates and the competition is getting tougher also. So, I thought to myself also, why do I want to keep working PER HOUR?? The best way to work is generally by making money in your sleep, right? So, perhaps the idea is to focus on something like an online business or a startup… this is what I am doing at the moment. A service that people NEED or things that people want and have to physically BUY. You can still be creative doing this, it does not necessarily cost a lot, and you can still be creative doing the marketing for your product or service. If you are interested I have some video courses about this stuff that are worth a lot of money and guide you through the whole process (but there is also a wealth of info on YouTube as we all know). I am thinking at the moment of starting a T Shirt business…. With the right graphic design, niche market and good marketing, it is practically free to start and you can possibly make money to travel. Many people are making a lot of money selling STUFF online. Not great stuff either, sometimes it is just simple stuff. For us creative souls who don’t care about STUFF it does not seem that inspiring… but if you take it from a creative perspective and do creative things for marketing etc.. it could be a solution.

      Also, when I was traveling I used the website workaway a few times (there is another one called HelpX) and through these sites you can volunteer in all kinds of things from graphic design to pet care (anything and everything really) and you receive food and accommodation in return for 4-5 hours work. They have projects in every country. So when I was traveling in Asia for a year for example, I was making a little bit of money online and then getting free food and accommodation here and there by doing workaway. But it was still stressful, as the freelancing started drying up just at that time actually.

      Perhaps we could be in touch… who knows, maybe work on something together?? You have graphic design skills, I have video and writing skills. The hardest thing is finding the energy when there are so many things for one person to do, and being alone doing it is not as powerful as being a part of a team.

      Hope this helps or gives you a few ideas to work with 🙂

      • Hey Ana, I would like to stay in touch with you.
        I’m always for creative and new projects…
        Actually, a had a t-shirt project I can show you some work that I have done so far. My email is alexdzjn@gmail.com , you can write always so we can manage something 🙂
        I’m so glad you answered :))

      • Hi Anna,
        I read your post And you seem like a very open minded creative person. When you say the light at the end of the tunnel is barely visible, at least you can see a glimpse of it. Don’t give up on your ideas and one day day the light will get brighter.

        I think very similar with you about not getting paid only by the hour . It is my believe that someone in the United States cannot gain financial independence only by getting paid by the hour. Residual income or as you say getting paid in your sleep is the key to getting ahead in life.

        I like your idea about a T-shirt business online because I’ve often thought about that but never did it. Also I’d like to hear your experience about workaway.
        I am 61 years old and was born and raised in the state of Hawaii. I am currently planning on retiring and taking a solo 6 month trip through 48 of the United States – I plan to camp a lot, shower at truck stops, and every few days stay at a motel.

        As I plan my trip I’m looking for a few people that would be interesting to meet across the United States, especially younger people just to chat about their dreams and plans. I consider myself being in the final quarter of my life, and I’d like to talk and try to influence younger people who are in their first or second quarter in life to impart on them some ideas and food for thought about how to earn residual income as I did to have discretionary income – Which allows a person more choices in life.
        You seem to be a person I’d like to add to my list of people to meet on my cross-country trip to chat over coffee or lunch. I’d also like to talk to you about your video skills. Maybe you can give me ideas on making a memorable video as I drive through the 48 states. If any of what I said seems interesting please contact me through my email address. Which state do you live in?

  7. Hi Matt, first of all I wish you the best in your plan. You can definitely achieve it. I agree with Megan and Richard’s advice – both very sound. I have done woofing which is similar to the work-away project and found the experience life-changing. You mention you are working full time to get by. I suspect that means you are currently living in an urban area? If I’m off the mark I apologize…
    If I’m right, would you consider dipping your toe into an alternative location? Do you have a job that can be done elsewhere (for less money; sadly that’d be part of the deal)? Personally, I have a plan to wind up with a bit of land in France (cheaper). I currently live in a rural area where the work I’m qualified for is hard to come by but I’m willing to stick it out towards getting back to my dream lifestyle (permaculture, independence). I had/have a promising career but it doesn’t satisfy me – I could easily move back to the city tomorrow and pick up work for example.
    There is always another option…but my paltry advice, given that I’ve only your short post to rely on, is to make a small change to get closer to your dream. Be willing to take ‘cuts’ in your expenditure. Let go, if you can (I have a family so I have to be mindful of their needs), of unimportant expenses. You will be amazed at the amount of money we waste on just getting by. Most of it is unessessary and keeps us from what really matters to us, as it keeps us too busy trying to keep up. I’m saying all this from the perspective of someone who is living in way too much poverty and is trying to get out of that situation so I can think straight : there is a balance!
    Again, I wish you all the best. You are not shooting for the moon, it is doable and you can get there !

  8. Hello great people!

    Desire: to set up, live in and work in an ever expanding off-grid restorative agroforestry community in Wales.

    Obstacle: no money for land, planning permission difficult to obtain, working full time just to pay rent and buy food.

    Meanwhile, working through the lovely free workbook at wishcraft.com – thankyou!

    • Hi there, I saw that someone just mentioned workaway, which is crazy… I have been on there all week browsing things. And I did see that there are things like you describe in Wales. Perhaps you could start just by doing a workaway… these can often be done for months at a time, up to a year or more even. Food and accomodation are supplied in return for about 4-5 hours work. Then you might meet the right people along the way, and then have the experience to show and back yourself up when trying to raise funds. Honestly though… workaway is a treasure. It is well worth the yearly membership fee, I look at it as an investment. At the moment, I am unemployed and very broke, looking for something on workaway while I await employment. There are so many great things on there. Just an idea 🙂

    • You are very welcome, Matt Rhys-Roberts. I’m very glad to hear it is helpful. It has helped a lot of people and that makes me feel very good.

      Whenever you get a chance, please tell other people about it. I like to think of people using my work to make their lives better! 🙂

  9. I like sustainable living. Like to learn Permaculture design, like grow vegetables and fruit, like gardening. I work on organic farm now, my job will end this month. I want find something I can do soon. I live at yellow springs, Ohio.

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