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.

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

  1. Ok.. I have trouble asking for what I need… I typed it all out once on a YouTube video and was told to come here to ask it… it’s taken me a while to work up the nerve. I can’t explain why I’m like that… but, the dream I want support reaching is connected to healing it. I’ll try not to get too into too many details but some backstory might be necessary in describing what the obstacles are. … ok…here goes…

    Dream: 2 parts – long term and short term.
    Part 1 (in brief) – long term goal is to be a shamanic healer and accomplished artist. Hopefully incorporating the two.

    Part 2 – Short term goal is to go to a retreat to receive an authentic shamanic healing using the ayahuasca medicine. And, perhaps stay on as an apprentice.

    Obstacle: the most obvious part: Money.
    I have complex PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD… I cant hold a job or manage to stay productive even when it is something that I love doing, like art.
    My grandmother left me a very small inheritance which I intended to use to build my new life with after she died. Part of that was to buy art supplies and invest in a class I really wanted to take, which I did and it was wonderful and really progressed my artistic abilities. The rest was intended to buy an RV to live in and work out of… but I knew nothing about what to look for and found myself in urgent circumstances with no help so I bought something in a rush so I had somewhere safe to sleep.. and got ripped off. It’s not safe or big enough. I have not had help fixing it or reselling it to get something more appropriate. THE PLAN was to have this safe space on wheels to do art and travel while always having my “home” with me. And one of the places I wanted to take my rv/van to was an ayahuasca retreat in Florida during the winter months. But, as it is, I am still stuck in Pennsylvania…. nothing really works properly on what I bought… mold began to form under and around stuff I had stored in boxes, unbeknownst to me until it was too late.
    I am currently at a friends house until spring.. thank God for that much… but because of the PTSD and traumas I experience I just never feel safe or secure. I run into/attract a lot of predatory people. This is one of the issues I want to work out with the ayahuasca medicine. The Florida retreat is the closest one to me. I would love to go to Peru or some other more appropriate place but, I don’t think I could handle it if something went wrong…like things have gone when I have ventured too far from familiar surroundings… plus, and this is EXTREMELY important to me, my cat must be able to stay with me. So just flying there and back is something I’m not very comfortable with because I dont want to be without her. Which is why having a dependable RV is necessary…aside from the whole homeless issue, which will again be needing to be addressed come springtime anyway.

    The inheritance is dwindling because I gotta eat. I gotta get a more appropriate living situation/RV, sell the thing I have, get to Florida to do the ayahuasca medicine and work on my art..

    Oh… that’s another thing… I would really love to find my Tribe… you know? An artist community that understands me and supports me. That encourages me to do art and explore myself with love, kindness and tons of patience. That wont threaten my safety. Maybe that will be found at the ayahuasca retreat. I just know that I feel very drawn to it and that I am very stuck where I am right now.

    I actually have big Big BIG dreams (business ideas etc) but… again, those are the most immediately urgent.

    Thank you for reading!
    Oh…that reminds me.. I also want to write a book.
    Obstacle: I dunno how to do that. How to even pick what its about…I have a lot of notes and writings already….no organization. I suppose I need an editor?

    I feel like a jack in the box but filled with ideas… the lid is stuck shut and that !@#$# song just goes round and round in my head.

    I posted this on fb like Barbara told me to a while ago but have had immediate issues with another user and can’t find a way to contact an admin. I followed Barbara’s link here… i hope this is a safer environment.

    • My friend Jodi Roberts is a shamanic healer who lives and works in Plano, TX just north of the Dallas metroplex. She always says that her purpose in life is creating beauty, and her home is definitely beautiful. People go there for spiritual guidance and sound healing. She hosts sound baths regularly where she and her students play gongs, and she has a custom built sound bed that you lay on. She intuitively changes the sound vibrations based on your energy. You leave feeling marvelous. Reach out to her. She will get you. Maybe she’ll know about ayahuasca. https://www.facebook.com/starcoyotehealing/. Better yet, maybe she’ll know of someone in need of an apprentice. Maybe she’ll even need an apprentice, because her practice is growing. Best wishes!

  2. Hello friends!
    Along with Barbara, the other coach/writer/speaker I really admire is Martha Beck. I trained in her program and got certified, but, I didn’t do anything for two years so all my classmates and I are out of touch.

    My goal: I need to coach for 62 more hours to get certified.

    My obstacle: Even though I am offering free/pay what you can coaching, no one seems to want to get coached! And I am good at it, too!

    How do I get my hours in to get certified?

    Thank you, friends!

    • what is the obstacle to get in touch again with your classmates – ans aks for mutual support, to send test clients to each other?

      when I needed test clients for one of my coaching-courses, I asked my friends to send me their friends – and when I said, I would do it for free or only 10 Euros per hour, one said: no, you are better, I would not tell send somebody for 10 Euros to you, at least x Euros! (at least in our area in Germany, people think: what is cheap has no value)
      So my idea for you would be, to offer your hours at a special price, for example: special price for new product-introduction 50 instead of 100 Euros oder 20 % off during next 2 months / new clients / … “bring your friend-voucher”, … or something like that., whatever.

      • Astrid, thank you for you comment that. It was great for me to get to know what you experienced about NO money or some dumping price. As I am thinking about a Coach Try Out to see whether that’s a fit for me. So to me VERY usefull insight you shared here! AND you are one of the first people I meet around Barbara’s work and within her tribe that are in my country. Nice!

  3. I want to get out into the world, and find joy again, and have an exhibition of ceramics!

    My obstacles are –
    I have depression that no one seems to be able to help me with
    I need a carer or someone to help me with my physical issues
    I also have social anxiety
    I also have MS
    I haven’t done any ceramics for forty years

    • Hi Bobby, read you post. Had my own story with depression. And want to offer you an idea to overcome that obstacle. This is my suggestion: you might give it a try and change step by step your diet. I heard a very inspiring talk of a young German guy some time ago who made it this way to get not only better but is healed now. No medicine any more. Feeling fine. I am shure that nurturing our body has a strong effect on every other dimension of our life. So you as well might step out of that difficulty with feeding your body with fresh cooked meals, lots of vegetables, fruits and greens.
      As you wrote no one (else) seems to be able to help you with it this would be a self made healing process in your own hands of probably high worth.

    • .. today vistiting a friend’s old book shop I saw a book about ceramics. Which reminded me of your post and that part of your wish. And then I found myself imagining you’d sitt with a tiny hand full of clay every day for some 15 minutes. To step into practise. And see what happens. See what your hands will tell you about the material. What or who is hidden inside. Just playing with it. May or not may be creating tiny little things. Funy things even with no “use” at all. But for your own experience and joy. To get into practise with it. Letting your intuition lead you. Your creativity. Your joy. And doing it again the other day. And the day following. And see what ideas show up. And see what developes from practically doing it.

    • Hi Bobby –
      I wish you healing and realization of your dream 🙂
      In regards to your obstacles, I would highly recommend a book that has been transformative for my own health issues and addresses all of those you mentioned.
      it’s called: “Medical Medium; Secrets Behind Chronic & Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal” by Anthony William. I have no affiliation with the book, it’s just been a Godsend for me and many people I’ve encountered. It gave me hope that my health limitations were not necessarily something I have to live with forever. Hopefully it can bring you some healing as well so you can more fully take on your art.

  4. Hello Tribe!

    I am an interior architect working for an amazing architectural firm, but my real wish is to be a full time painter. I have been working on a VERY large piece for some years. Progress has been slow as I have only been able to work on it as time has been available. I have been feeling that I need to keep working at my job, so that I can keep a roof over our heads and food on our table, and I do not trust that I can succeed as an artist. I have the vision for the remainder of my huge painting, but I would like to have the financial space and time to complete it and figure out how to get it out into and share with the world and SELL it!

    I want to then move on to the next piece. I have so many ideas and dreams of paintings that continue to be contained within me.

    There are so many things that I could be doing right now to get the painting out into the world, but I find loads of reasons not to do it – to begin with I am exhausted from my job – however, I could use some cheerleading and accountability to keep to myself moving in the direction that I dream of.

  5. I am Laura from England, I am a land developer who started last year after having a small rental portfolio which I built with my friends. I have experience in hospitality industry and also in real estate.
    My wish is to build my chain of resorts in beach areas somewhere warm where I can stay and invite my friends/partners to exchange ideas, to create a home from home , where kids can learn and have fun, adults can socialise and have the support of a community
    My biggest obstacle is to find funding/ideas to kick start the first one.
    Have you got any ideas for me?
    Thank you.

  6. My biggest dream has been to become a scientist. I took a little detour after high school since I was not completely sure of that dream and had other interests besides. I studied traditional music for 3,5 years (I am on an academic leave, but I will not graduate since it will take another year and I’d rather move on with my life). Now I am working as a guitar teacher to actually afford anything.

    I have found a perfect major to study in the Netherlands, but I can’t afford it. It’s Cognitive Sciences and Artificial Intelligence. From what I’ve read about the course, it incorporates all of my interests that I’ve had and also has the mathematical and computer science side to it (I was very good at maths in school but didn’t realise I actually also loved it until much later, the same goes to computer science and programming).

    Since my family is not supportive I have no means to actually pursue this bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands (if I manage to get in). It costs 2060 euros per year (3 years). I’ve still to research similar courses elsewhere, but so far this was the first option I found and it immediately ignited a spark in my eyes.

    Does anyone know of any scholarships or grants a 22 year-old Estonian female could apply to having been away from science for a couple of years, but who is eager to learn and get back on track?

    • If you have a moderate command of the English language, there are free online classes at MIT that get you quite far in maths. If you learn on your own and et some command of higher maths, then score extremely well on entrance or scholastic exams, you will be offered a scholarship somewhere, maybe even a better fitting program than the one you’re looking at in the Netherlands. Self-study could get you quite far in other ways as well: your interests and studies can bring you in contact with other thinkers who can help give you advice or a leg up. Maths are easily learned on your own if you have the desire, hence the suggestion for online format to start. Good luck!!

    • Hi! One of the best parts about Computer Science and AI is that there are tons of material and resources online and for the most part, you don’t need any fancy equipment either. I don’t know where you are in your tech journey, but I highly recommend Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning and Deep Learning courses on Coursera if you haven’t done them already. fastai’s courses also seem to be very popular. Also, universities like MIT and Stanford (and many others in fact) often have lecture videos, slides and assignments online.

      I could give you more recommendations if you’d tell me what precisely you’d like to learn.

      I don’t know any scholarships though, unfortunately, but you could check scholarship-positions

    • Have you looked into programming bootcamps? Some of the ones I’ve seen advertised in the USA don’t ask students to pay tuition until after they’ve graduated and are employed. Some programming bootcamps are offered online. I’ve seen several advertisements for Springboard’s 6 month online Data Science Bootcamp on Facebook recently.

      Good luck!

  7. Hi everybody,

    My biz partner and I have a group of artists that all need a warehouse space to use together, cooperating together and enriching the space and the art therein together.

    We need a space large enough to host a scenic design studio, a photography studio, a sound stage and some offices at least.

    It’s a big dream and a big ask, but my dream is to make this happen for all of us together so that we can change a whole bundle of lives and create some real differences in the art community.

    Obstacles include money and construction, legalities, and fear. lol.

    If anyone has any offerings, that would be sweet. We are open to suggestions, not just physical help! Thank you!!

    • Julia, where are you? I might be able to assist with some of your questions, but it will be dependent on where you are. Let me know and I might be able to assist!

  8. Hi everyone! My dream is to start an improvisational choir of 4 to 8 people to put together a concert program and perform aroumd the world.

    Onstacles: finding singer dedicated to a project like this. 2.money to pay for a project like this. 3. Someone to manage and get bookings 4. Income… How would i pay my bills?

    This is one hot dream. Ive met a few singers who could do it but they are married, have children or a job and can’t commit to it. Need help.

    • Hey Megan!

      I love singing, and could send you some recordings if you’re interested. Every year, I quit my job to travel, and I like the idea of traveling and singing/performing. So I can up and take off this summer, and even graduate this Spring Semester, so could continue traveling after the summer is over.

      Karen

    • Your dream is inspiritng to me, Megan! As I love singing and am longing for sharing improvisational singing with others. I also might join in a travel project like yours. At the moment I have to focus on my health. Which will take some months at least. After that I might know whether travelling might be an option for me. I am writing this to just let your know, there ARE definitely people who like to do this kind of project.

      Ideas that pop up in my head how to find fellows to join in. Put an announcement on places (real places around your’s, paperprinted, iinternet, … ) wherever people are around that either love travelling or singing. To find those who love both. Let your post tell what you are dreaming of. And see who then answers to your quest.

      You might then step onwards with the people who showed up. And together become the Sucess Team for your dream to come true.

      Be creative. The world loves traveling singers! It’s just great!!!

    • this sounds amazing. improv dancing and improv singing are 2 of my loves!

      travelling is also definitely a desire, but performing, not as important to me. anyway, i’d love to hear more. very inspiring!

    • Hi Megan!

      That sounds really cool! I’d be interested in it for sure. I already travel around all the time anyway, house sitting with my boyfriend, so I’m used to that lifestyle. I don’t have any kids. I’m already a singer-songwriter (indie folk).

      Please get in touch if this is something you’re still interested in doing.

  9. Hello dear tribe-

    My intention/wish is to be gifted a stay at the Gerson Clinic (or similar) so that I may revive this ill body, so that I may become well and strong enough to continue the work I’m meant to do on this earth and to continue to accompany my children as they grow into adulthood.

    Another intention/wish is to be gifted with a vehicle so that I may get around in a bubble that is temperature controlled and noise controlled and fragrance-free.

    Another intention/wish is to be gifted with a visit or two or three to the dentist to take care of the cavities that have developed in the past four years of my illness.

    Another intention/wish is to be gifted a custom-tailored program to address the c-ptsd that has developed on account of the gunmen incidents.

    I have set my intentions; may the universe get behind me.

    Thank you for considering my wishes!

  10. My burning desire is to have a large art space where children can come and create.
    What’s stopping me:
    A space.
    Money to pay for the space and art supplies.
    A salary of $50,000 to support myself.
    Thank you for your kind support.

    • Aelish, I am myself looking for some space (for dancing in my case). What I would recommend not knowing where you are living and how conditions around you are:
      you might watch out for empty room / buildings, former supermarkets or whatever. And see who is the owner. Get them to know that you are longing to give something to the kids around with what you are planing to offer. As you never know: they might like to give the place to you for free or just for the heating bill. As it’s better to be used at all than being empty and destroyed by time, not being heated, broken in or whatever. You might find people who are open and glad to support an idea like your’s as it is some kind of gift to the whole community what you are offering.
      About art supplies: you might let the world around you know what youare looking for. People might be happy to pass on material to you. Point out whatever it is that would be great to have. There is often lots of stuff to get for free if only people KNOW about you and what you’d need.
      There might be elder artists who have to move to a seniors residence, some kids of a passed away artist who are glad to know where to bring what their beloved one no longer needs … Printing companies which would be glad to pass along stuff that is of no use to them. But perfect for you.

      About your salary: your community might be interested in paying you a salary for the work you’re longing to offer. As I was a kid I joined in a creative workshop payed by the community. All my parents had to pay was a tiny salary for our insurance. Now 40 years later my nephew is joinging in there as well. They kept on offering this for the kids in town.

      Be creative about all this. You already are creative as the artist who wants the kids to be encouraged expressing themself through art!

      Wish you the very best for your dream to come true going for it step by step!

    • Retiring elementary school teachers often have simple art supplies, like construction papaer, glue, glitter, etc., that they no longer have a need for and would be happy to donate, rather than throw them out!

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