What Have I Done?

pages & paint!An online workshop with Sarah Ahearn Bellemare
9 July - 3 August. Registration now open 

Today I saw this art workshop advertised on Soulemama. Without even thinking, I registered and payed. Then I panicked. I'm not an artist! What have I done?

I emailed a few artsy-craftsy (and a few not so artsy-craftsy) friends, in an attempt to wrangle them in. Thankfully, I got a few takers! Hallelujah!

Just when the panic started to subside, I had another brilliant idea.
"I'm going to join the tennis club around the corner".
I called, spoke to a very lovely lady, and registered for lessons through June.

Again, panic.

I played tennis for one year when I was about 12 years old and tennis is not my sport.
Anything that requires excellent depth perception and hand-eye coordination tends to be on my "weaknesses" list.

But the club always looks so lush and green, with fit, tanned, happy people getting lots of exercise.
They probably sip gin & tonics and play crib between matches.
At least that's what I'm hoping.

My point is, I had a little mental break today. I signed up for a bunch of things that I've always wanted to do but was too scared to do. And I couldn't figure out why.

And then I sat down to prepare a talk for tomorrow and, as I tidied my desk so I could get to work, I hung this little diagram up on my bulletin board.......
                                                                                             

It's a *goal diagram* that I spent an hour making yesterday afternoon.
I do it every couple of months. I sit down and draw a map of what I would like my life to look like. I sketch and color and play (the vision).

Then I turn the vision into SMRT goals (specific, measurable, realistic, with a timeline).

Finally, for the first time, I turned my goals into a concise set of declarations (a la Suzanne Conrad).

It's interesting because I've always thought of the goal setting process as this magical, abstract, intangible thing......I write down *stuff* that I want and, a few months later when I stumble across the old list, I realize I have somehow obtained those goals.

The somehow now seems so obvious. The process of articulating my goals, inspires me into action....completely subconsciously.

When I was in school I heard about a study that was done at Yale University. They reported that the 2% of a specific graduating class that made a habit of writing out visions and goals ended up earning more money than the entire remaining 80% of classmates.

I may not be the richest person in the 1997 graduating class from Yale.....but I am going to have some fun this summer!

Anyone else want to join?
Check out the links above.