“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” -Henry David Thoreau

This entry is the first in what will hopefully be a series of postings about how to live our true life and dreams. I constantly flit from notion to notion about what will ultimately fufill me, and I often am left paralyzed with indecision because the fact is I just don't know. Hopefully these exercises can provide some clarity.

Step 1: Start with a clean slate.

• Clear your space. Declutter the house and create your own space.
• Clear you calendar. Eliminate activities that are emotionally and/or creatively draining. Make time for activities that support your creativity.
• Clear you mind. Identify the negative thoughts that stand in the way of living your truest life. Write those thoughts down and then rewrite them as a positive statement.

Step 2: Define your lifestyle.

• Create a list of the top 5 things that are important to you. Then put one thing in your calendar this week for each of the five areas.
• Design and write down your ideal day from the moment you wake up until you go to bed.
• Begin creating a "life book". Gather images that convey a sense of what you would like your life to look like. Begin the book with a statement about what is important to you in your life.

These ideas all come from Ladies Who Launch chapter 1-2. Check out www.ladieswholaunch.com

In the next entry I'll post my progress on steps1-2. I hope to hear how everyone else is doing too.

What exactly is success? For me it is to be found not in applause, but in the satisfaction of feeling that one is realizing one's ideal. Anna Pavlova

At what point do we say, "Ahhh. Thank you. I have a home, and a job, and a strong family. This is good. This is enough."? Is it spoiled, ungrateful, and foolish to want more? Is it misguided to want my ideal? Is it shortsighted to want the fulfilling career and the house in a great neighborhood in addition to all the other stuff? Does that kind of thinking prevent appreciation in the moment, in all that we do have? Maybe yes. The conflict lies in figuring out where ambition ends and fulfillment begins. We want to strive, learn, and grow always, but at the same time we want to savor the moment and count our blessings. How does one know when to wander off her path or when to simply stop and take delight in the path already created?

...every woman be a part of a circle...

In fact, I advocate that every woman be a part of a circle and a circle that meets at least once a month, or if you can’t do that, once every two months or every four months. But you have to have a circle, a group of people, women - smart, wise, can-do women - who are in the world doing their work, and you need to meet with them as often as you can, so that they can see what you’re doing, and who you are, and you can see the same. And you can talk to each other about the world and about your lives. In a circle of trust and safety. It’s crucial. It is crucial for our psychological health and our spiritual growth – it’s essential. -Alice Walker

Coincidence??? I just returned home from a dinner with the girls, in which we brainstormed how to live our dreams. We came to the conclusion that we need to talk more with each other, get together more to support each other in achieving what really satisifies our souls. Then, I came home and read this interview with Alice Walker. And there I found this quote. Hmm. How true it is, and I am asking myself if I believe in the notion that coincidences mean your life is on the right track...

We wise women must seek each other out. We must open ourselves to one another and learn and build and be great. Every woman has her story and her gifts to share. We all can benefit from that, from new perspectives, from shared experiences. I don't know where I am headed, but I believe the key to getting there lies in getting connected in a meaningful way with other women who are bound for greatness. And we all do have that capacity for greatness within us.

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.-Emily Dickinson

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.-Annie Dillard

I am on a quest that I think I share with many women- a quest for balance between passion and peace, a balance between doing it all and doing nothing at all, a balance between aspirations and satisfaction. I spend so much of my mental energy thinking about what I should be doing... I worry what I should do about the big things like-What should I do about my stagnating career? What should I do to be a better mom, wife, friend, daughter, etc.? What should I do to secure my financial future? But I also obsess about the little things-Should I go to the gym today? Should I buy organic? Should I travel or put money in savings? I constantly lament over the same issues to no avail. However, I know that somewhere in my soul, in the core of my being, I am a wise woman. And I know the answers to all of these questions. I plan to consciously find that inner wisdom and in the process become a quieter, calmer, steadier woman so that I can fully live in each moment of my life.