Dreamification Radio: Visioning and Moving Ahead With Your Dreams Even in the Face of Fear

April 13, 2011 by

My blog radio show on Radio Lightworker continues on April 23, 2011 and will air on an ongoing basis on the fourth Saturday of each month. The show is called “Dreamification: Find Your Big Dream. Make It Real.”

April’s episode is on “Visioning and Moving Ahead With Your Dreams Even in the Face of Fear” and will be a conversational broadcast between me and Kimberley Jones, a lightworker and “Soul Whisperer.”

During the broadcast, Kimberley and I will be talking about dealing with fear, particularly when it comes to moving ahead with our big visions and dreams when we’re living in a culture of fear. We’ll also be talking about fears that come up when we vision forward into the future — and how that relates to 2012 coming up ahead of us and the fears many of us have around that topic. You can post specific questions that we’ll aim to address during the broadcast in the comments area below.

What are your biggest questions about visioning and moving ahead with your Big Dreams even in the face of fear?

Please post your questions on THIS PAGE no later than April 18th at Midnight Eastern Time in the comments area below. Questions that are succinct and clear are much easier for us to answer.

Note: If this subject interests you, you might also be interested in my upcoming Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley, California on April 29th and 30th.

Filed Under: Dreamification Radio

Commitment + Synchronicity = Magic

March 23, 2011 by 17 Comments

I’m re-reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron while I’m running my Artist’s Way Accountability and Support Group.

I’m reminded once again of Julia’s brilliance and insight about the power of committing ourselves to our Big Dreams, and how the Universe supports us through seemingly magical occurrences when we do so.

I, for one, am both continually astonished by how well this works and remarkably resistant to it at the same time. These massive doubts and fears always seem to come up when it comes to the question of commitment:

  • But how will I know if it’s the right thing?
  • And how can I even just pick one thing to focus on?
  • What if I get bored with it?
  • What if I don’t have anything new or valuable to say?
  • What if I can’t make any money doing it?
  • What if I suck at it?
  • What if no one likes it?
  • If I love it so much, why am I not taking action on it?
  • But how will I do it?
  • But I can’t decide!

I’ve learned to see these as no more than temporary obstacles, personality traits (I’m a scanner), hidden fears and shoulds, and stealthy inner critic messages. In other words, I try not to give them too much attention or take them too seriously.

I’ve also learned to prioritize and pick something to work on first, but not to worry if I put something down and come back to it later. Elaine tells me she likes to have at least 3 creative projects going at once so she can move from one to the next as she feels called.

Move the Universe With Your Commitment

Julia quotes this passage from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by W. H. Murray:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (or creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

“All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have believed would have come his way.”

She separately quotes Goethe:

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has magic, grace and power in it.”

(I’ve quoted both of these directly from The Artist’s Way. I’ve seen other variations.)

But How Will I?

Once you’ve committed, figuring out how really isn’t your job. Really.

Julia reminds me of this critical bit as well:

“The Universe falls in with worthy plans and most especially with festive and expansive ones. I have seldom conceived of a delicious plan without being given the means to accomplish it. Understand that the what must come before the how. First choose what you will do. The how usually falls into place of itself.“

Our inner critic and the fears that drive those anxious commitment questions make us think we have to answer the HOW question first. We do feasibility studies, shop our dreams around to our critical friends and enemies, and dismantle our cherished secret hopes before we ever give them a chance to take root, let alone blossom.

It makes me want to cry.

I want to cry when I think of all the beautiful, cherished, lovely dreams that will change the world, heal our broken systems and hearts, and help people grow and become better human beings, but that are being left unexplored, unexpressed, and undiscovered because we are more concerned with staying “safe” and not rocking the boat. These are just smokescreens, people. Smokescreens.

Let’s Be Honest With Each Other

Because really, deep down, “Anyone honest will tell you that possibility is far more frightening than impossibility, that freedom is far more terrifying than any prison.”

What Are You Willing To Allow?

The truly fascinating aspect of all this is the energetic flow of giving and receiving. Peter and Marcia taught me about the divine flow of Universal energy — the möbius of energy that moves out and returns back — an unending cycle of exchange. IF we allow it.

As Julia says, “The Universe is prodigal in its support. We are miserly in what we accept.”

We are miserly in what we accept.

Oh man.

She continues: “All gift horses are looked in the mouth and returned to sender. We say we are scared by failure, but what frightens us more is the possibility of success.”

What frightens us more is the possibility of success.

Could it be?

Could it be that what keeps me paralyzed from taking action on key Big Dreams is not that I’m too busy, have too much email, need a break, or just have to “get through this one thing,” but that I am simply: 1) unwilling to accept the limitless possibilities and gifts of the Universe and 2) terrified that I might actually succeed?

Holy shit, Batman. The jig is up.

I’m reminded of what Sonia always says: “How good can you stand it?”

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Need help finding, claiming, and committing to your Big Dream? Come to my Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley on April 29th and 30th. You can find out all the details here.

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What’s Jenna Up To?

~> March 26th, 2011. First broadcast of my brand new Radio Lightworker radio show “Dreamification.” Find out more and submit your questions. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show. Listening details available soon!

~> March 29th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat will be held in Berkeley, California. Early registration is now available through March 31st at midnight Eastern Time. Special savings if you’ve already had your hands analyzed. Contact my assistant Jamie to schedule a private one-to-one chat with me to find out if this program is right for you.

Filed Under: Creativity, Dreamification Tagged With: , , , ,

Submit Your Questions for My March 2011 ‘Dreamification’ Radio Broadcast On Finding Your Big ‘Thing’

March 15, 2011 by

My new blog radio show on Radio Lightworker launches March 26th, 2011 and continues the fourth Saturday of each month. The show is called “Dreamification: Finding Your Big Dreams and Making them Real.”

Radio LightWorker

March’s inaugural episode is called, “How to Find Your Big ‘Thing’ and Get Started Making It Real” and will be a Question & Answer broadcast, where I’ll be answering questions you submit in advance.

Have you found your “big thing” yet?

Have you been able to find and name that special thing you do? That “Thing” that is the container for all your diverse interests, gifts, talents, and passions?

So often we creative, sensitive, visionary types have so many abilities and interests that we cannot figure out how to pull them all together and say what it is that we “do.” Usually we know we’re here to do Something Big and to have a big impact in the world, but it’s hard for us to name or quantify.

I’m hosting my first-ever broadcast of my new blog radio show, “Dreamification: Finding Your Big Dream and Making It Real,” and I’d love to answer your questions on the air.

So, what’s your biggest question about finding your “Big Thing”?

If you’ve been wondering about how to crystallize all your ideas into one Big Dream, how to get unstuck so you can get past your own blocks, figure out how to get started, or more, please post your questions on this page. I’ll address as many of them as I can during my 60 minute time slot. I love questions about places where you are stuck, doubting yourself, or pulled in different directions about your Big Dream. Anything goes, really. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Please post your questions on THIS PAGE no later than March 23rd at Midnight Eastern Time in the comments area below. Questions that are succinct and clear are much easier for me to answer.

Note: If this subject interests you, you might also be interested in my upcoming Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley, California on April 29th and 30th.

~~~~~

Filed Under: Dreamification Radio Tagged With: , ,

Big Dream Actioneering Report #2: Baby Steps

February 19, 2011 by 12 Comments

And we’re back. And it’s Saturday again, not Friday. Hmmm. Oh yeah, my son’s preschool was closed yesterday so it wasn’t a work day. Seems like there are always wrinkles in my schemes and plans.

So here’s my second official report. I ultimately want to do these with video reports, but I have to admit that make up on Saturday afternoon is not a high priority, LOL.

Challenges

Again with the cold. I have a lovely new cold to layer on top of my last one. Whimper, moan. It’s not that bad, but it’s definitely adding a layer of je ne sais quoi to the whole thing. Apparently having a little kid in their first year of public daycare = continuous colds. My girlfriend said that during her son’s first year of school they pretty much had colds the whole time. At least I can say that I don’t feel that bad, just a little less motivated than usual.

And again with the public communication. Seems like every time I’m about to settle down and write I remember an email I haven’t sent out yet. Hmm. Something’s got to change.

So in the end, I am still not yet getting to my full, dreamed of time each week for the Big Writing project.

Progress

Okay, the good news is that despite the lack of extensive sit down and write time I still managed to work through enough of the holes in my storyline and start writing a proper story treatment. That felt great! And I know I can keep going with it. Right now, as soon as I finish this post. (Seriously.)

Second, I also feel good about doing just a little bit of work on the screenplay even when I couldn’t do the full hour I want to do. I just read in Hugh MacLeod’s nifty new book, Evil Plans, “Like a very talented pianist once told me when I was a boy, it’s better to practice a musical instrument for five minutes a day than to practice for two hours once a week.” And Miriam essentially told me the same thing too, so even if I can’t do the full monty, I’m at least making progress and I know I’m keeping the dream in motion.

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What about you? What did you accomplish with your Big Dream this week? Join me with your challenges and celebrations in the comments below.

~~~~~

In the spirit of Havi Brooks’ “Comment Zen,” I have this request:

Since I am exploring how to be more transparent, raw, vulnerable, and in my full, messy delicious creative energy in my posts, here’s what I would love to hear:

  • How YOU are taking action on YOUR big dream <— This is my favorite!
  • How you personally are doing whatever I’m writing about for yourself.
  • How my writing sparks something for you.
  • About your own stories, ideas, musings, and wonderings.

And I would love to skip:

  • You feeling like you need to take care of me, give me useful suggestions, or other well-meaning but unsolicited advice.

Thank you!

~~~~~

p.s. The Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group is forming! It starts March 1. We need 16 people to make it a go, so if you’re interested sign up NOW. Plus the people who commit this weekend (by Monday) will save a bit on the fee because it helps us know we can go ahead with it. Send a blank email here and you’ll get instant details right in your email in box or you can email my assistant Jamie here with your questions and we’ll get them answered for you.

p.p.s. If you missed my free call Friday before last on “Finding Your ‘Big Thing’,” you can check out the recording here. And it’s not too late to get in on my Claim Your Calling course. Details here.

~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Big Dream Action Reports Tagged With: , ,

Big Dream Actioneering Report #1: Temper Tantrums & Excuses

February 12, 2011 by 18 Comments

Here’s my first official weekly check in for my “Big Dream” Actioneering. All I can say is, man alive. It’s really been two weeks, or something. Read on for details. I hope next time to be more brief. :)

It has been nothing if not interesting to observe myself and all the machinations I’ve gone through as I’ve brought myself closer to claiming my Big Dream of becoming a writer.

Here’s my update:

Challenges

Well, for starters, as soon as I made the public commitment to write 4 times per week, I found myself in the quandary of putting on a live event and heading out of town, both of which required an extra level of preparation and definitely disrupted my normal routine.

Then, when we came back from L.A., I promptly came down with the “cold of the decade” and found myself completely uninterested and unwilling to write (or work, for that matter) while taking care of myself and my son, who was also sick. I promised myself that this week, I’d get back on track. And I did. Well, sort of.

Really, though, I see the cold as a giant temper tantrum. Julia Cameron describes a kriya (Sanskrit) in The Artist’s Way as “spiritual emergencies or surrender,” something designed to get our attention and say, hey, “Get it?”

I feel like this is a similar situation — On some level, I’m resisting doing the Big Writing because it terrifies me, so I choose to get sick and busy as a way to avoid doing it. Pretty creative, right?

It’s also fascinating to watch my inner critic pester me with, “it’s not creative enough, it’s not good enough,” etc.

Which reminds me, my 3rd submission, “The Gospel According to Lucky,” for the NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Challenge did not get me through to the next round, but I got some great feedback and decided I like the story enough to want to rewrite it.

So I sent it off to some writing friends for feedback, and holy smokes, did my inner critic ever go into overdrive. He (yes, my inner critic is a he) was going all crazy about why they hadn’t gotten back to me yet, that they hated it, that they were writing each other about how bad it was and couldn’t figure out what to say to me, etc. etc.

Luckily I didn’t buy it and busted my I.C. by telling my husband about what he was saying so we could both laugh at him.

One more little temper tantrum: I’m writing this on Saturday instead of Friday like I’d planned. Jeez.

Progress & Celebrations

The good news is that I DID work on my big screenplay (the title is in flux so I can’t tell you what it is yet) and I was able to outline the story even more. It’s a fascinating project. It seems like every time I sort out one bit of the story, I find 10 more unanswered questions to address. I swear this thing will just write itself once I get all these questions answered.

I’m also thrilled that I made it to the 3rd round of the NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Challenge. That was my goal and I met it. Woo-hoo! I also received some extremely helpful feedback from my writing buddy so I’m planning to rewrite that script soon. (No, he didn’t hate it, he said, “I dig the script.”)

Another thing I’m super happy about is watching my creative process around writing unfold. Who knew it would be this way? I certainly have my ups and downs, but I’m finding that I like to toss around ideas and play with them until I feel solid about the “big ideas” and then I start writing. I like that. :)

Plus, joy of all joys, my husband and I are writing a short story, called “Angel of Misfortune” for the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge. It’s due today. Can I tell you that ever since I met this man I’ve dreamed of us writing together? It’s so fabulous! And I think the story is pretty good. Oh joy. :)


What about you? What did you accomplish with your Big Dream this week? Join me with your challenges and celebrations in the comments below.

~~~~~

In the spirit of Havi Brooks’ “Comment Zen,” I have this request:

Since I am exploring how to be more transparent, raw, vulnerable, and in my full, messy delicious creative energy in my posts, here’s what I would love to hear:

  • How you personally are doing whatever I’m writing about for yourself.
  • How my writing sparks something for you.
  • About your own stories, ideas, musings, and wonderings.

And I would love to skip:

  • You feeling like you need to take care of me, give me useful suggestions, or other well-meaning but unsolicited advice.

Thank you!

~~~~~

p.s. I just had a brainstorm to do an Artist’s Way support group for a low monthly fee. Anyone interested? Let me know.

p.p.s. If you missed my free call on Friday on “Finding Your ‘Big Thing’,” you can check out the recording here.

~~~~~

 

Filed Under: Big Dream Action Reports Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Isolation Is a Dream Killer

November 16, 2010 by 12 Comments

One of the participants at my recent Voice Your Vision retreat shared this powerful quote from Barbara Sher, “Isolation is a dream killer.”

Similarly, my teacher Sonia Choquette says, “You cannot do it alone.”

How true!

As a sensitive woman, mother, home-based business owner, spiritual coach, intuitive, hand analyst, and ready-to-take-the-world-by-storm creative writer, I can tell you that the hardest days are when I feel like I have no one to turn to and there’s no one else out there who gets who or where I am. Luckily, I’ve learned a few things about this along the way.

When it comes to making your dreams real, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Your nascent vision is like a tiny seedling. Plant it in fertile soil, water it, nurture it, and protect it. Don’t put it somewhere it could be trampled on. Share it only with your best supporters.

2. Get the right support from the right people. You must have “believing eyes” to witness your project into wholeness. Do not allow the naysayers and doubters to topple your tiny creation before it learns to stand on its own two feet.Get in touch with your supporters when you need them, and do the same for them. Make sure you have a balanced, equal exchange with people who are emotionally whole enough to truly be there for you.

3. Dream big or stay at home. Don’t hold back from your vision — go all the way with it. Push yourself to your creative edge. Ask, “How can I take this to its next greatest level of expression?” If you need help pushing yourself to that precipice,  you’re in the right place. You’ll be seeing more from me modeling this very, very soon (stay tuned!).

4. Don’t take your critics too seriously. Like most of us, you probably make the mistake of listening to criticism (from yourself or from other people) far too early in your creative process. Your inner critics are speaking from fear and doubt, and your outer critics are doing the same. Very often, your outer critics are simply projecting their own fear and excuses onto you. So take it with a grain of salt. And turn to your supporters to get you back on track when you make the mistake of listening to the wrong voice.

5. Trust yourself, first. So often you dismiss your greatest, deepest truths because you think they are too simple, too complicated, too unrealistic, etc. But if you simply allow yourself the permission to explore what your inner voice is telling you, miraculous things can happen. You may want and need to have your inner truths heard and witnessed before you’re willing to give ourselves that permission.

That’s where your supporters or coach come into play. Either way, sometimes allowing yourself to voice your vision to the right listeners is just the powerful kick-start you need to make your dream become a reality.



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Did this spark anything for you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.



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What’s Jenna Up To?

~> November 22nd, 2010. Leading a private in-person half-day retreat in Berkeley, California.

~> November 29th, 2010. Mark Your Calendar! My annual birthday sale is coming up — one day only. Details to be announced soon.

~> November 29th, 2010. Also on my birthday: Doing a photo shoot for my new website photos with the fabulous Lindsay Miller.

~> January 21st & 22nd, 2011. Voice Your Vision Mastermind Retreat. In-Person Workshop in Berkeley, California. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. FOUR SPOTS remaining. This small group retreat is perfect for you if you know your purpose but you’re wondering, “What’s next?” For details, send a blank email to: coach115-557948@autocontactor.com. Early registration ends November 26th.

~> January 27th & 28th, 2011. “Powerful Strategies to Slay Your Inner Critic Demons So You Can Leap Into the Creative Spotlight.” Appearing as a guest expert at Baeth Davis’s “Claim Your Spotlight” program in Los Angeles, California.

~> Spring 2011. Virtual Workshop: Claim Your Calling: 5 Steps To Get You Back On Track With What You Were Put Here To Do. Dates to be announced shortly. Details: www.ClaimYourCallingWithJenna.com.


Filed Under: Creativity, Dreamification, Vision Tagged With: , , ,
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