I’m still trying to think through my Ideal Day. It isn’t easy because my Current Day keeps seeping in.

I’ve actually gone back a bit to daydreaming about all the “other” options out there. I find myself in a position not unlike Julia Child (with the exception that I’m not a bored housewife, but someone in need of a viable income). But I still find myself asking the same question: What am *I* going to do-o-oo?

Her husband gave a very simple reply that changed her life forever: What do you enjoy?

My partner (almost unknowingly, really) did something very similar for me. I have an idea I’ve been kicking around in my head as randomly as a person walking kicks a can out in front of them. I finally kicked the thought out of my head and into words: What do you think about . . . ?

And my wonderful, brilliant, thoughtful, supportive partner went and found information about it for me. Regardless of whether this is what I do, or whether it’s the equivalent of Julia making hats, the reply changed my life.

I thought that only dreaming is never enough. I wanted to find something so you could see if it’s possible for you or not.

Can you even imagine someone knowing you so well? (This is the same person who reminded me the other day that I need time for myself too. ♥ ♥ ♥)

I didn’t have to explain myself. I didn’t even have to say why or how or where or when. All I needed to say was, “What do you think about?” and suddenly I had someone handing me a telescope and saying, “Here. Reach for the stars.”

Here’s the explanation about this new can I’ve been kicking around. It’s something we can do together. It could really offer a viable income. We’re already in a booming market for the “high end” market and this would offer a “low to middle end” alternative. The location is ideal. And, yes, I can already think of a way to fit it into my Ideal Life.

What am *I* going to do?

Only Dreaming is Never Enough
Shoot for the Moon and Reach the Stars

Priorities and Perspective from My Original Ideal Day

Starting back at the beginning: What from my original Ideal Day 15 or so years ago worked out? What was most important and what could change?

I don’t live in a 2-story house on the Texas gulf coast (a future goal for a vacation home perhaps?), but I do own my own home in a historic artist community.

My current business is online, though I have co-owned a (successful) gift shop in College Station. I say successful because we were earning a profit when we made the decision to close the shop so myself and my co-owner could both move away from College Station.

Supporting other artists is still an integral part of my goals, and now thanks to affiliate marketing, I’m able to do that.

Living in an artistic community is also still a priority, which is why I chose the house and neighborhood where we live now – walking distance to an arts community, glass-blowing studio, deli, restaurants and bars, and festivals twice a year – not to mention live (usually jazz) music almost every weekend. None of this was expected and now I couldn’t imagine living without it.

What priorities do I still hold dear?

• Community
• Artistic Creativity
• Artist Co-operative
• Helping Others
• Learning
• Business
• Cooking
• Animals
• Math & Programming

In my Ideal Day, these were all key factors and my day incorporated each with a perfect balance. What I find interesting are the things I included without realizing their importance at the time, much less my own abilities. I had only started making jewelry, but had never painted or drawn anything (not counting grade school, up to grade 6) much less thrown a pot or worked on ceramics. That’s right. Never. These were only things I wanted to do. And since I wrote my original Ideal Day, I’ve done all of them and managed to keep them in my life in one form or another. I didn’t own half the cookbooks I have now, had never written one (or considered writing one) and had never written my own recipe for a cooking contest. Yet, somehow, cooking dinner for friends was a priority then, without realizing how much of one it would become now. I included a database of my own making at the time because I thought I would use an existing program I was familiar with, such as FileMaker Pro (an excellent application for both PC and Mac), never dreaming I would one day write my own programs in Visual Basic.

Since my goal now is much the same as it was then, it’s easy to see the importance of Business and Community in my life. I strongly feel you can’t have one without the other. I believe I’m closer than ever before to achieving my dream of financial independence through multiple income streams while maintaining community support and connections. That’s what our sites are all about.

• Rock Salt Journals
• Yellow Rose Gallery Designs

I promised "My Ideal Day" as it was "then" (on my first reading of Wishcraft). I don’t have the written version anymore – meaning I don’t know where it is in my multitude of journals. But I envisioned it so clearly in my mind, it’s become more of a fond memory for me … even though the places and events of that day never fully came to be.

My Ideal Day Then (as it was prior to achieving many of the goals I set for myself. Note that this is past tense, although for Your Ideal Day, you should write it out in present tense.)

I woke up just as the sun started peeking into the lace curtains of my bedroom window (No blinds in this house, that’s for sure.) My bedroom and office were both on the 2 nd floor of a two-story house, situated so the sun would wake me in the morning and I could still look out onto the ocean of my Texas gulf coast home.

The first order of business for the day was to check the computer and print out any orders that came in through the web site overnight – because there were always orders – and respond to emails. Next, downstairs for a cup of hot tea, followed by my cat, who went almost everywhere with me (this was written even before I got Sassy, and that’s just what she would always do.) Finally, dressed and ready to go – with printed shipping labels and receipts from the online orders – I would walk to my nearby gift shop, an easy 5 minute walk from my house, and located just off the beach in an artistic community within easy access for tourists as well as locals.

The shop would be already open by a trusted employee (a local art student), and already filling with customers, as it was the start of summer and a beautiful day out. My shop would specialize in offering the work of local artists as well as classes in the studio located in back. Our studio would be equipped for almost anything an aspiring art student might need, from painting and drawing to pottery to jewelry-making and lapidary.

On this day, our studio had a visiting local artist teaching a jewelry metal-smithing class, which I was looking forward to attending. Before the class started, I took a quick inventory of our pottery because I knew we needed to re-stock a few items soon – some of which I would be making myself in the days to come. In addition, I gathered and boxed the orders for shipping, getting them ready for pick-up by the postman. I also helped a few customers in their choices for gifts to take home – and every customer walked out with a purchase and a smile on their face.

After attending the class (most of which was like a refresher class for me as I already knew how to do it), and enjoying a light lunch with my fellow students – all of whom made a purchase of the instructor’s jewelry from our shop – I helped my employees clean and close up and took the day’s receipts with me to enter into my database at home.

Arriving home, I went straight to my over-sized, farmhouse style kitchen to start preparing dinner for a dinner party that night with the jewelry instructor, my employees and other local artists. (And of course, to feed the cat, who greeted me at the door coming home.) After a wonderful dinner with lots of wine, laughter, conversation and compliments on my food, I went with the cat back to my office where I prepared the day’s receipts and inventory (on a program I’d written myself) and checked email and orders one last time, getting everything ready for another great day tomorrow.

From Wishcraft:

With pen in hand and as much paper as you need (or a tape recorder if you prefer to dream out loud), take a leisurely walk through a day that would be perfect if it represented your usual days – not a vacation day, not a compromise day, but the very substance of your life as you’d love it to be. Live through that day in the present tense and in detail, from getting up in the morning to going to sleep at night. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? What do you have for breakfast? Do you make it yourself – or is it brought to you in bed, with a single rose and the morning paper? Do you take a long, hot bath? a bracing cold shower? What kinds of clothes do you put on? How do you spend the morning? the afternoon? At each time of day, are you indoors or outdoors, quiet or active, alone or with people?

As you go through the hours of your fantasy day, there are three helpful categories to keep in mind: what, where, and who.

We’re still on chapter 3, Stylesearch http://www.wishcraft.com/wishcraft_ch3.pdf

Exercises 8 and 9, to me, are two of the most important in the book. How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where it is you want to go? If you can’t SEE yourself already there? That’s what these exercises are all about.

From Wishcraft:

There’s only one rule for the kind of imaging you’ll be doing in these next two exercise, and that is no reality considerations! In the world of play, like the world of dreams, there is no law of gravity, no death or taxes—and no irreconcilable conflicts. … In these fantasies you don’t have to do what you were told to do at age 5: “Make up your mind.” You get everything.

My Ideal Environment

Then: When I first read Wishcraft, the where of my ideal environment was more important than the who. At the time, I had neither, so the who was just too difficult to imagine, much less consider.

I love the beach. I always have. My where was “an artistic community on the Texas Gulf Coast.” The “who” were the other artists of the community and employees – for in my ideal world, I owned my own business – who shared in my vision and dreams.

Now: My Ideal Environment now is not entirely different than it was then, although living in my own house on the beach isn’t on the priority list (will explain this in the Ideal Day exercise). Another difference – who is there matters more now.

In my Ideal Environment, I am surrounded by people who want to support me. They give me time I need to do my work and yet when I need some help or an opinion or someone to talk things out with, they’re right there. And, of course, my partner is right there working beside me and I’m doing the same in return – giving support and help when it’s needed.

Because everything would be as we need it (no restraints of the laws of physics here, remember?) in my ideal environment there’s time to get all the work done that I need/want to do for the day, still have time to come home and cook a full meal (without needing to worry about washing dishes) and still have lots of energy for other activities – whenever I want.

Part 2: What positive qualities in me would emerge?

• Creative
• Supportive
• Helping Others
• Productive
• Playful
• Loving
• Energetic
  

Yes, I pretty much took the list from the book – in a different order and with a couple of additions – but she nailed it with this one.

Next: My Ideal Day – Then & Now