January Inspired Leap™ "Ah-Ha!" Newsletter
January 2008

Dear Dianna,

As I was preparing for the New Year, New You Vacation Retreat in Hawaii, I found a book called, The Wish List, by Barbara Ann Kipfer. This book is full of wishes (almost 6,000 to choose from) to fuel your imagination when you have thoughts like, "I don't know what I want."

While January is known as the month for goal-setting and resolutions, those can sound pretty serious and definitive. Even setting "intentions" seem like a serious endeavor. But making a wish sounds fun, playful, changable, creative, and easy. For me, it's a lot easier to start with wishes, sit with them awhile, try them on, and-only if the "fit" is right-turn them into goals.

In fact, Kipfer's book starts with a quote from an English bishop, Joseph Hall, that suggests that to wish is to begin the process of becoming what you desire. The first sentence of the quote is:

Our wishes are the true touchstone of our estate;
such as we wish to be we are.

I loved the idea that when we wish to be someone or to do something, we are already on our way to becoming or doing it. It's a reminder of how important activities like day-dreaming and wishing-upon-a-star really are.

Now that you're back hard at work at whatever you do, don't rush, rush, rush to fill every moment of January with to-do lists. Consider taking a few moments to craft your own wish list for 2008, the next 5 years, and for your life. Better yet, brainstorm wishes with your friends and family:

• Wishes for your Career, Relationships, Education, Health, Playtime
• Wishes for your Family
• Wishes for your Friends
• Wishes for your Community
• Wishes for your Country
• Wishes for your World
• Wishes for the 2008 Presidential Election
• Wishes for ???

This can even be a great creative endeavor for your office. Imagine giving your team permission to wish for the products, successes, work environment, benefits, etc. they desire. If you don't take time to wish it, it's not likely to happen. Great conversations can be started about what people desire. "Wishes" are less threatening and serious than goals, so give people permission to wish first, then zero in on appropriate goals for 2008 and beyond.

Consider doing one of these:

• Check out Kipfer's book and randomly pick a page. Ask yourself (and others if you're doing this together) which activity on that page is most appealing to you and why. Use it to spark your own list of at least 5 other wishes. For example, I randomly turned to page 115. Here were some of the wishes on that page:
  • Have a live-in cook
  • Be a thin person
  • Go from a spot on Good Morning, America to The Today Show to CBS This Morning to plug my book
  • Do lunch and a hotel with my lover
  • Stand atop the Hoover Dam
• Start each day with Start each day with "I wish I________"
• Put your top ten wishes on a piece of paper in a bowl. Pick one for the next ten months. Each month commit to focusing on taking small steps toward making that month's goal a reality. All you have to do is take some steps. It doesn't have to happen; you just need to get the ball rolling. January is for creating the wishes and December is for celebrating all of the wishes that have come true...so far.
• Find the perfect fountain or wishing well to toss pennies into for some of your wishes. Make this as fun or as serious as you desire.
• Give yourself five minutes a day (set a timer) to journal your wishes. The best way to do this is to force yourself to keep the pen on the page and to keep writing (this allows your intuition to get through your critical thinking).

I hope you'll give yourself permission to wish without expecting a detailed list of goals and action steps to follow. Just enjoy the experience of wishing. This doesn't mean that goals and detailed next steps aren't important. It just means your playful, intuitive, creative side needs a chance to speak too.

Upcoming Events and Workshops:
The Ultimate Mixer, sponsored by YourLocalCity.com, Tuesday, January 29th at 6:30pm. Come see me at my booth! For more information, go to The Ultimate Mixer

Chocolate Decadence, Thursday evening, January 31st at the Bob Bullock Museum. Sponsored by eWomenNetwork. For more information, go to eWomenNetwork.com and look for Austin chapter events.

An Intuitive Day at the Spa, Thursday, February 28th at the Lake Austin Spa Resort. Join me and 11 other fabulous people to develop your intuition, enjoy the beauty of the Spa and indulge in a luxurious spa treatment. To find out more and to sign up, go to Intuitive Day at the Spa. Hurry! We're filling up and early bird pricing of $239 ends February 15th.

Stay tuned for new dates for a better-than-ever offering of the popular Breakthrough Series of one-day workshops, held out at The Crossings. Work Less to Accomplish More, Get Unstuck Without Coming Unglued, and I Know What to Do, So Why Don't I Do It? will all be offered this year!

With deep appreciation for you and sincere wishes for a phenomenal 2008,

Dianna Amorde President, Inspired Leap Consulting Inc. Comments or questions about this newsletter? Email me at damorde@inspiredleap.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

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If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what's new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).