I am thrilled to bring the wisdom of Tara Sophia Mohr to this space today. I'm a fan. Of her. Of her message. Of the way she delivers her message. I have watched all of her TV appearances, have read her Huffington Post articles, and have devoured her story. I love that she helps create a world in which women play big. It's a wonderful mission, and she is a wonderful leader for women (including myself) who seek to be in touch with how they can best use their voice to make an impact in the world.
Get ready to be inspired. And guess what? Tara is giving away a spot in her Playing Big program to one lucky commenter today! We are so lucky!
How to Turn Your Vision Into Reality
About four years ago, in the fall of 2008, I wrote a vision list.
I sat down one rainy morning, and admitted to myself what I really wanted for my life.
I’ve never shared anything from this vision list publicly before, but now it’s time.
At the time I wrote the list, I was a glorified paper-pusher at a large foundation. My day-to-day work was evaluating grant applications and helping committees make funding decisions.
I had grown up madly in love with the arts, but I had lost my confidence in prestigious, competitive writing and theater classes where every day my work was evaluated and graded – with no attention to nurturing the creative spirit doing that work.
I had a passion for personal growth, spirituality, and women’s empowerment – but that too had become buried.
All of that meant that when I wrote this vision list, each line of it seemed a distant impossible vision.
Here’s what I wrote:
- I am fully alive as a compassionate healer, spiritual guide and radical thinker. It is all alive and expressed.
- Creative writing is a meaningful pursuit for me and flows forth from me. The business of writing is working for me, and my voice is getting out there to an audience in the world.
- I am standing at a podium or in front of a camera speaking to an audience at least 3 times a week.
- I have ample time (alongside work and play) for my own spiritual and personal development.
- I am once again connected to the excitement of life and feel it as I live each day.
I’m a professional writer. My creativity, which four years ago was hacked to pieces, is now the thriving heartbeat of my life.
I speak to groups and appear on TV regularly.
My work is about compassion, soulfulness, and helping women bring their voices and their work into the world.
Of course, there are many areas of my life where I'm still trying to realize my dreams - my relationship with my body, living in a physical place that feels like the right fit for me, and learning how to slow down. But something fundamental has shifted - I'm doing the work I want to do, and no longer stopping up my voice because of fear.
A few things made a big difference in making that transformation possible in my own life. Now I teach these tools and ideas to other women, so they can walk their own journey to playing bigger:
1. Develop a clear picture of the woman you want to become. Her home. Her office. Her presence. Her schedule. As you make day-to-day choices, ask yourself, “What choice would she make here?” Do what she would do, and you’ll find yourself becoming her.
2. Get yourself some allies, but not just any kind. Build relationships with women who believe in the vision you are working toward – I call them “people who see the future that hasn’t arrived yet.” One of the reasons I now do group programs – rather than one-on-one coaching – is because like-minded community is an essential part of women’s journeys to playing bigger.
3. Get your own back. We cross-examine our hearts’ desires. We ask skeptical questions of them. We stand opposite our tender dreams, arms crossed, saying, “Is that really realistic?” “How would you do that?” “Who do you think you are?”
Shift your position. Walk around to stand next to your dreams. Link arms. Whisper to them, “Honey, I hear you. I don’t know quite how we are going to get there yet. I don’t know what’s possible and what’s not. But I promise you together we will do everything we can to get there. I’ve got your back.”
In my Playing Big program for women, we dive deeper into all this – and much more. More than 250 women have gone through the Playing Big journey, with rave reviews.
I’m giving a spot away to a member of Kelly Rae’s community. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here explaining why you’d like to participate in the course, and what Playing Big looks like for you.
Before you enter, please check out the course info HERE to see if this is a good fit for you and confirm that you are up for the 6-month, in-depth program experience!
Love,
Tara
