Part 1: 30 Things I Want to Have

I've got just enough time to create this post before I go to bed. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately, trying to figure things out and sort through the muddled mess of my mind-- not in a depressing way, mind you, but more in a prioritizing way. I have story segments running into life dreams, desires colliding with fears, tail-chasing questions endlessly circling, creating another furrow in my brain. Just thinking, thinking, thinking.

Something I've been thinking about over the past week is a book I read a few years ago (maybe 5 or 6 years ago) called Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser. The premise behind the book is that writing things down sets the wheels in motion for action. By reading and doing the exercises, you start rooting around the subconscious, unearthing desires that you may never have fully acknowledged. 

 The one thing about this book that stuck out the most for me is the 30/30/30 list you're supposed to create within a set amount of time. I love this exercise so much that I do it with my students before they make their vision board. Now, my mind's a little rusty but the categories are: 30 Things I Want to Have; 30 Things I Want to Do; and 30 Things I Want to Be. I don't remember the timing for the writing of each category but I know it falls between 5-7 minutes. Because I'm tired and it's late, I'm going to do just the first category tonight then I'll follow up with another one tomorrow and the last one on Thursday. 

The Sandman cometh. 

30 Things I Want to Have (5 minutes):

 1. long pretty natural fingernails
 2. a beautiful afro
 3. two more children, girls
 4. a husband
 5. a house by the beach
 6. a personal chef
 7. a personal trainer
 8. enough money in the bank to be comfortable and a help to society
 9. my girls' organization
10. published books
11. produced screenplays
12. a few more real friends
13. a wonderful car w/o a car payment
14. a job that doesn't feel like a job
15. my doctorate
16. a projector
17. a number/weight on the scale that is less than 200
18. a real chance at happiness
19. a spacious apartment in New York
20. a swimming pool
21. a pool boy
22. a close family
23. a Canon camera that also records video
24. an iPad
25. a writing studio within my house
26. the life i dreamed
27. a house that i designed
28. house parties
29. fun
30. freedom
31. security (I didn't have these numbered while the timer was going but this is definitely a major one for me-- physical, emotional, and financial security are BIG deals to me)

Well, that's all for tonight.

Until tomorrow,

QoMV

Plans Are for Wusses

"Let life surprise you. Don't have a plan; plans are for wusses. You know if my life went according to my plan, I would never have the life I have today...Don't deprive yourself of the exciting journey your life can be when you relinquish the need to have goals and a blueprint...You know that when you feel sick to your stomach, it's a good thing. It signals opportunity for big growth ahead; something's coming, something good. So don't ignore the nausea, step up to it..." Jane Lynch, 2012 Smith College commencement
speech

"People, who want the best for you, want you to be your best. So my greatest advice to you is to surround yourself with people who are going to fill your cup until your cup runneth over. So, when people say you're full of yourself, you can say, "Yeeeeah"...once your cup runneth over, you can not spend your life with your gallon-sized offerings offering them to pint-sized people. You have got to surround yourself with gallon-sized people who can hang in the same company with you so that you're not offering your gallons to those little pints out there, who can't hold it anyway." Oprah, 2012 Spelman College commencement speech

"For me, the most important thing in life is to live your life with integrity and not to give in to peer pressure to try to be something you're not; to live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way...follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else's path-- unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path, then, by all means, you should follow that. Don't give advice; it'll come back and bite you in the ass. Don't take anyone's advice. So my advice to you is, be true to yourself and everything will be fine...some of the most devastating things that happen to you will teach you the most...Life is like one big Mardi Gras but, instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain. And, if they like what they see, you'll have more beads than you'll know what to do with..." Ellen DeGeneres, 2009 Tulane commencement speech

As you can see, I've recently watched a few commencement speeches given by today's prolific women. Just soakin' in the inspiration.

Caine's ARCaDE: A Inspirational Tale of Imagination

While doing my normal job of doing nothing but reading articles online for hours on end (great way to live life, eh), I came across a story of a 9-year old boy, Caine, who fashioned himself a functional arcade almost entirely out of cardboard. That's not the most interesting part, though, it is quite a feat. The part that really interests me is that this kid created something he believed in; he worked at it every day for the entire summer, perfecting his "machines", pouring his heart into what brings him joy. 

I love his imagination, persistence, and positivity. It's inspirational. I also love that the filmmaker, Nirvan Mullick, who happened across this little boy's establishment, created this film and, in turn, generated over $150,000 to pay for this boy's future education (video of the cardboard check being presented can be seen here). It is also no small thing that his father supported Caine's endeavor, even thought he did not 100% believe his son would have customers. Big kudos to his dad for that because, oftentimes, parents are the first wrecking balls of dreams. 


After reading about this young man's story, watching the film (see below), then reading a comment posted on the Caine's Arcade Facebook page, I realized the problem with my life. The commenter asked, "How come people having the most fun also have the most success." It was such a duh moment. I'm not having fun, therefore...Therefore, I am in need of a lifestyle revamp. But how to change my life? How to have fun on an extremely tight budget? Where can I find enough cardboard? 


QoMV


UPDATE


This was posted on the Facebook page: 
"BIG NEWS: To help us help more kids like Caine, the Goldhirsh Foundation is matching donations to Caine's Scholarship Fund dollar-for-dollar (up to $250,000) to help us incubate the "Caine's Arcade Foundation" - which will help find, fund, and foster creativity and entrepreneurship in young kids. 

For this reason, we have raised the goal of Caine's Scholarship Fund from $100,000 to $250,000. Every dollar you give to Caine's education will now help us to help even more kids. #winwin #teamcaine

And we feel proud, and so should you!" 

So if you want to donate, click on over to cainesarcade.com. Help other kids foster their imagination. 

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

ALBERT EINSTEIN, On Science

Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities.

L. FRANK BAUM, intro, The Lost Princess of Oz

We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

J. K. ROWLING, speech to Harvard Alumni Association, 2008

What is now proved was once only imagined.

WILLIAM BLAKE, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

If you want more quotes on imagination, go here.