A-Muse-Ing Inspirations: --- by Jeanette M

A-Muse-Ing Inspirations: —- by Jeanette M. Pintar

Lesson 8

I hope you read Chapter 4 and did at least of few of the exercises. Some of the most dramatic break-throughs I’ve had in my life were a result of doing one of the four following things listed in Chapter 4: Morning Pages (ie: journal writing), Reading or Total Media Deprivation, Writing a letter to my current self from myself as if I was 80 years old, and Writing a letter to my current self from myself as if I was eight years old. I would encourage all of you to try at least one of the four exercises and take advantage of the results. You really will be surprised at how much insight and wisdom you possess when you allow yourself to access it!

So what did you do for a date with yourself? Was if fun? Relaxing? Exciting? Inspiring? Where are some other places you’d like to take yourself?

What did you choose to do from your Master Plan? Did you do it? Can you feel yourself making progress?

Some people are much more visual than others and need to do more than checking something off the to-do list to see and celebrate their progress. Mark and I once attended a Church that had taken financial assistance to pay for an expansion. They had a 3 year plan called “Operation Debt Storm.” On the wall they posted 3 measuring sticks that stretched through-out the year, posting the amount of money they hoped to collect each week. They colored in the amount collected and moved a little rocket to show where they were on the scale.

Because church members could see their progress, they were excited and actually managed to get ahead and pay off the church’s debt several months in advance! Maybe you could create a system that would allow you to track your progress with some type of visual cues. It’s important to keep ourselves inspired and moving forward. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Our dreams are given to us to fill us with passion, excitement, and enthusiasm. What do you need to do to keep yourself motivated and working toward your dreams?

As you think about what inspires you, let’s keep moving forward and move on to this week’s assignment. But first, CONGRATULATIONS on getting this far! You’re really making things happen, now!

Week 8 Assignment

Use your day planner & Scratch Pad. Begin by scheduling the following:

Read The Artist’s Way—Chapter 5: Recovering A Sense of Possibility, Pgs 91 - 104

As you read, look for the main points and underline anything that speaks to you or sounds like it would make a good quote. (If you’re afraid to mess up your book, use pencil, you can erase it later.)

Do the Virtue Trap, Forbidden Joys and Wish List exercises on pages 101 and 102.

Pick and do at least 3 of the 10 exercises at the end of the chapter. You can do more! The more you put into doing this, the more of yourself – and your dreams — you will get out of it. Have fun.

Do the Check-In on Page 104.

Schedule, plan and take a date with yourself. Make it something entertaining, fun, relaxing. Make it something you look forward to. Guard your date, make it sacred. You deserve it. Your dreams deserve it. Do it!

Write 3 pages of long-hand in your journal daily. Just sit down and let the pen flow across the page. Don’t edit. Don’t fix it. Simply write until you have 3 full pages. Write in the mornings if possible, but if you can’t do it then, write whenever you can. The importance of doing these “Morning Pages” is explained in the book.

Pick a task from your Master Plan and do it! The journey is made by taking one step at a time, by doing one task at a time. It’s easier than you think it is. Just pick a task, any task, and do it this week! Remember to schedule it on your day planner so it actually gets done.

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