With Barbara's suggestions in mind (making a five-year plan for your goals), two years ago I drew up a four-year plan to finish backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a 2,650 mile trail that makes its way from Mexico to Canada through the highest mountains of California, Oregon, and Washington. My husband and I had already completed about 900 miles, but since he was then in his 70s and I was in my mid-sixties, we decided we better get moving!
Sixteen hundred divided by 4 is 400 miles per year, of course, so that became our plan. We are a bit ahead of schedule with now 1,900 miles completed. We hope to be celebrating our completion of the PCT at the Canadian border in 2010.
Thanks, Barbara, for your inspiration!
Wishcraft was one of the first books I read when I was planning
my escape from my marketing "day job" to become a comedian over 14 years ago! It empowered me and made me believe that I really could do something unconventional! I love that book!
I absolutely never remember books, but when I saw this on HARO I did
remember that one and it really brought back some great memories of building my life's plan. . . . . now I need to find my copy!
Barbara Sher changed my life. I saw her live in August of 2004. She had a 3 hour workshop at a conference I was attending. I had never heard of her or anyone like her before. I bought 2 of her books at the conference and joined her forum afterward. I started my own success group in 2005 using Yahoo Groups. It was the beginning of my transformation. The Yahoo group still exists.
I was a working/homeschooling mother at the time. I now have my own business as a virtual assistant. The thing that changed my life most was the "perfect day" exercise.
Twenty years ago, I was going through a very difficult patch in my life. My second marriage was going through a steep decline and I was very unhappy. A magical friend I knew through yoga classes introduced me to Wishcraft. At the time, I believe we spent an afternoon listening to the book on tape. Were there CD's then?
The process evolved and empowered me to see me living the life I deserved. In that moment, I was allowed to soar. In my mind's eye, I saw myself living somewhere much prettier than where I was. I felt really happy inside, I felt whole, and, moreover, I felt that I was free to be me. At the moment, I was envisioning this possible future, it seemed so real, I could almost touch it.
I knew I lived somewhere beautiful with someone I loved. I could see myself looking out a kitchen window that was very cheery and definitely my home. And there were cute dogs running around my feet full of joy. Later, I felt myself driving around in a peppy car that I loved. Life was grand--I was living my dream.
Through the power of this book, I knew there was a better world and life for me. Now, I do live in California with my soulmate, my partner of 18 years. The kitchen I saw at that moment was the little house I first lived in in California, my new home. Today, I drive a Prius which I adore. And, as for the dogs--they are two Hurricane Katrina rescues that bring joy to us every day. I believe this book enabled me to infuse the vision into my heart, mind, and soul.
What a gift!
By the way, I think I'll buy the 30th anniversary copy---best to start planning for the next 20 years!!
Good luck with Barbara Sher's Wishcraft anniversary. I've been
a big fan since buying the 1983 trade paperback version when I was in
high school.
I can honestly say that Barbara's practical advice helped me achieve
many of the major accomplishments I've earned during the past couple
of decades: graduated from a top prep school, a great college, earned
an MBA, spent a year studying in France, built a fun, successful
career in high tech marketing, and recently started a family. Thanks
to Barbara, I've learned to dive into new projects and simply break
goals down into simple, achievable steps.
You might want to check out Barbara's boards for other stories. www.barbarasher.com/boards
She's built an amazing online community where people assist and
encourage each other to achieve goals.
I love the Wishcraft book and regularly recommended it to my clients (formerly as a private career counselor and also as an outplacement consultant). The two parts that were best were the exercise where you act as a detective in your own home. The second was building a success team (which she followed up with TeamWorks). I personally used the success team each time I started a new venture. We were able to help one another with issues and held each other accountable.
This book also worked very well with Women w/regards to the “barn raising.” It was inclusive instead of “you have to figure everything out by yourself” which many of the other popular books forced people to do.
Great book, love it.
Dear Ms. Sher
I hope you never get tired of hearing stories about people whose lives have been changed by your book Wishcraft, because here's another such.
In 1984 someone gave me a copy of your book. I read it and did the exercises and was excited by the whole process.
A couple of weeks later I was going to my bank and saw on the wall a poster for a local amateur orchestra concert. The ticket price was on $6, but at the time I was in extremely bad shape financially and couldn't even afford that low price. So I called the number and asked if there was anything I could do for them as a volunteer to earn a free ticket. They offered to let me be an usher, which I accepted, and got to hear a very nice concert for free.
Now you need to know that I was at one time a student at Juilliard back east, a composition major, but had never had an orchestral piece of mine performed, although 18 years had gone by since leaving there. I had a vague dream of someday having an orchestral piece performed, but had not done anything concrete about it. Had I not read your book, it would have never occurred to me to try to get a free ticket by ushering, or to turn an ushering job into a dream, but I did.
Within 18 months I was the general manager of the orchestra. By the time I resigned 8 years later, they had performed three full-length orchestral pieces which I composed for them, and that in turn led to many other opportunities. All thanks to exercising a little "Wishcraft." You cannot possibly have any idea how thankful I am that somebody gave me your book, and that I read it and did the exercises. I know it's a cliche, but it's true: you literally changed my life.
WB
I came across WISHCRAFT a few years ago, free, on-line. I loved very much what I read in the book, but I couldn't find/create a group like she mentioned in the book to help me mastermind/brainstorm a way out. If you come across any other fans who want to re-form a group, let me know!
Anyway, what I liked best about the book was that it's the opposite of all the power of positive thinking mumbo jumbo that's out there today. It emphasized that you don't have to be a zen master to get what you want out of life, like people seem to encourage today.
I quit my dental hygiene job at age 40, went back to school and opened an Electrolysis company. My business mentor advised I join Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs.
One of the benefits of this organization was Barbara Sher's Wishcraft system of having a small group meet weekly, define a goal and be accountable for taking action. I went through the Steps to Success twice, each time with a different group.
I still meet with these women and we continue to encourage and hold each other accountable. There are numbers of women that still meet with their groups10-15 years later! This methodical program sticks in my brain, helping me make decisions and overcome hurdles. . . and I still have Wishcraft, and refer to it often.
I truly credit Wishcraft for giving me direction and motivation in my life. I remember at 22, being curled up in a fetal position in my bed and crying because I had no idea where my life was going or what I wanted to be. Someone in a class I was taking had just finished the book, and so she lent it to me because I thought it sounded interesting. (I still have it today, and it's falling apart at the seams!) That was 1982.
After taking the exercises and learning more about my own unique passions, it illuminated a path for me based on what I wanted for my life, not what others thought I should do. I always tell people that reading Wishcraft transformed my life from black-and-white to color. Suddenly, I immersed myself in my passions and set all kinds of new goals that filled me with energy and excitement.
I enrolled in college (finished in just 3 years!), studied broadcast journalism, learned German, started painting pastel portraits and tried out for and got the lead in my first community theater play. I even studied abroad for a summer, which turned out to be the greatest experience of my life! Upon graduating, I set off on a career in broadcasting, working as a TV news reporter and anchor in Texas and Nevada.
In the end, the nomadic lifestyle of TV news wasn't as fulfilling as being close to friends and family, but I did apply everything I learned from my Wishcraft experience to reinventing my life back in here San Diego, where within the next year I co-authored a romantic travel guide, taught a class based on Wishcraft at the local Learning Annex, and planned a romantic wedding and honeymoon to my then-fiance.
Since then I’ve had a success career in corporate communications and continue to apply the principles of Wishcraft to my daily life. I also have "Success Teams" with the women here at work from time to time, which keep us all on track, supported and inspired. Wishcraft is always a great place to return to remind me of who I am at the core and help me figure out what my passions are, as I continue to evolve to a person.
Anyway, I hope that helps! I've met Barbara several times, and she's an amazing person. Please give her my best wishes and thanks for all she’s helped to bring to my life.
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