Soapbox Ramblings

I first read Wishcraft *startscoughing* … years ago, when I was still a secretary making minimum wage. I say secretary. I was actually a glorified office assistant working in a mold-covered basement (yes, there was mold growing on the wall behind my desk. we handled that a bit differently than they do now. by covering the black stuff with giant Van Gogh and Monet posters) With the help of this book, I was able to quit that job, move 200 miles away to a town where I didn’t know anyone and go back to college as an English Creative Writing major. I even opened and ran a small gift shop across the street from the college. I doubt I would have ever had the courage to do either without having read Wishcraft.

Everyone has a wish. A dream. Something they love. Nearly every wish has an Obstacle. Something that keeps them from pursuing their dreams. Wishcraft won’t promise you a million dollars, but what it will do is help you figure out what your Dream is and help you to bring it into your life, if even only a small part of it. There’s something to be said about making your Dream part of your everyday life. It makes all those other responsibilities of living so much easier. The best part of this book is the idea that you can not only dream, Dream BIG.

The Introduction
I love how she states right from the start she isn’t out to make people “get-out-there-and-stomp-’em” kind of winners. That’s not me. I’m possibly the least competitive person around. I AM, however, a Dreamer and Wishcraft is nothing if not made for Dreamers – whether we actually ACT on the goals from it (coming up in section 3 of the book) or not.

I have a friend, Mary, whose mantra is “I can, I will, I want to.” I think she says it almost every day. And she’s notorious for making others – that would be ME – say it too. Her enthusiasm and “get out there and go get ‘em” attitude is….. well, ok, it’s sickening. It’s also contagious. If she hears anyone at all complaining about something, her first reaction is, “Yes, AND?” If they don’t know Mary, they keep complaining. If they do, they’ll concede and say “You’re right. I should do something about that.” It’s very hard to keep complaining about your own life and woes around someone as positive as Mary, who, by the way, happens to be in a wheelchair.

[quote=Wishcraft]
What you want is what you need. Your dearest wish comes straight from your core, loaded with vital information about who you are and who you can become. You’ve got to cherish it. You’ve got to respect it. Above all, you’ve got to have it.
[/quote]

Chapter One
I like the name of the first section – The Care and Feeding of Human Genius. It’s fitting, especially for Chapter One. Me? Like Einstein? Who’s she kidding, right? Hmmmm, but that Cookie example… cookie… cookie…. COOKIE! I AM like Einstein! EXACTLY like Einstein! I love looking at the world in different ways, seeing things no one else has seen. That’s what Einstein did, after all. Physics, relativity, quantum mechanics all existed before. It just took people like Einstein to find them and point them out to us. I am like Van Gogh and Monet. What they dreamed DIDN’T exist before and yet they brought them to life for us with their art.

I had a person (several people) in my life that did exactly what Barbara says in chapter one. Asked me in that belittling tone of voice, and if I remember correctly, used those exact words: Just who do you think you are?
Nothing kills a dream faster.

Exercise 1: Who do you think you are?
Why Wishcraft? Why now? Here’s who I am and where I am now. I am about to be out of work… again. It will be for the 4th time in the last year. While I realize I have wonderful people around me to support me and keep me from becoming homeless, it’s one of those things in life that leaves a person feeling useless and worthless. Well, people like me anyway. I do know people who would love to be in my situation and others who wouldn’t mind it. But for me, what I DO has always defined WHO I am.

Some people may define themselves in this exercise by who their family members are, or as the book examples show, a physical description, political affiliation, etc. Or the woman who answered the question by stating what her husband did for a living and all the details about her children but said nothing about herself. My answer is this:

• I’m a web developer/graphic artist/programmer
• I’m a very good cook
• I’m a writer
• I’m a 6th generation Texan living in a historic neighborhood founded by my ancestors
• I’m a Scorpio

Okay, as I said, I cheated a little because I knew where the exercise was going already. But I have one advantage in that I’ve already started toward my wish and my dreams with what I do for a living, where I live and who I’m with. I’m in love with my partner, I’ve had a great support (surprisingly in some cases) from my family, I love what I do (when I’m able to find work) for a living. But as Barbara said in the second half of the chapter, that isn’t the goal here.

Exercise #2: My Original Self
What did I love as a child? I loved reading and I loved writing. I loved acting out the books that I read. I loved drawing at a very young age. I loved reading about plants, birds, biographies, history. I loved collecting rocks and fossils. I loved learning new things, exploring and researching.

[quote=Wishcraft]
If you saw a cookie on the table, you didn’t think “Can I get it? Do I deserve it? Will I make a fool of myself? Am I procrastinating again?” You thought, Cookie.
[/quote]

Here’s what I plan to do while reading this book. I’m going after that cookie. I’m not going to worry about whether I deserve it or not or if I’m procrastinating because the answer will most likely be, I don’t and I am. In fact, I’m going for the whole jar of cookies. And the beauty is, it doesn’t matter if I get them all or if I come crashing down with the jar around me because even then, I’ll still have at least one cookie in my hand.