Fresh Start Monday #012: What would the 10 year dream look like this week?
Last week I asked, what if I tried this?
The ten year dream is to create a mountain retreat that combines adventure, coaching, meditation, creativity, and community.
On a smaller, more immediate scale, I decided to create my own Meetup group. Meetup is a website I've mainly used while traveling to meet people locally and find events for almost ten years now.
I had two problems with the Meetup groups I joined:
Events centered around large groups of people coming together for a hike, an event, or a happy hour. There must be an inverse correlation between group size and deep conversations.
One-off events. This may have been more specific to LA, but I rarely saw the same people attend events. I would meet someone cool and never see them again.
After sitting on this idea, I want to create a group that has a continuous series of events. Two ideas came to mind:
A non-fiction monthly book club. I enjoy reading but rarely share it with others. I have yet to be a part of a book club. I imagine discussing a book in depth will leave a stronger impression on you.
A weekly journaling group. Whenever I ask someone if they journal, they say; I love journaling, but ugh, I haven't done it in a while. It’s hard to prioritize and is on the back burner.
These two event series are both recurring and spur thought-provoking conversations. I want to create an umbrella group with these events running concurrently. I have other ideas too, but we're starting small!
I felt feverish about the prospect of these events. Once it entered my head, I thought of nothing else.
But ideas are one thing, execution is another.
After that surge of positive thoughts, I had a second, more powerful surge of negative thoughts:
I don't have enough time to commit to a weekly event
Will anyone join a journaling group?
When is the best day/time?
With the holidays, this is an awful time to start a new group
I'm not making any money off of this (Being unemployed)
If I started the group in December, people would be returning from Thanksgiving, and gearing up for the holidays. I brought this idea up to someone I met at a trail running group. He loved it, but brought up the same concerns. Maybe wait until the new year when people are back in town?
My fears confirmed.
But then I brought this belief up with my coach. And he said it was precisely that. One belief. One belief of many.
He countered that December is a great time to start a journaling group. People are reflecting on the previous year and contemplating what the new year might bring.
A perspective is neither right nor wrong. It's a choice.
Fresh Start Experiment
I'm making it happen.
I'm prioritizing the weekly journaling group because a monthly group might be hard to build momentum with. Bonds can form quicker with a weekly group.
Most importantly, I'm checking for Black Friday discounts on creating a Meetup group. Other tasks:
Brainstorming group names and event names
Writing a description for the group and events
Finding a place to host a journaling group. I'm thinking wine bar.
Applying it to your life
Think of your big long-term goals. What's something you can take action on this week?
Maybe it's posting on a FB group you're looking for freelance work
Maybe it's going to a local open mic night and getting on stage
Maybe it's sharing something you've created online for the first time
It's important this "something" is of the "doing" variety. Research is a good example of feeling productive, but you're not actually doing anything. Deepening the learning is good, but how are you forwarding the action?
The goal here is to get a taste of your dreams in action. It's a dose of reality. Because unless you try, you don't know.
I might hate this journaling group. I might love it.
It's not about getting it right, it's about finding out.