Dream List Media

If you’re well prepared, traveling with your kids can be a fun-filled, transformational experience for the whole family.  Michelle Duffy, co-author of the book, Wanderlust and lipstick: Traveling with Kids, was the guest on June 26.  She shared tips and secrets from her book including: proven packing tips and advice for dealing with kid gear, creative ideas for grand adventures with your kids, suggestions for dealing with your child’s emotional needs while traveling, and more. 

About Michelle Duffy:
Michelle Duffy is a native of Ireland who lives in Seattle with her Irish husband and two sons. She regularly travels around the world with her family and writes about her adventures on the WanderMom travel blog (www.WanderMom.com).

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Help Your Kids Achieve Their Dreams - PART 2

By Melissa Borghorst ©

Get Your Kids Dreaming
Start with a dream discussion about what your kids want to be when they grow up or what they want to do for fun.  Have them create their own dream list in a blank journal or in the journal that I published, Dream List for My Amazing Life, which gives a little more guidance than a blank journal.  A dream list is a great way to get the conversation started and to also see what your kid’s dreams are so you can support them and help them reach their dreams.

While we’re on the subject of dream lists, it is critical that you don’t squash their dreams.  It’s ok to let them dream.  Let me say that again.  It’s ok to let them dream.  If they come up with a dream that will put you in the poor house, don’t panic.  Instead of saying, you can’t do that because we don’t have money, work with them to come up with creative ideas to earn money.  As a teen, I dreamed of riding in a hot air balloon, but my parents didn’t have enough money.  So I got creative and ended up working for a hot air balloon company for a summer in exchange for a free ride. 

Tip:  Visit my blog www.DreamListOnline.com to find creative ideas to achieve your dreams for little or no money.

Another dream that kids often come up with is something totally outrageous…at least outrageous to us adults.  Remember, it’s ok to let them dream.  Think of all the amazing inventions created in the last century.  Back in the day, if you said you were building a giant contraption to take you to the moon, people would have thought you were crazy.  But guess what.  Someone did it and landed on the moon!  You never know if that “outrageous” dream, could turn out to be the start of the next technological revolution. 

What About Failure?
As parents, we want the best for our kids.  We hate to see them sad and let down if they don’t make the soccer team or don’t accomplish one of their dreams.  It hurts more to see our kids fail, than it does when we fail.  So a common question amongst parents is:  What do I do if they fail when going after their dream? 

The answer is, don’t let them give up!  Share with them the story of Michael Jordan.  In high school, he was kicked off the basketball team because he wasn’t good enough.  BUT he didn’t give up.  He practiced and practiced, and ended up being one of the most famous basketball players in history. 

At some point in our lives, we all fail.  But it’s not about the failure; it’s about getting back up and trying again.  Oprah once said that “failure is a stepping stone to greatness.”  This is so true!  There are thousands of stories like Michael Jordan’s.  So talk with your kids about failure and teach them the right attitude to achieve success.   

Tip:  Remind your kids of the story of The Little Engine That Could.  To this day, when I’m struggling with a dream, I still hear my Mom’s storytelling voice saying, I Think I Can! I Think I Can!  I Think I Can!

Come Up With a Plan
The next step is to break down your kid’s dreams into smaller steps and goals.  This is the roadmap to their dreams.  They need to learn how to get from point A to point B.  These goal planning skills will help them reach their dreams, and are critical for all aspects of life, especially in their careers and business. 
Below is one example using a method I call a Dream Tree.  Their dreams start at the base or root of the tree, while the smaller goals and steps branch off.  Try to break each dream into goals and steps that they can start accomplishing right away—no matter what age.

As your kids are accomplishing some of those smaller goals, they may change their minds.  It’s quite common for kids to realize that they don’t want to pursue a certain dream anymore after experiencing or learning about it. It’s perfectly ok if they change their mind!  The planning and action is the most important part, which can be used for countless dreams in the future.  This is also a great process to explore careers and interests BEFORE you spend all your money on college to later find out they changed their minds.

Tip:  If your teens are exploring careers, send them to www.DreamListRadio.com, where they can learn how to turn their passions and dreams into professional careers.  The site provides short interviews with guests who have exciting and unique careers, along with steps they need to take to make their career dreams come true.

Celebrate!
Each time your kids accomplish a goal or a dream, celebrate!  Make a big deal out of it, because it truly is a big deal.  Think of some fun things you can do to help celebrate their achievements.  It’s also important to document their accomplishments in their Dream List Journals.  This journal is not only a fun activity and a treasured keepsake, but it’s also a great tool to help build your kid’s confidence.  If they’ve accomplished a goal or dream in the past, surely they can do it again.

Make a Pledge
These were just a few tips to help you as parent, encourage and empower your kids to follow and achieve their dreams.  Now raise your right hand and repeat after me:

• I pledge to support my kids while they follow their passions and dreams.
• I promise to be their cheerleader along the way and to be there for them when they need a little encouragement.
• Most importantly, I promise to love my kids unconditionally—no matter what.

If you follow these steps, I guarantee that your kids will become more happy, fulfilled, successful and you’ll have a strong family bond that will last for years to come.

 Help Your Kids Achieve Their Dreams - PART 1

As parents, you want to see your kids happy, successful and out in the world achieving their dreams.  Here are a few tips to help you learn how to foster a positive and supportive environment, along with some things you should be doing—right now—to help your kids reach their dreams.

The first place you need to start is not with your kids.  You need to start with—YOU!

Start Dreaming
You are the role model for your kids.  If they see you dreaming, they’re going to start dreaming too.  Start by creating your own dream list of the places you want to visit, things you want to learn, people you want to meet, and anything else you can think of. 

Tip:  Visit my blog www.DreamListOnline.com or listen to one of my radio shows at www.DreamListRadio.com to get dream list ideas or to find success stories.

Over the years, we as adults are conditioned to push our dreams aside because we have to focus on our jobs or our families.  I 100% agree these things are important, BUT it doesn’t have to be one or the other.  You can achieve your dreams while raising a happy and healthy family.  By following some of your dreams, you may even create a stronger family bond.

There’s another thing that may have happened to you at some point in your life.  You were told to be realistic or you’re not allowed to dream.   If you didn’t have money to travel to Australia, you weren’t allowed to dream it.  Many of you have also been telling this to yourself.   Today is the day that you break this bad habit and break this harmful thought process.  It doesn’t hurt to dream, so give yourself permission to dream.

Start Achieving Your Dreams
Remember, you are the role model for your kids.  They need to see you pursuing and achieving some of your dreams.  This will give them the confidence that they too can achieve their dreams. 

Story:  When I was a kid, my Dad dreamed of running in a marathon.  One day he decided it was time to take action, so he slowly started training.  Before his runs, he would stretch and warm up, so of course I too had to stretch and warm up with him.  On his shorter runs, he would occasionally let me tag along.  So I would rush into my room to throw on my “running clothes” that consisted of grey sweat pants, my favorite sweatshirt covered with colorful hearts and puffy sleeves, and my fastest running shoes that were purple with a lightning bolt on the side.  My Dad always wore a sweatband on his head, so mimicking my Dad, I too wore a sweatband on my head. 

He soon began competing in short distance races, so my Mom and I would cheer on the sidelines.  Even though I wasn’t running, I’d still wear my “running clothes” and sweatband.  Then one day my Dad signed us up for a family fun run where I put my purple running shoes to the test.  Boy was that BIG time!  After the race, I announced to all my school friends that I was going to be an Olympic runner.  I was often found at recess racing the boys and anyone else who was up for the challenge.  I soon became the fastest kid in Aldridge Elementary School…or so I thought.  I have such fond memories of those days!  Seeing my Dad follow his dream, gave me the confidence and courage to pursue my own dreams—even to this day.

The moral of the story: Parents, start pursuing some of your dreams!  If you have a big dream, break it down into smaller goals so you won’t feel so overwhelmed.  By pursuing your dreams, you are going to give your kids the confidence and courage to follow their own dreams. 

Click here to read PART 2 of this article to see how you can help your kids.

Tap into Your Daydreams for Ideas and Motivation

By Guest Blogger----Amy Fries ©

Daydreams are not just wishful thinking —they are your nursery for ideas and your best mental state for tackling complex problems. Visionaries of every sort from Einstein to Walt Disney credit daydreams as the source of their moments of insight, and some of the most innovative companies in the world feature programs that give key employees the time and space to think creatively, i.e. daydream—Google offers a 20% program, 3M has a 15% program, and Gore & Associates (Gore-Tex, etc.) features “dabble time.”

While many of us can see the relationship between daydreaming and creativity in the arts and even science, we’ve been slower to come around to its usefulness in business. Say the word “visionary” however, and we understand how having a vision—a mental image or plan—can help someone start a breakthrough company or service. Well, a “vision” is just an upscale word for “daydream,” and “visionary” an upscale word for “daydreamer.”

Yes, I know. All the work and focus must follow to have an idea come to fruition. I am not against focusing in any way, shape, or form. But the original idea and the motivation to fulfill that idea are birthed in a daydreaming state, and we do our most creative problem solving when our mind wanders.

Why Daydreaming Is Your Most Creative State of Mind

• Recent studies using brain scans show that when daydreaming, we are using the most complex regions of the brain, tapping into stores of knowledge and experience unavailable when focused on only one thing.

• While daydreaming, we can envision—we can see things, people, and events in our mind’s eye. This enables you able to see the big picture, something you’re unable to do when locked in the tunnel vision of focus.

• The daydreaming mind is completely uncensored, which gives you the freedom to explore a wide, and sometimes wild, variety of options without an internal critic hovering.

• You are able to free-associate when daydreaming, making seemingly random connections, which in turn enable you to come up with creative solutions. I’m sure you’ve had the experience when you’re struggling to remember a name or word and you can’t get it despite focusing on it, but suddenly it will come back to you when you’re doing something off-task like taking out the garbage. That’s free association at work. In fact, the ability to make new and inventive associations, as we do in daydreaming state, is so valuable to creativity and to problem solving that computer scientists are incorporating the ability into software programs.

How to Jump Start Your Own Imagination
• First notice your daydreams and try to figure out your style and patterns. Take the quiz via the “link” section on my website www.DaydreamsAtWork.com or use the many questions and exercises in the book.
• Give yourself permission to daydream. The idea that daydreaming is wasteful or shameful is an old-school idea. Daydreaming is your most creative, visionary state of mind.
• Make the time and space to daydream. Don’t get so bogged down in your things-to-do list that you don’t have time for your thoughts to just wander.
• Explore your daydreams. If you can make some part of your daydreams happen, give it a try.  For example you can travel to some place you always daydreamed about. You could volunteer for a job that always sparked your curiosity. Use your daydreams to help give you direction.
• Use prompts like music, reading, traveling, or new experiences to spark new daydreams. Even daydreams can get stuck in a rut!

Author bio:  Amy Fries’s new book Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers (Capital Books, 2009) shows you how to tap into your daydreams for ideas, energy, solutions, and motivation for both work and life. It’s filled with thought-provoking questions and exercises, and includes discussion guides geared for both book clubs and business groups. Amy is a respected writer and editor whose articles have been published in a variety of newspapers, magazines, and trade publications. In addition, Amy has written over 40 articles for AchieveSolutions.net and has taught writing and literature at George Mason University. To read more about the book or to contact Amy, visit her website: www.DaydreamsAtWork.com

We all have a dream, but how do we realistically incorporate it into our daily lives?  Donna Sirianni, who stars in the new documentary, My Wish, was the guest on Tuesday, June 16.  The documentary shares the journey of a typical suburban woman, Donna Sirianni, as she attempts to make her acting and producing dreams a reality.  Her thoughts and circumstances are captured on film, in unprecedented real time, along with inputs from everyday people and leaders in our society. 

About Donna Sirianni:
Before entering the entertainment industry, Donna Sirianni had a successful career in education as a Biology teacher. Upon taking the role as Director in a school play, Donna realized the incredible potential that the arts can have on effecting people’s lives. After resigning and starting a family with her husband, Donna decided to switch gears and follow her desire in pursuing a second career in producing, writing and acting for film and television. She has been documenting this real- time journey into the entertainment world in her documentary “My Wish”.   She has other projects in the works such as “More to Mommy” (a sitcom) and DreamBigNetwork.com (an online network).  She had principle roles in various independent feature films and was featured numerous times in Guiding Light, Law and Order, and in feature films such as Baby Mama with Tina Fey. Currently, Donna Sirianni is an Associate Producer and host for the television show,  IndiMusic TV.   For more information, visit www.MyWishTheMovie.com.

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As a Motivational Speaker, my goal is to inspire audiences to follow and achieve their dreams.  I have heard thousands of dream list ideas, from extravagant adventures of flying into outer space to simple   dreams of planting a vegetable garden.  But the one dream list item that comes up in every audience and is by far the most popular—Travel. 

In the audience, I often find hopeless Moms who put off their travel dreams because they have children and families.  They figure it’s too difficult to travel with children, too hard to plan and prepare for the trip, or that it’s just too expensive for the entire family to travel together.

For all you Moms out there who can relate, read the book, Wanderlust and lipstick:  Traveling with Kids by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy.  This practical guide will give you everything you need to set off on your own exciting family journeys.

The book is easy to read and well organized, with sections on trip planning, packing, saving money, getting around, health and safety, and dealing with your child’s emotional needs.  It’s sprinkled with hot tips that can save you time, money and create smooth travels.  I also enjoyed reading some of the 40 women traveler stories.  Not only does the book dish great advice, it also lists other useful books and over 200 websites to check out.

Thousands of Moms have successfully traveled with their kids and families, and you can too.  So stop putting off your travel dreams, and get out there to make your dreams come true! 

For more information, visit http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/books/traveling-with-kids/.

Amy Fries was the guest on June 9th, where she talked about her new book, Daydreams at Work:  Wake Up Your Creative Powers.  This book shows you why daydreaming is literally your most creative state of mind; reveals the valuable & productive role daydreams play in your life and work; and gives you suggestions for tapping into your own daydreams for ideas, energy, and motivation. For example, find out why Google and 3M give their employees the time and space to daydream and how that has helped them become two of the most innovative companies in the world.

About Amy Fries:
Amy Fries is a respected lifestyle and workplace writer and editor whose articles, essays, and stories have been published in a variety of newspapers, including the Washington Post, as well as in magazines, trade publications, and literary journals. In addition, Amy has written numerous articles on health and wellness for the website, AchieveSolutions.net. An enthusiastic and unrepentant daydreamer, Amy began her research into daydreaming and creativity while working on her masters in writing at Johns Hopkins University. She has also taught literature and writing at George Mason University and continues her work as an editor helping other authors develop their dreams and ideas. She will be signing at the year’s Book Expo America in New York City and later at the Sacred Circle Bookstore in Alexandria, Virginia, and Breathe Bookstore in Baltimore, Maryland. Read more about Daydreams at Work at www.DaydreamsAtWork.com.

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In 2001, Mitch Frankenberg and Jennifer Fredreck left their New York City jobs to pursue their dreams.  They packed up their two goofy dogs, disregarded everyone's warnings, and created a dream come true—a special Vermont getaway called The Paw House Inns and Resorts, the first Inn in America that caters entirely to dog owners and their dogs.  Mitch was the guest on June 2, where he shared his “tail” with listeners.

About Mitch and Jen:
Some hotels accept dogs.  Other hotels tolerate dogs.  The Paw House Inns and Resorts CATER entirely to the needs of dog owners. On September 1, 2001, husband and wife team Mitch and Jen left their NYC careers to pursue their dreams.  They packed up their two goofy dogs, disregarded everyone's warnings, and created a dream come true - a special Vermont getaway with all of the comforts of home, including your dog. While expanding upon a brisk business, the couple has discovered the joys of being full time parents and making time to pursue personal passions – Jen is playing soccer and training for triathlons, and Mitch is teaching business as an adjunct professor at a local community college.  For info about Mitch, Jen, and The Paw House, visit www.pawhouse.com or call 866-PAW-HOUSE.

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Written by: Sarah Peppel
Featured on: Story of My Life

The hot air balloon rose in the air as Melissa's knuckles tightened on the sides of the basket which alone held her from plummeting to the ground as she floated higher and higher into the sky. After the initial fear passed, the exhilaration of the moment filled her soul – keeping her coming back for more, higher, farther. From there, nothing was impossible.
 
Riding in a hot air balloon was one of many impressive goals Melissa would accomplish once she put her mind to it. Her family didn't have the money for extras when she was in college so she decided that she would find a way. She was already working full-time to pay for her classes when she began calling hot air balloon companies.
 
“Can I work for you on the weekends in exchange for a hot-air balloon ride?”
“No.”
“Do you need help on the weekends?”
“No, thank you.”
“I am willing to work for a hot air balloon ride.”
“Okay, fine.”
 
Finally, a yes! For a couple of hours on the weekend, Melissa achieved her heart's desire -- two rides in one summer. She had let herself dream, believed in herself and took the steps to accomplish it. Pictures and diary entries would fill her journal as each new goal was achieved. From learning to crochet to going to Australia, the ideas just kept exploding in her head. The amazing sense of accomplishment grew with each new skill or adventure.
 
Finishing college, Melissa would step out of the world of the weekend hot air ballooning and onto the corporate ladder. She reached her desired position as manager in sales and marketing at a magazine. She was excited but something didn't feel right. What she thought was going to be “it” just wasn't. She loved what she did but there was something else waiting for her full attention.
 
All her life, she had made goals, written them down, accomplished each dream one-by-one. Maybe now it was time to give back. She always she knew she was meant to help people. When she was growing up, she loved participating in different services that gave back to the community. Maybe she could give to others her strategy for success, goal setting and journaling the steps.
 
Wanting to educate, Melissa gave a seminar to 6th graders about goal setting and achievement. The session went so well that she could feel the “aha” moment – the connection with the kids, their response and desire to learn, her desire to give the gift of what she knew could work. She loved speaking in schools. This was “it!” The light bulbs were going off. Her calling and life purpose finally became clear but it would be a couple of years before she would go out on her own.

“All her life, she had made goals, written them down, accomplished each dream one-by-one. Maybe now it was time to give back.”
 
 
Sharing with the students from her own childhood, Melissa would tell the story about watching her own father as he trained to run a marathon. Following his dream, she remembers going to the races and cheering him on. Sometimes they would participate in a family fun run and it was great to be a part of seeing him have a dream and work towards it. Later her parents decided to learn a new language. Again, she witnessed them setting goals and accomplishing them. The process of learning and growing stuck with her and she took it to the next level.
 
To the kids, she says, “You can do what you put your mind to. Some dreams can come true. You can apply yourself and make good grades. You can figure out a way to become a doctor, a veterinarian, a baseball player. . .You can do it by setting a goal, writing it down and taking the action steps to get here. If you are creative and willing to work for it; there is hope.”
 
Each grade Melissa works with has a different set of challenges. Seniors are career focused and know how to set goals. Fourth graders are still thinking about being a ninja or a superhero. But whatever outrageous thing they might be thinking, Melissa tells them it is okay to dream and figure out how to turn one's passion into a career some day. At the younger ages, goal planning skills come in handy for good grades and all aspects of their future life if they can see achievement now.
 
To adults, she asks “What do you want to do? What dreams do you want to accomplish that you haven't already?” Dream List Photo Journals have become a way Melissa can share with her audience the need to write down goals, make baby steps and achieve them one by one until the larger picture is achieved. Developing the final product took time but the journals have become an essential element of Melissa's presentation as she guides individuals in their own path towards success, large to small.
 
Stepping off the safe corporate ladder and into the lofty skies of entrepreneurship and risk, Melissa has big plans to take her workshops into schools nationwide, helping counselors and teachers work with students, one individual -- one dream at a time.
 
BIO: Melissa Borghorst is the founder of Dream List Media, a personal development company helping individuals reach their dreams and true potential. She is author of the Dream List Photo Journal series, host on Dream List Radio, life coach and most importantly, motivational speaker for kids, teens and educators. Outside her professional life, Melissa has achieved extraordinary feats—skydiving, rock climbing, white water rafting, backpacking across Europe, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and singing, dancing and acting in a musical. To learn more see, www.dreamlistmedia.com

If you’re a musician and thinking about giving up on your music dream…watch this…and then think again.  Kris Allen, winner of American Idol’s Season 8, was about to give up on his music dream.  American Idol was his last shot and look where he’s at now.

Believe in yourself and keep following your dream!