The Story

It was 2009 and I’d been trying to finish a children’s book for years; the perfectionist in me just couldn’t stop fooling with it.  Desperate, I gathered some good  friends into my living room for an experiment: what if we each brought a goal we were having trouble with,  and helped each other?

I made brownies, and every one of them showed up.

Stories poured out. One wanted to find a way to travel for a year with her family. Another wanted to start a homemade chili ministry. Another wanted to take the mountain dulcimer, out of the closet and learn to play it. 

We each figured out some next step, some one thing we could do to get started, and committed to do it in the coming week. We figured even if the step was tiny (“just open the closet door and LOOK at the dulcimer”) it was more progress than we’d been able to make on our own. 

Over the next couple of months with encouragement, humor, and the occasional nudge, we  started to bring our goals to life. Deb gave the sermon she always wanted to give. Kim changed paths and became the director of our food bank. Linda played us a Christmas carol on the dulcimer.

And I finished my book. 

The thing is, we actually had FUN doing all those things that scared the pants off of us. And we did them right in the middle of our busy lives.  

I was so inspired I had to try it again. Different friends with different goals, and when friends – my actual neighbors from tiny little Bath, Maine –   went on to sing in public, start a writer’s retreat center, and TRAVEL To INDIA TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING (Jackie, I’m looking at you!) I knew I was onto something. 

“Why isn’t everyone doing this?” I wondered. “We’re doing amazing things – and it’s free!”

I became a woman on a mission, and for the last 15 years I have watched hundreds of people – from all walks of life –  bring their beautiful, scary, complicated goals to life with a little structure (which I’m going to give you), and the support of a few friends (so start thinking of names!).