dare to dream

dare to dreamgirl: Maria Carr

Say hello to dare to dreamgirl Maria Carr.

There are so many things I could say, but probably best if I introduce you to her briefly, and then let Maria tell you her story in her own words. 

Maria came to the U.S.  as a young girl - she and her family were refugees from Castro's Cuba.   She has been an actress all of her adult life, and long held the dream of having her own television show.

And now she does.

If you click either here or on the banner below, Maria shares with us her feelings just after At Home with Maria had debuted.

In her blog post Dreams and Cliff Jumping, Maria shares that after months of planning and years of preparation, she just wasn't sure she wanted to do this television show anymore.

Finally, you can watch and listen to Maria on air.

Have you had the experience similar to Maria's?  After years of preparation, you were ready to make your dream happen, and then you weren't so sure you wanted it anymore?  Or it didn't turn out as you had expected?

Will you head over to her blog and tell her Atta Girl?

dare to dreamgirl: Jessica Gooley

Do you remember Psyche's four tasks, the 3rd task requiring her to set a goal (fill the flask with water) and achieve the goal despite fairly significant distractions (raging stream etched against a jagged cliff)?

Well, Jessica Gooley has done precisely that.

Jessica works full-time as a cardiac surgical nurse.  She spends considerable time caring for her mother who's had a stroke, and in recent months attended to her daughter during a difficult first pregnancy.

But Jessica had a goal.
Which she's achieved.
I'll let her tell you in her own words.

I am a Cardiac Surgical Nurse who has dared to dream about creating a business to sell kits of unique and whimsical animal wall hangings. I took 3x3 pictures of felt wall hangings given me by my older sister, Jenni Christensen, a Utah artist. From those original 3x3 pictures I now have kits for 13 of these whimsical animals which include patterns, material, thread and instructions. Even though it is not listed as included in the kits, as people complete the kits and see the finished product they will also have a delightful feeling of joy as evidences by the smiles on the faces of all who see these whimsical animals appear.

(Note:  The Belly Button Bunch was featured in Organize Magazine (as seen in the lower l.h. corner above); photo courtesy of LaNola Kathleen Stone.)

I came about this dream by reading a “Dare to Dream” article written by a good friend, Whitney Johnson. Through this article and the encouragement of Whitney, I have started on the road to realizing my dream.

My dream has been nurtured by the people, places, and experiences of my life. I was born in Salt Lake City, but then moved to Hawaii where I was surrounded by the vibrant colors of those islands for 10 years. My next stop was Idaho and lived next to a wildlife refuse and enjoyed many animals on the farm. After high school I went to nursing school in Portland, Oregon. My travels then took me to Southern California where I met my husband of 28 years. I have called Texas, Oregon and now Shrewsbury, Massachusetts home. Three wonderful children have blessed my life. Some 35 years of my life was spent working in the medical field, the last fifteen as a Cardiac Surgical Nurse.

When you get a moment, please go over to Jessica's website and take a look.

If you have any ideas on how to market the Belly Button Bunch, why not practice a little systergy, and share your ideas with Jessica.  Better yet, pass along the link to Belly Button Bunch.

Atta Girl, Jessica!

What have you been thinking about doing?   

How can the metaphorical eagle help you?

Related posts:

Psyche's 3rd Task:  Fill the Flask
Handicrafts for the hero's journey
dare to dreamgirl:  Dana King
Blog I Like:  HellomynameisHeather

dare to dreamgirl: Margaret Woolley Busse

Margaret Woolley Busse is the newest 'dare to dreamgirl'. 

Margaret's been thinking about starting a blog for some months now, a blog in which she examines how public policy affects our everyday lives, and which by the way, she is eminently qualified to do. 

And now she has.

In her post titled "The Meaning of 9%", Margaret leads off with "Nine percent.  Usually an insignificant amount...But when 9% represents the percentage of registered voters who voted in a recent annual town election, [and who are thus] determining the course of government in the town", 9% is no longer insignificant.

Thought-provoking stuff.

Within the context of 'dare to dream' there are many reasons to say Atta Girl!, but I'll focus on two:

1)  Margaret has made a choice (a difficult choice given that she has an MBA from Harvard) to be a full-time mother to her three young children.  In honoring her decision, she reminds each of us to acknowledge and affirm our own decisions.

2)  Even as Margaret honors her decision to mother full-time, she recognizes the importance of dreaming, of attending to herself -- which she is doing by carving out time to craft her blog, to formulate her thoughts on policy and politics.

It won't be easy. 

In his book 'The Power of a Positive No', William Ury describes what she's doing as learning to "marry the two most fundamental words in our language: Yes and No.  Yes is the key word of connection (deciding to mother full-time).  No the key word of protection (of identity or self)...The secret to standing up for yourself and what you need without destroying precious relationships is to marry the two." 

Please do take a moment to visit Margaret's blog, read what she's written, and to leave a comment telling her Atta Girl!

Related posts:

Psyche's 4th task: Learn to say no

Pew Research Center's Mothers Prefer Full-Time Work

Psyche and choice

Making meaning in Malawi

Doorsteps, doors and dreams

dare to dreamgirl: Dana King

I almost missed this.

Dana King is my co-blogger at Know Your Neighbor; we talk (virtually) virtually every day. 

She'd been toying with the idea of blogging for months; Dana has something to say AND she wants to find her voice.

Having launched her blog in late August, Dana is now blogging several times a week, and I almost -- almost -- zoomed right past her accomplishment.

Until I remembered what I learned from rock climbing:  look both up, and down, forward -- and back.

Dana has many, many wonderful, grand plans, which makes looking back difficult to do. 

It's so easy to wonder - next, next -- what's next?

But, I need to, I want to, celebrate the launch of her blog, to celebrate the fact that this delightful, engaging, tremendously competent woman (just take a look at her Habitat for Humanity project) is both finding and sharing her voice.

Congratulations Dana -- like Jane , you are now an official, bona fide, dare to dreamgirl!

Will each of you, dear readers, go to Dana's blog and tell her Atta Girl?

Any of your recent accomplishments -- along the way, if you will - that we need to celebrate?

What about with our children -- are we giving them Atta Girls and Atta Boys -- for their accomplishments?

What about our spouses, friends?