Shutter Sisters

what dreams may come

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“Always remember that dreams—your creative visualizations—must come before their physical manifestations.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

Mighty Girl Maggie Mason has made an art of living what she calls her Mighty Life List. The list began as 100 things before I go kind of list but it has turned into the chance for her to act on those things and actually do them. In other words, Maggie is living her dreams. The whole idea is not only inspiring, it’s mind-blowing.

So (why not?) I’ve been musing on what my own life list would look like if I were to say…write one.

(insert crickets chirping here)

Truth be told, I’m not sure I can come up with a half a dozen things for a list, let alone 100 and I can’t stop wondering if I’ve forgotten how to dream.

Being that this is a rather recent epiphany, I don’t actually have an answer to that question but I can tell you one thing, I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Thank goodness I’ve got Mondo Beyondo on my side and all the images in our One Word Project pool to get my head (and heart) up in the clouds a little more.

How about you? Do you have your own life list, wish list or big dreams? Inspire us!

Comments

  1. I just recently revisited my Mondo Beyondo List, and right there at the top was this:

    "Make a (good) living from photography alone"

    This year we will hit the "good part-time money" mark with our photography business, but I want more. I want to do ONLY photography. I don’t want to go into my day job every day wishing I could run, and being afraid that I’m going to keep climbing that corporate ladder until I can’t remember what my real dreams were.

    I want to do a job that I love everyday, and I want to provide for my family doing something that inspires me.

    I deserve this.

    I can do this.

    This will happen.

  2. What a wonderful reminder to dream..to put those life lists into words and action..to set positive intention.I haven’t – yet – put a list together..but you’ve inspired me to – at least – start thinking about what it might be.

  3. My 100 things list is a work in progress….it has about 30 some odd things on it mostly travel. I took a cue from Maine Momma and recently made a yearly birthday list which made me focus on things that I can accomplish now. In only 12 days I’ve already managed to check 3 things off, not a bad start to my 35th year =)

  4. each bday i make a list of things to do before my next birthday.
    kind of a check list of to do’s for the year. totally inspired by andrea (hula seventy).
    last year i completed about half my list. some of the list was completely unattainable but i knew that, i figured if i was going to dream why not go BIG on a few things. so i was not disappointed by the items i did not finish. instead i was insprired but what i DID do. i made a new list just a few weeks back on my bday.
    "38 things" –
    http://mainemomma.blogspot.com/2010/02/38-things.html

    and here is my recap of last year’s dream list:
    http://mainemomma.blogspot.com/2010/02/37one-more-day-and-certain-list-recap.html

    and you are right it can be hard to think of things. that made me all the more determined to do this from now on every year of my life. i hope in some way i pass this dreaming and achieving dreams onto my kids. for how else will they learn if they do not see me trying.

    good luck with your list tracey!
    xo, kristin

  5. I could not have written that post any better, Tracey. I too find my dream list would be quite short. I’ve always been worried about my lack of dreams, or perhaps imagination. At least my short list is attainable … I think. Maybe I should just write it down. Maybe dreams multiply once you try to attain them? I hope so!

  7. this has been in the forefront of my head for sometime now…ever since Alie Edwards did the blog post of coming up with a word to define your life for the year 2010. My word was !LIVE! and ever since then…things have been cropping up letting me know that this word was no coincidence….

    things just started popping up, letting me know that I have not lived my life in a long time…life was just going….I was busy with schedules to maintain but there was no…LIFE.

    One of the things that ‘popped’ up was one of my fav blogs, chookooloonks , had a post about this very idea, http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/2010/2/22/my-mighty-chookooloonks-life-list.html and ever since I’ve been adding to it. sometimes every day sometimes every other day. But…I’m adding to it…I’m dreaming again…wishing again…wanting again and that’s a big deal….

  9. It’s funny, I just started reading Eat, Pray, Love, and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to make my life more meaningful.

    I’m still on generalities — like I need to stop obsessing over small anxieties, be more forgiving of myself and others, that sort of stuff. But I’m also realizing how much photography has brought to my life since really throwing myself into it about six months ago. Having a creative outlet is invaluable. So I guess my dream is to continue to develop that part of my life, become better at the craft and use it as a way to balance all the other crazy things going on.

    That, and I’d like to live in Paris at some point in my life. 🙂

  10. for several years my husband and I would write out a list of things we wanted to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days. sorta like the mondo beyondo- some wre totally do-able, some crazy and outrageous. we would tuck it away and not look at after the pencil was done scribbling. The next year we would pull it out and much to our amazement, we had almost crossed everything off our list. I loved that magic that happend. we need to start doing this again- maybe on our anniversary in may, that would be a good starting place I think….

    So important to have dreams and watch as at least a tiny portion of them unfold…

  11. i have a list of places to visit that includes, but is not limited to:

    galapagos
    fjords of british columbia, specifically to kayak with the beluga whales
    alaska (again, and again…)
    ireland
    montreal
    bayou country
    nova scotai & PEI
    andes

    ::swoon::

    i should think up some activities too.

    and i want to be a mom.

  14. I need to write my list….why am I so hesitant to put then on paper…because they involve some major life changes and I am nervous of making the change, of taking the leap and once they are written on paper they are more real. I am fearful of my own dreams but I am slowly gaining the courage to acknowledge them and put them into action. Take a deep breath…… 🙂

  15. You know what, I get inspired just by coming here. I am not at the list point yet, but I am doing my best just to pick up my camera more frequently and perhaps more importantly, look through the viewfinder thoughtfully when I do. So, thank you.

  18. oh, do it!
    write it!
    it’s so much fun and helps you visualize things.
    i wrote one out in a post last november:
    http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-on-mission.html

    i’ve almost accomplished one on the list.. being debt free.
    i still want to add many more to it.
    it’s hard to come up with everything in one sitting.
    the joy of making the list is you can put absolutely anything in it… from big things to small things.
    i enjoyed it.

    i did after a friend was telling me to write down the things i want to do with my life. he reminded me of a study that was done at harvard or some place like that. the study had 100 people write their goals down. it had another 100 just say their goals. then they checked in with the entire study group ten years later, and found that the group who had written their goals down had a much higher percentage of achievement of those goals than the other group. i believe it!

  20. my field of dreams goes something like this…
    tea parlor, old victorian and of course hawaii!
    they say, build it and they will come…
    love and sweet dreams to you all