The Me Project by Kathi Lipp (& a contest!)

Has that rush to make (and break) New Year’s resolutions already waned? According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, taking small steps every day will not only help you stay committed to your goal, but will also help you ultimately achieve that goal when obstacles come up. Author Kathi Lipp wants you and your friends to live out those dreams—and have some fun along the way.

As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules.

This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman.

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: www.kathilipp.com.

Heidi Says . . . I haven’t finished this book.  I started it, and have really enjoyed what it has to say, so far.  Kathi suggests finding a close friend or a group of accountability partners to work with.  Great idea – but, logistically speaking, that wouldn’t work for me right at the moment.  So, I’d need to find a group of online friends to work with, and they’d have to have their own copy of the book. 

That being said, I think the ideas presented in this book are phenomenal, and I’d really like to work on them in my own personal life. At first, I didn’t think there was any way I could come up with 50 things I’d like to accomplish; but, when I really start to think about it, I think I could.  The first step is getting them down on paper – where you can see them – and go from there. 

There are things I’d like to do – I’d like to purchase a new (to me) vehicle, I’d like to see my kids graduate from our homeschool, I’d like to start my own internet-based business with a friend – there are many more, these are just a few that immediately come to mind.

If you have similar goals, and are having a hard time making them a reality in your life, or believing that you can, I’d definitely recommend this book.

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Now, I hope you’ll enjoy this article, compliments of Kathi. 

Three Super-Simple Kick Start Living Your Dreams
– in the next 15 minutes

by Kathi Lipp

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started?

You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1. Go Public with It

It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen.

When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen.

2. Join an Online Group

This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.” You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray

I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray.

I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected, but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

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CONTEST!!!

Grand Prize Giveaway: Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket ($62 value)

• Three 2.5-oz. bags of Starbucks coffee
    (Sumatra, House Blend, and French Roast)
• Tazo black tea
• Starbucks marshmallow cocoa
• Almond roca
• Almond roca buttercrunch toffee cookies
• White chocolate and raspberry cookies
• 2 Starbucks mugs
• Keepsake black bamboo basket

To win, simply leave a comment on this post.  On March 4th, I’ll send the name of one random commenter to Kathy Carlton Willis.  They will select a winner from all entrants and will announce the winner on March 7th.  Good luck!

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of The Me Project in order to participate in this blog tour sponsored by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.  I was not compensated in any other way.