don't just do something ...

Hi, my name is karen, and I'm an action junkie.

I also suffer from DDD; Dream Deficit Disorder.

I'm in recovery from my compulsion to Decide and Do. It's quite a process -- after all, I have maintained these habits for many years! When someone I care about is suffering (including myself), I've historically been quite eager to remove the source of the snag so things can "get back to normal."

Sometimes, the solution was a decision: I'm giving up sugar. I will exercise every day.

Sometimes, the solution was an action: Send an email. Read the classifieds. Make an appointment.

The one teensy little problem with these solutions is that I'm not actually omniscient (shhh... don't tell anyone), so I can't actually KNOW the true source of the snag.

In the past, that small detail didn't stop me from springing into action anyway. Deciding or doing something, anything, made me feel like I was On It; I was Getting Things Under Control.

However, it has recently come to my attention that quite often, the only thing I get from all that decidin' and doin' is tired.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing generally wrong about decisions and actions. It's just that logic, reason, and hard work can be serious limitations when it comes to magic and miracles.

I've never been much of a dreamer. My goals have been firmly anchored to what my logical mind thought was possible. But for some reason, these days I am hungry for much bigger hopes and wishes than that. So I'm trying something new. Instead of deciding and doing, I'm dreaming. Here's an example:

I want my writing to be published as books. The logically based decide-and-do plan involves stuff like manuscripts and query letters and lots of rejections and persistence and patience and determination.

The dreaming approach involves spending 10 minutes when I first wake up every morning feeling as if I am already a published author. I did this the other morning, and found myself imagining an amazing personal assistant who took care of all my accounting, paperwork, and travel arrangements (to book-signings and workshops, of course!)

I also employed a kind and loving housekeeper who kept my home cozy and beautiful, a guest cottage that was always hosting someone delightful, and a big kitchen that was constantly overflowing with good food, good friends, and good conversation.

Today, "by coincidence," I crossed paths with the woman who will almost certainly become my first virtual assistant. It was easy! It was fun! It was not logical! And it happened anyway.

I can't wait to see what comes next...