Write It Down

Many years ago, in what really was an entirely different lifetime for me, my Mom gave me some very good advice. I was exhausted from moving into another apartment, after another move and in the middle of another major upheaval in my life. I remember sitting on the edge of the bathroom tub, sobbing, while I spoke with my Mom on the telephone. I was feeling frustrated, sad, angry and unbelievably far off track from where I had hoped to be in my life. At that particular moment of bleakness, what I wanted more than anything else was to be unpacking in a real home, not another apartment. I wanted a house, a mortgage, a solid place in the world to call my own.

Somehow, across the telephone lines Mom grabbed me by the shoulders and got me to stop crying. She told me I would have a home. She told me to pull myself together and go write it down on a piece of paper. I snuffled and reluctantly got off the phone. I searched for a piece of paper and a pen. Nothing. Then I spotted a paper plate and found a black magic marker. I block printed the word “HOUSE” on the paper plate. I put it up on the refrigerator door with a magnet. I squared my shoulders and went to unpack another box.

No choir of angels broke into a chorus of Hallelujahs. No flash of lightning transformed that mediocre apartment into a fabulous castle. It didn’t happen overnight. But every single day I looked at that paper plate with its strong, simple message. 17 months later I was signing on the dotted line on my first mortgage and moving into a real house. That paper plate informed my actions and kept me focused on the next steps I needed to take in order to make a home of my own a reality.

I have continued to use that method of writing down a dream. By writing it down and hanging it up where I see it everyday, I turn the dream into a goal. I think it was Dr. Phil who said: “You have to name it, to claim it.” My Mom was way ahead of Dr. Phil!


:: By the way, my sister Gail has been keeping her eyes on her own very special prize for just about 17 months as well. Her dream is coming to fruition and I look forward to sharing her good news very soon!