Free Life Dreaming Workbook

The  Life Dreaming Workbook is the result of years of living my life.

My work … and life … over the last 25 years has been about helping people, organisations & communities reflect and clarify:

• Why they exist … their purpose
• What principles and values drive them
• What is important … right now
• What internal & external things help and hinder the trip
• What are the next steps to realising their purpose

About 18 years ago in Oz I was asked by a woman who knew my work with organisations and communities … to do the same thing with a group of women.

My positive and vocal response?

No … no … no

If I’d wanted to do that then I would have used my Psychology degree and been a therapist.

She persisted … and persisted … and … you get the picture.

I ran my first Life Dreaming workshop in her home over 5 Tuesday evenings … and had the best time.

Luckily … so did all the women.

I created a relaxing and really really comfortable space for women to explore their lives and decide what was important … RIGHT NOW.

Not in 5 or 10 years (I hate that exercise … I barely know what I’m doing this week … although I do know the core values and principles that drive everything I do and am) … RIGHT NOW.

The women told me they loved the evenings … they felt they were giving themselves the gift of time and space to reflect and decide … and eat chocolates and cherries … and laugh … sometimes cry … and be silent when they wanted to.

Anyway … the word got around and I found myself being flown to an outback mining town to do a weekend Life Dreaming workshop.

Once again … I had heaps of fun … and so did the women.

And many of the women realised that on reflection … their lives were going pretty well … that they were living and doing what was important for them right now … all that was needed was to focus on a few areas … and not change their life completely.

Others made startling and wide ranging decisions.

I was then asked to do a 1 week Life Dreaming with a group of older women (I was in my early 30’s then and they were all in their late 40’s and 50’s … like me now) who were on social welfare benefits.

It was a powerful week for all of us.

Women with very little money … and even lower self confidence and self belief … blossomed.

Their external situations didn’t change  … but their perception of their lives … and their own sense of personal power … was transformed.

And folks … just in case you think I’m some kind of guru/miracle worker … I’m not … hate the very thought.

What I did was create time and space … and some thoughtful activities … for the women to make their own decisions … to harness the real and personal power that lives in us all.

And some startling things happened in that week:

• one woman (in conversation with me during one of the activities … I realised she couldn’t write … so we talked together) had a breakthrough about herself and her life … and made some powerful decisions. Her therapist contacted me a week later to say that whatever I had created in the Life Dreaming space had transformed her clients belief in herself.
• three of the women banded together and bought a second hand washing machine for another woman … they realised their own power to help other people.
• one woman wore only 2 outfits of clothes during the 5 days. The ending activity I created was for people to tell each other something that had delighted them about each other. Everyone (including me) said how much we admired the womans dress style. She was deeply moved and then told us she only had 2 outfits … she saw the 2 outfits … we saw the style.
• I learnt a lot about the courage and tenacity of people society labels as poor … maybe they are economically … but when the personal power is unleashed … step back.
• all the women decided they wanted to continue to meet and enjoy each others company.

And is Life Dreaming just for women?

No.

Although women tend to be more open to the Life Dreaming idea.

About 15 years ago I was asked to do a pro bono (latin for … free) weekend in Sligo (Ireland).

I was asked to run 2 days on ‘Being a facilitative Community Worker’.

It was a mixed gender  group of Community Workers from around the North West Counties.

We had an amazing weekend and I offered to come back and do another free weekend on a topic they got to choose.

The 2 options for the weekend were:

• Planning for your organisation & community
• Personal Planning (Life Dreaming)

Guess what they chose?

Yup - Life Dreaming.

So … on a wet weekend in Sligo … a dozen men and women gathered to reflect on what was important in their lives right now.

We had a great time and people said they not only made decisions about their lives … they had also enjoyed the time and space to relax and reflect … and eat great food that we had all brought along and shared.

And then … I started getting calls from complete strangers asking me to do Life Dreaming on a 1 to 1 basis.

I incorporated elements of Life Dreaming in a module I was asked to develop and deliver in a Master of Arts – Community Music at the University of Limerick … about 8 years ago.

The module was about business planning for community artists and I think some of them were completely gobsmacked when I didn’t start the module by giving them the outline of a business plan (which they did eventually receive … I wrote a customised  business planning workbook for community artists … note to self … find it and self publish it).

Instead I spent a day with them all doing Life Dreaming activities.

I explained that we cannot decide our business/enterprise idea until we have a clear sense of the purpose, values, beliefs and passion that drives us.

It worked really well.

I never promoted Life Dreaming.

Partly because I was really busy doing work with organisations and communities in my Focused Solutions consultancy.

Partly because I felt that Life Dreaming was something special to me … and I didn’t want it to become a chore.

In late 2006 I decided to make Life Dreaming more public and started promoting a Life Dreaming workshop in Dublin.

It was going to be in the gorgeous Odessa Club … a day of Life Dreaming … … great food … chocolates and cherries … scented candles … cushioned couches … and a Life Dreaming cocktail at the end.

Here’s a bit of the information sheet I sent to interested women:

Have you ever wanted to take a step back from it all and just have a day to think about where your life is going? What’s important to you? What your goals and aspirations are? What your values are and whether they have changed with the passage of time?

So often in life we are running, juggling responsibilities and just trying to get everything done.

It’s like you’re caught up with the grains of sand on the beach – and you can’t lift your head to see whether you even like beaches.

Taking the time to reflect on your…values, needs, beliefs, self-talk, intuition, imagination, dreams, & promises to action … could be one of the best gifts you give yourself.

Life Dreaming is a day long facilitated session for women that offers the space to decide what’s important in your life right now.

Life Dreaming is also about a bit of cosseting – you will be given plenty of time to just relax in the velvet cushioned chairs and think things through; sip tea and nibble on chocs and cherries in front of the fire as well as chat with 9 other interesting women.

Life Dreaming is facilitated by Liz Lennon who created the process and is held in the opulent surrounds of Dublin’s Odessa Club.

Liz will guide you through the day with the aid of her beautifully crafted workbook that poses questions to help clarify your priorities and future direction. It is not group therapy or life coaching. It’s an exercise in allowing yourself to step back, reflect on your life, and decide how to accomplish your dreams in a practical way.

Marc (my genius brother and designer) and I worked together to develop the Life Dreaming visual branding.

I sent him a squiggle of a drawing and the words ‘I want a logo that has a sensual & baroque feel … with shades of blood red’.

He worked his usual miracle.

I promoted the Dublin Life Dreaming workshop using what I call ’six degrees of separation marketing’ … I sent info to a pile of my contacts … and they sent it to theirs … and they ….

I was interviewed on national radio and received a lot of interested enquiries.

As part of the Life Dreaming experience I wanted to give the women a gift of a written copy of the core activities.

I wrote the workbook using the design criteria I use for everything I do:

Beautiful + Functional + Affordable

I also wanted something that wasn’t as long as a lot of personal development/planning books … dear God … have you ever seen them? You live a busy life and then you buy a book that would take the rest of your life to read … let alone do all the myriad of new activities.

Too bleedin hard for me … so why should I expect you to plow through hundreds of pages?

I wanted to create a workbook that had some essential activities that allowed people to reflect without feeling overwhelmed.

Over a few days I wrote the Life Dreaming workbook and Marc did the gorgeous design.

I didn’t run the Life Dreaming workshop in Dublin.

I realised something.

I wasn’t meant to run it then … the workshop was the impetus for me to write the workbook.

The Life Dreaming workbook has been languishing on the metaphorical back burner since 2007 … just busy doing other things.

I have sent it to people for feedback (always very useful) … and have an online Irish bookstore – Walnut Books -  interested in distributing it.

One of my Life Dreamings for 2009 is to self publish the workbook in hardback and as an e book.

Marc emailed me this morning and suggested I give it to my readers for

FREE.

My reaction interested me:

98% said ‘Yeh – why not?’

2% said ” but but … what if … someone takes it and makes heaps of money … but but …’

I replied ‘ So be it … my choice … and … what if … it made a difference in someones life? … what if … someone really began to believe in their personal power … that would be cool.’

I’ve never been a person that does things the so called ‘normal’ way.

May as well keep doing what looks like a crazy thing to many people … giving away a free book … is the woman nuts?

So folks … here’s a FREE (love writing that) Life Dreaming workbook.

It’s a draft and I already have done tweeks and editing for the final version … and I have seen the typos … but it’s substantially complete.

If you want to give me feedback … I’ll listen.

If you can’t download it … leave a message and I’ll email it to you.

It feels kind of weird and exciting … I’m letting the baby go … and I have no control or idea what will happen next … very exciting.

Oh … just one thing.

None of these activities were tested on animals … I’m the lab rat for all of Life Dreaming.

Finally … I want to thank my brother Marc.

You challenge, support & believe in me … in ways that make me able to do the crazy things I do … you help me extend my reach.

Your belief in me makes me braver.

What an interesting way to start the week.

Slan

Liz

p.s.

Marc and I are designing a Liz Biz – Social Enterpreneur site that will incorporate information and loads of free stuff about my social enterprises.

If you want to receive news when the Life Dreaming workbook is published (or the Liz Biz site is launched) … just leave me a note and we’ll let you know … as soon as we do.

Lippylala

Download a copy of the Lifedreaming Workbook here.

P.S.S Update – October 2009

It’s nearly 8 months since I decided to give away the LD workbook …  and hundreds of people have downloaded it.

I’ve received many comments from people telling me how they used it [dipped in to an activity ... worked all the way thru it ... whatever worked for them] and made some big and small decisions.

That thrills me.

And in keeping with the ongoing nature of life [until you run smack  into Death] Marc emailed the week after [or it could have been days knowing him] suggesting I give the workbook away for free … with another idea!

How about … he says … you develop the workbook into a full blown Life Dreaming course with heaps of cool tools and an interactive site … and face to face LD courses all over the world in beautiful spaces …and LD meet ups …and and and …

I told him to go away while I hyperventilated …and then dove right in!

I’ve expanded the whole workbook into 8 fab modules full of activities and stories.

I formed a Life Dreaming Test Team of about 15 people around the world that I trust to give good feedback.

And Marc is the Creative Director of the whole shebang … he kept gently nagging me to write the modules …and when I stopped for a few months …he trusted me enough to leave me to it.

And he was right.

My own life was transforming [and I've written about it in this blog] and I was using the LD tools I had developed to help me decide what was important in my life right now.

The whole process was totally non linear and unsettling and confusing [welcome to my life!] … and out of it all came some startling clarity …and a pile of new insights and activities for Life Dreaming.

I wrote the last 3 modules over long night … 12 hours where all the ideas and insights flowed.

And it’s made Life Dreaming more real …more about the chaos and confusion and fear that is such a part of living your dreams.

Dreams change.

Marc & I aren’t developing a LizBiz site [not right now anyway] …and we aren’t publishing the workbook.

What we are doing is developing Life Dreaming so it an be accessed globally …and be beautiful + practical +affordable.

That’s the plan and we hope to launch Life Dreaming sometime in 2010.

Become a fan of Life Dreaming at facebook and follow the story as it unfolds.

slan

Liz