I believe it takes a dreamer to raise a dreamer. If you have given thought to this idea in your own life, and if you are living your own dreams, you will have forged the pathway along which you can guide others. I will be posting questions from my book, that I believe will inspire you, the adult dreamer to be more aware and also better prepared for this exciting adventure.
Begin by: Purchasing Raising A Dreamer by clicking here. Then after you receive your copy let me know if you have any questions or need a tip, you can write to me at dreams@joycechapman.com
Chapter 1 invites you to know yourself as a dreamer and to
Get Ready…
Get Set…
Begin…
By asking yourself:
Was I raised to be a dreamer?
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Now the next questions to think about and answer are:
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As a child, was I encouraged to be creative and imaginative, to wish, hope, and to dream?
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Do I consider myself a dreamer? Why?
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What messages did I receive as a child from my parents and other influential people about who I was supposed to be?
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What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer?
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What have I always considered to be my greatest strengths?
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What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities?
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Who in my life inspired me? How? Why?
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Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators?
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Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them?
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Do I know what my life purpose is?
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How will I express who I am, this lifetime?
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What is the greatest achievement I can imagine myself accomplishing?
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What is the greatest contribution I can possibly make?
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Do I know what my biggest dream is?
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Do I want to raise a dreamer? If, yes, why?
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I am no longer going to be posting any new comments here and I’d love you to write to me or ask me questions by emailing me at joyce@joycechapman.com
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them?
I am still working on discovering and honoring my dreams.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? I stay on course. I write down my days activities and stick to the plan. I stay positive, don’t waste time and take care of business. I surround myself with good friends and always explore new horizons.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? It is still difficult for me to acknowledge wishes, hopes and dreams but I am consciously taking the baby steps to dream bigger than ever before. The biggest dream I am striving to accomplish is to have my book published …. A big dream indeed!
Do I live by and know what my own wishes, hopes and dreams are? I am on a learning path. I have a children’s book in production to ignite the thought process we all have a special gift to share with the world. Right now I want to focus on creative ways of sending that message to the world.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? To be my authentic self and totally in love and comfortable with that beautiful person.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes, I do. I realize they didn’t need to be detailed, like a business plan. That identifying my values was the first step. After that, every decision that comes my way is either aligned with those values or not.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes. No.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? At this point of my life I attempt to keep track of my thoughts, dreams, and desires and balance them with a sense of acceptance of what is and seeing the perfection in every day,
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? I do know what they are and I honor them, and the Universe, by living them to the best of my ability.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes, and I don’t always honor them. I become caught up in the daily rituals that prevent me from viewing the big picture and not doing enough to follow those dreams and hopes for a big picture shift. Mostly, if I can find happiness, and peace and contribute to the world, I am one happy dreamer.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? I do know what my hopes and dreams are and I am working hard to fulfill them. It isn’t easy to follow a dream while juggling a career and family, but I am consistently moving forward.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes… there’s a singular thread in a growing tapestry.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? I think that my dreams are a true life saver because they are my dreams. I don’t have to share them, I don’t have to discuss them, they are one of things in life that are truly mine.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? To live health. To practice healing through Chinese medicine in every way. To earn double my current salary, and to fully support my family financially. To be a good dad, and be a role model for my boys as a healthy functioning man. To have a satisfying passionate relationship with my wife. To make great beer and use this process to be more accurate/precise in every way.
Do I honor these? More than I ever have, and of course there is always room for more honoring.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? I have to admit that having my own wishes, hopes and dreams did not seem acceptable in childhood and for much of my married life it was the same old story. Now I am feeling an incredible sense of freedom to explore some of my frustrated desires and begin to bring them into being. I am sure you were aware as you read my book that it is my story. I remain married to my spouse of 56 years, challenged daily by his illness of Bi-Polar Disorder. He was a very successful banker and yet I have lived with this “elephant in the living room.” It has served to push me deeper and deeper into my own TRUTH!
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Yes I know what my dreams are. I know when it may feel like and what end result is, but I don’t always know the form it will take. I honor them by living congruently. Act as if, no excuses, being true to my dreams and myself.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? My wishes and dreams now are somewhat different than they were when I was younger………and that is great……I think everyone should know that if you have lived a dream to its fulfillment, then it is time to dream new dreams and move forward and change your dreams as you and what you cherish in life changes.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? Over time, I “unearth” them, pluck them from the heavens, and breathe them in. They seem to knock on my door and announce that they have arrived, like long lost friends come to visit. As long as dreams keep coming to me, I am grateful and give each and every one a place of honor in my life. Much like the proverb: The Guest is God.
Do I know what my own wishes, hopes, and dreams are, and do I honor them? YES!-YES!-YES! & YES!
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators?I have come to see my own creative process as a cycle of: Be Aware! Think Options! Plan Success! Take Action I saw in my teaching that different individuals get stuck in one of those four phases. I see that I get stuck in taking action. All the old pressures for perfection and fears of rejection surface. Being aware of this block helps me to move ahead………sometimes slowly!!
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? Blocks. And I blow them out of proportion, and give in to fear, doubt, and procrastination.
I just read this blog and I am going to start at the first question and see what I can discover about myself! I’m also going to order your book,Joyce. Thanks!
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I finally realized that the only weaknesses and limitations in my life are put there by me.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? Sometimes procrastination is the only one I can think of. Putting things off doesn’t get them done!!!
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I try to use blocks as motivators, but at the same time it is difficult not to think of them as weaknesses.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I see that everything that I am is only my description of myself and not the full picture – I am learning that everything is a strength and a gift.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I was very shy as a child and had doubts about my abilities in certain areas……later in life I worked a job that required me to do public speaking in front of large groups……I loved the job and wanted to keep it, so I had to learn to face my fears of shyness and do what I had to do……..this was a great, great lesson and brought me out of shyness and into a world of exploring new things without fear of being judged.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? My weaknesses are part of who I am. When my energy is low, they become stronger. They are signs which tell me that my energy is low or out of balance and that I need to heal. When I heal, they become weaker. But they are always there. To know myself, is also to know my weaknesses. It is dangerous to think that I’ve outgrown a weakness, because that is hubris.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I am just beginning to view my weaknesses as motivators I need to surrender and learn from them to accomplish my best.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? Sometimes it hurts when other see me as a Mexican, minority or some other so called less than equal person. I have had to battle this negative feeling for a very long time. I have a better attitude now but it has not been easy.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I have experiences of self-doubt, but I never believe in them, in the same persistent way that I believe in my “dreams.” I always see these as questions— as ways to reach deeper into myself, so that I can find out something new about myself. Once I dig deeper, I find I am freer to proceed with new dreams, new manifestations, and new levels of personal fulfillment. It’s a never-ending process for me.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? I realize that my weaknesses are not blocks unless I allow them to be. I have learned that what I used to consider a weakness such as my sensitivity is actually a great strength when understood and embraced. I am greatly motivated to embrace my perceived weaknesses as strength, this motivates me to expand beyond them as they do not define me.
Do I see any weaknesses I have as blocks, or do I view them as budding strengths and use them as motivators? Years and years ago I realized that if I was going to fulfill my biggest dreams that whenever doubts “came in” I needed to examine and change or realign! I always ask questions like, OK, what has to be done now? What action is needed to achieve what I want? If I “feel” a block I ask, is this real…or ??? The best idea came from my journaling when I started asking myself, How is this perfect? From that moment on, I shifted to allowing everything to empower me to be the Actualized Dreamer, ME!
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My dad. Now that I look back at my childhood he dreamed for example, of building the perfect house, owning his own business (which he did for awhile),
Who in my life inspired me? How? My mother has always been my hero, she is honest, loving, strong, wild, and willing to take risk, she encouraged me to buy a one way ticket from Iowa to California at 23.
Who in my life inspired me? My “maiden” aunt. How? The woman joined every club she could. Always volunteered to do the grunt work. Transcribe more minutes of more meeting than any one can imagine. It puts me on the “A” list she said. “ No one ever knows where the pen and paper are or if there is enough money in the treasury for a sit down luncheon. I always know this and every secret in town.” Why? She liked being in the lime light but always knew when to say “NO”. She knew when to back away. She never put on airs or pretended to be someone she wasn’t. She was class.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My parents, several teachers
along the way and most importantly a sincere belief that God wants us to
help others while here on earth because it helps demonstrate His love
towards all of us.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My grandmother was a primary influence. The there were authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Pearl Buck. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Merton-to name a few.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My Great Aunt… earlier question. My Mom, for her courage and ability to face adversity with a strong heart. Gandhi…. Who isn’t inspired by him?? (he’s not IN my life, but I have read all about him)
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My parents…….they faced many hardships and kept on going, moving through the pain and always showing me that with faith and determination you can heal wounds and conquer problems.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? I cannot say that any one person inspired me. I feel now like I just instinctively knew that I was responsible for creating my own inspiration. At the same time, I do get inspiration from the world around me, from books and magazines, from movies.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My Chinese medicine healer-helps me stay healthy physically and mentally/emotionally…My wife-because she’s very smart and inspires me to see truth. And also raise our kids well and laugh a lot. My friend and colleague-for being there to vent/laugh whenever needed. Joyce-has inspired me for many years, and still does to live life to the fullest.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My grandmother-she loved me with all that she had and that wasn’t much. She gave me time, listened to me, and let me be a child. I never heard my grandmother speak negatively about anyone, even though she had lots of evidence to be very negative.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? Oprah Winfrey-Wow! She went from nothing to where she is today. That is a woman with a dream. Also the fact that she was molested as a girl, and chose not to be a victim instead. She used this experience to help others. She overcame so many obstacles, this puts me to shame for the excuses I’ve made for myself.
Also YOU Joyce Chapman have been the biggest personal influence in my life. You taught me not to be a victim and to come from choice and that’s ok to Dream, it’s healthy and wonderful to dream. You taught me what to do with those dreams. It’s so different that hoping and wishing.
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? The inspirations have changed over the years. My third grade teacher, Mr. Jones, a former Latin teacher, encouraged us all to think beyond the walls of the classroom and into the future. . . he was an incredible influence (even on how I taught college). When I was 12, it was the neighbor lady and her fabulous garden—and she showed me how to make jam. In general, my teachers inspired me from kindergarten through doctorate. Humanistic psychology really inspired me to listen to my own inner voice of dreams. My mother inspired me by getting a divorce and finding a happier path. My daughter inspires me with her acuity and logic, my son with his compassion and musicality. Spiritual friends like Sheila who live their dreams however uncommon. And most of all Roberto, who inspires me by getting up every day in this crazy country called Argentina and looking for a way to make a living and live at the same time. You inspire me too, Joyce!
Who in my life inspired me? How? Why? My mother, father, sister, brother, husband, children—these are the people who gave me love and were willing to receive love from me. Love is the key for me. Love is power and support for creativity and fulfillment. Love encourages growth.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? Writing, organizing, learning and teaching.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? My creativity.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? I love to write, I love to tell stories, I love to listen to people and what they are saying and what they are Not saying…….in other words, I like to look for the prize in the cereal box that no one else knew was there!
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? My sense of humor and my smile have gotten me out of many tight places
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities?
1. Love food and was always a pretty good cook
2. Very curious
3. Observent and sensitive
4. Always on a mission to be healthy
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? Leadership, understanding where others are coming from, connecting the dots to how things work and how to improve them – then transfer that to others.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? Natural talent-talking-putting my thoughts into words and sharing with others. I also seem to have the ability to come through the experiences of my life stronger and better prepared to deal with the next challenge.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? I am able to see the “good” and highest potential of everyone I meet! Because of this I can fully embrace being all of who I am capable of being and also empower others to do the same!
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? Strong physicality, and being a hard worker.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? My biggest natural talent is reading people. I can usually see what people want to hide and I see past facades and shows.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? I’m talented when it comes to creative arts, writing, acting, and dancing. I’ve been complimented on my ability to fit into any situation, many kinds of people. I have the ability when I’m with people for them to feel listened to and cared about.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? Intelligence, writing, ability to develop a conversation and relationship with just about anyone anywhere.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities ? I am organized, and I have good time management skills. Now I am learning I am creative.
What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? I’ve always had the ability to conceive, visualize, and actualize—I like watching and fostering an idea, concept, or plan unfold itself into fullness and completion.
What have I always considered to be my greatest strengths? I love
people and want to help in any way possible. I feel I have a lot of
compassion towards others because I had to endure many things to get where I
am today. I tend to look toward the positive side of life and encourage
others to do the same. I feel I have become a good teacher because I have
the passion to learn. I know I can effectively communicate with others
because I feel like this is what I do best. I love to learn about other
people from different races, religions, and cultural backgrounds. I have
traveled to Europe three times, Japan, China, Mexico and all across the
United States.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? My greatest strength is my steadfastness and loyalty.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? I am organized. I plan ahead and stay connected to family. I am committed to many causes, add my own ideas to get out of the box, and think for myself.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? Endurance … ability to keep picking myself up, dusting myself off and starting all over again!
What have I always considered to be my greatest strengths? Patience and perseverance. Once I have an idea of it. It shall be done.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? My imagination.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? Determination, stability, and willingness.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? Enthusiasm in the beginning of a process. A good peoples person, and sometimes a good leader· Very thorough in what I do
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? Faith in a higher power……..without that I would be in a very difficult place in my life……faith that I CAN live a good life, be a good person, share, care give and receive all kinds of wonderful things………especially spiritual growth What have I always considered to be my natural talents and abilities? I love to write, I love to tell stories, I love to listen to people and what they are saying and what they are Not saying…….in other words, I like to look for the prize in the cereal box that no one else knew was there!
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? My sensitivity, my creativity, my ability to tell the truth to myself and others. I’m a hard worker and smart. I have an ability to fit into many situations and many different types of groups
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? Curiosity, creativity, gratitude, persistence, ability to forgive.
What have I always considered as my greatest strengths? My greatest strength is organization. It takes some time management and keeping everything organized to jungle many different parts of life while working to make my dreams a reality.
What have I always considered to be my greatest strengths? Mentorship, teaching, non-judgment, compassion, strategy, desire for knowledge, curiosity, and joy.
What have I always considered to be my greatest strengths? The ability to connect and communicate with everyone, create amazing things out of what seems like nothing or disorganized bits and pieces, to be independent and not give up.
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer? I believe I am a dreamer today because my mother and father both told me I could make any of my dreams come true!They always made sure I did whatever I had to, to succeed.
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer? As a young child I was encouraged to be an adventurer. Some of the experiences and events that led me to having the confidence in my wishes, hopes and dreams coming true were things like: Taking Piano lessons, Ice skating lessons, Camping, Hiking, Traveling with my family and being read to daily! Then as I reached my teen-age years; Cotillion-Dance classes, Clubs in High School, Cheer Leader, and all my school successes, Going to college, getting married, having children, finishing college, teaching (I was always creating and participating in many innovative programs as I continued to grow and learn too!) having grand-children, going back to school to get my Master’s Degree, then leaving the teaching world to create my own unique workshops, coaching practice, and writing my books!
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to
become, a dreamer? Early childhood foundation that has been described before (all the while growing up in poverty-but I did not know it).Learning to
play the clarinet helped me stay with something until accomplished. Being
involved with sports.I was a very good swimmer who won many medals in
different competitions. I loved making models and took great pride in my
work.I did well in school and was very social with many friends. I was
given an opportunity to attend Cal-State University in Long Beach which
totally changed my life for the better (I was given a chance to attend this
college due to a special program for minority students)I always felt I
should do my best because I was to be the first person in my family to
graduate from a university which I did with honors in May of 1973. I went
on to earn two Master degrees both with honors. I taught social studies,
English and art to high school students for close to twenty-five years and
loved it.
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer? I was alone a lot as a child and HAD to be imaginative to fill my hours and I pretended to be many things, a teacher, a nurse, a writer at a big time paper………and I acted out these fantasies…….it was also a part of life then in my family at least, to dream of bigger and better things…….not so much material things, though that is good too, but fulfilling that which was within us to be.
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer? Spending time alone. Being in nature/wilderness. being on the beach, and traveling for sure.
What main events in my life influenced me to become, or not to become, a dreamer? I was very shut down as a child, not being wanted in the household and expected to be more of a servant than a child-parents that were damaged, mourning the loss of their first child and still no idea who they were as people-any joy or happiness from me only served to make them more upset with me. I think that as a child, I dreamed up games and ways to make myself happy-then it became a habit to escape-then it became possibilities.