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Overnight AdventuresMichelle's StoryAnn and I were in the midst of our Spring 2000 quarterly meeting when we casually broached the subject of holding our upcoming Fall meeting in Los Angeles. “It will be our way to celebrate the millennium,” suggested Ann. “We can declare our 2001 intentions to the ocean.” Without thinking of the practical considerations, I agreed and imagined us walking together on the beach in Santa Monica, declaring ourselves boldly to the Pacific Ocean. Because this image was crystal clear in my mind, making the trip a reality didn’t seem like a big deal.
And it wasn’t a big deal. We easily found four available days in our schedule, accounting for travel time for Ann to fly from Missouri and for me to fly from Illinois. We received encouragement from our loved ones to proceed with the plans. We made the airline reservations and used mileage points to purchase our tickets. We made the hotel and rental car arrangements. My friend Phil invited us to stay a few days with him and his family, and we accepted. Ann contacted her coach and set up a time to meet for lunch. Everything fell into place. And that continued to be true once we both got to Los Angeles. We had the best time together: shopping, sharing goals, laughing, scheming, people watching, and discussing the initial ideas for this book. Somewhere between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Ann reminded me, “Don’t forget about declaring our intentions.” Then panic set in. “What am I going to say?” I repeated to myself over and over. We had lunch the next day with Ann’s coach, Nancy, and told her about declaring our intentions to the ocean. “What are you going to say?” asked Nancy. I mumbled something about being an artist. I felt the pressure building inside of me as Ann and Nancy boldly stated their 2001 declarations to each other. I smiled at them and finished my meal. Later that day I began badgering myself, “What is blocking me from knowing what I need to say?” A clear answer did not reveal itself. The next morning, we went to the beach in Santa Monica, and wrote down our next quarter’s goals while sitting in the sand. I drew pictures in Ann’s calendar as she declared her intentions. It was my turn. I sat, waiting for the words to come. “I am going to be. . . no, that sounds too wimpy. . . I want to be. . . no, that’s not right either.” I stood up, brushed the sand off my legs, and said out loud, “I am a wife, mom, friend, Goal Sister, daughter, auntie, business owner, volunteer, believer, and artist.” In that moment, I understood that I already am who I want to be. I needed to claim it and live it. It was just another moment for the world around me, but it was a giant leap of faith for me. Ann's StoryMichelle and I had many wonderful adventures during our overnight meetings. We took turns making the arrangements, and we met at the agreed-upon time, ready for fun, sharing, and planning. I’m surprised that Michelle was willing to go on these trips, knowing her family responsibilities and her busy schedule, but I’m glad she did!
One of our memorable meetings was a spring trip to St. Louis, a city that offers great shopping and eating, and a variety of bookstores. Michelle got to the motel first and spread out her stuff on her side of the room. When I arrived, she helped me unload the cooler, suitcase, CDs, books, and pillows from my car. We fixed a drink, sank onto our beds, and began our meeting. My priority for our meeting was to have her create drawings for my new business card. No matter what we talked about or how many goals we planned for, Michelle constantly had a marker in her hand, drawing possible designs for me. We would get giddy and make up images that might work. She’d show me one design, and that would spark an idea for another. Somehow it all clicked. By the end of the next day, I had several designs that would serve me well. My part came when I got home and had to decide which ones would best represent my business! Despite the creative pressure I had put on both of us during that trip, we still managed to have fun. Shopping for new planner pages, eating late at a great restaurant, and driving for miles in search of Mary Englebreit’s studio were all enjoyable parts of the trip. (Postscript: We found Mary’s studio, but no one was there. Darn!). I learned a lot about balancing work and play during that meeting. It is possible to have/be/do it all with your Goal Sister’s support! Copyright © 2004-2009 by Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, Ph.D., and Ann Leach. All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. |
 Michelle looks out at the Pacific Ocean off Santa Monica Book Fact #7Writing the book proposal for Goal Sisters took about the same amount of time as writing the book!
 Ann takes a break from writing down her goals on the beach near Shutters Hotel * * * * * * * * *
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