"So it's just the beginning of 2010," my beautiful friend noted with love and excitement in her voice. "What do you picture your life like next December? Where will you live? What will you be doing? What are your wildest dreams?"

I cringed. I really did! I shut my eyes and I felt my Being, my Core, resisting this Visioning Exercise.

Up until recently, I have been TOTALLY down for long term goals, planning, and dreaming...In fact, I spent much of my time in my own head.

I have always been good, great even, at THINKING BIG. When I was little, I was not just going to play basketball, I was going to be in the WNBA. I was not just going to sing in my middle school choir, I was going to be the Next Madonna.

However, this dreaming big, was not always followed with action steps. In fact, MUCH of the time, it was not followed by actions steps.

I am an EXPERT at making Vision Boards, journaling about ideal scenarios and long term plans (5 years, 10 years, 15 years), or talking about my Dreams.

But what about the Action?

My dad sent me a quote this week that read, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." -J.K. Rowling



In the past, what prevented me from taking action in the direction of my dreams? My amazing school, the University of Santa Monica, recently assisted me in this quandary. They taught us the different between 3 and 30 foot tosses.

The teachers set up a real, live ring toss game in our class room. Then, with the help of volunteers, they proved to us that throwing the ring from THREE feet away instead of THIRTY feet racked up the overall points MUCH faster and more effectively. In fact NO ONE was able to successfully throw the ring around the peg from more than 15 feet away.

THIS BLEW MY MIND...Suddenly, I realized that I was ONLY trying to throw 30 foot tosses. That I was THINKING so BIG that I fell into the trap of Extremes and All or Nothing Thinking. For example, if I dreamed of being a performer, I was going to be Dolly in Hello Dolly on Broadway immediately (30 foot toss) or if I dreamed of being a writer, I had to have my 200 page memoir published and a Best Seller by age 29.(30 foot toss, well maybe 300 ft toss)

The beauty of three foot tosses looks something like this. Dream: Performer. 3 Foot tosses: Attend information session for Acting Classes, Voice lessons once a week...Dream: Writer. 3 foot tosses: Start a blog. Write more poems.

"Spirit meets us in the place of action." -USM


Up until recently, I was stuck in 30 foot thinking. I am proud to say that I am now an active three foot tosser. And my friends, each toss DOES add up.

So where do I want to be in December 2010? Do I want to be playing in the WNBA? Better start practicing my free throws. Maybe I want to be Madonna. I will start with singing in my church choir. 3 foot tosses baby.

Ring by ring, step by step, until sometimes, I stop look around and feel nothing but immense gratitude for my life in the NOW. I am in the present tense, out of my head, and into my heart, where life TRULY takes place, in the moment, witnessing my dreams unfolding with Divine purpose, love, and A LOT of THREE FOOT TOSSES.