BLOG TOUR: The ME Project by Kathi Lipp

The Me Project - 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN-10: 0736929665, ISBN-13: 978-0736929660
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Paperback: 224 pages, Retail: $12.99

Kathi Lipp

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: http://www.kathilipp.com/

Three Super-Simple Kick Start Living Your Dreams
– in the next 15 minutes

by Kathi Lipp

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started?

You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1. Go Public with It

It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen.

When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen.

2. Join an Online Group

This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.” You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray

I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray.
I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected, but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

Grand Prize Giveaway:

Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket

• Three 2.5-oz. bags of Starbucks coffee
(Sumatra, House Blend, and French Roast)
• Tazo black tea
• Starbucks marshmallow cocoa
• Almond roca
• Almond roca buttercrunch toffee cookies
• White chocolate and raspberry cookies
• 2 Starbucks mugs
• Keepsake black bamboo basket
$62 value
For a chance to be entered in the drawing, simply comment below.  I'll choose a random name to send to Kathy Carlton Willis Communications on March 4th.  KCWC will draw a random winner on March 7th.

When I was invited to participate in the tour and give my review I was quite excited.  I first encountered Kathi at the MOPS convention in 2008.  She was there promoting her book The Husband Project.  I was intrigued and did the online version of it.  Then came The Marriage Project.  Wonderful-now we can focus on each other and grow our marriage in just 3 weeks!  So I was eagerly anticipating what The Me Project had in store for me.

The approach and pattern are a bit different than the first two books.  That caught me unprepared.  :-)  Kathi suggests making what she calls a 50/50 journal.  Write down 50 things you want to accomplish in the next 50 (or so) years.  My foresight is malfunctioning right now, so my journal looks more like a detailed To Do List.  That's OK, she's encouraging us to get those ideas on paper and grow with them.  The purpose is to have a record of what you think you want, then pray, listen, and follow the steps in the 21 day plan to see if that's really what God is leading you to.  It will also help you see where God is leading you.  With a separate page for each item in the journal you'll have room to record the little steps you've taken toward that goal, as well as God moments-those things that can only be accomplished because God orchestrated it.

Since I had a preconceived idea of how the Project would work (based on the previous two Projects), I was a little confused over the process at the beginning.  However, after reading through each one the process is more clear.  My favorite was Project 2:  Less Than Perfect; Lessening Your Load.  She quotes Anna Quindlen,

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

I need that.  I tend to be an all or nothing Perfectionist.  If I can't do it perfectly, why even bother?  That's a bad tape running in my head (Project 3).  Doing something, even poorly, is better than not doing anything at all.  Right? 

Kathi goes on to list a total of 21 projects that will help you move in the direction of your goals.  She helps you take small steps now, regardless of the season of your life, so that when the timing is right you'll be ready to accomplish that goal.  Is there a class you can take to help you explore that dream or goal to see if it's even what you really want?  Better to find out now and cross it off your list than wait 20 years and realize you don't really want to be a professional cake decorator (not that there's anything wrong with that-I marvel at what people can create with frosting!)

I think the book is a good investment in moving you toward accomplishing any goal.  Go ahead, what've you got to lose?