How it Can Come to Me:
A suggestion by someone, a google search, a connection with a person… anything really – if the program is right, I’ll know

My Commitment:
To do google searches, talk to people about it, put out as many nets as possible to see what I can catch. Also, to keep practicing yoga and shiva nata so I that I don’t freak out and doubt that this is the path I’m supposed to be following.

These ads are amazing. Seriously.

Thanks for all the gorgeous retreat location suggestions!

@Erica – yay! Nice personal ad. I love it!

@Cathy & Jen P & Pidge – it was so so beautiful getting to meet you in person in San Francisco. I would LOVE to do another Bay Area or Sonoma (mmmmm) thing. I’m blowing kisses at you right now!

@Inge – I would love to meet you in Berlin! And I think it’s hysterical that your duck is Russian (?). That is weird and wonderful.

Selma generally doesn’t do well with other ducks (diva issues) so we have to hide all of the other ducks that people give me. They’re in the bathroom behind a curtain. But maybe I could talk to her beforehand and tell her that she should be nice to Inge’s duck. :)

@Lynne & Riin – whoah, two votes for Michigan. That’s kind of cool. I love Ann Arbor but can’t do a retreat there because my parents actually live there. Which kind of kills the whole “relaxing” aspect of retreating.

But northern Michigan? Or central-ish? I would totally do that. It’s beautiful there!

@Marilyn – oh, my dear.

Wow. What big, huge realizations. And what hard. I am sending you and your house and your Very Personal Ad so much love right now.

And asking for whatever needs to be cleared to be cleared, so that the new people can feel safe coming into this space, and you can feel safe letting them come. And extra experiences of safety and protection and comfort for you and the people you love.

Hugs all around for your sweet, sweet ads and for all of your help and for hanging out with me here. This is turning into one of my favorite weekly rituals. Thank you.

I was all set to write up a great little personal ad for someone to help redesign my website and make it completely awesome. My budget is fairly small, so I’ve been hoping to find someone perhaps still building their portfolio and interested in partial barter or a payment plan.

But when I started thinking about what I could commit to, one of the first things that came to mind was to tell the world repeatedly how much the designer rocks once my newly-awesomified site is live. Then I cringed a bit, thinking about how that might be received by the two friends I have that both run small web design businesses. I’m had decided not to go to them for this job because of concerns I have about their schedules and how they’ll fit in with when I want to launch the new site – and in one case because her aesthetic isn’t really a good match for what I’m looking for.

So I still am looking for someone to work with for this, and I’ve decided that the first step to that is to talk to those friends and get clear with them around whether my assumptions are wrong and one of them is my right person in a way that keeps things clean and leaves me open to shout from the rooftops about my awesome new site and its rockin’ designer, whoever that may be, once it’s been completed.
.-= Shannon Henry´s last post … Spirosketch is ready! =-.

I was also at your SF retreat and I can recommend a wonderful, magical, spiritual spot nestled among the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. You’ve GOT to see it to believe it! But if you can’t, then you can also TRUST that it is a place that you will fall in love with…

The place is “Pema Osel Ling” mountain retreat … about 20 minutes drive from Santa Cruz and <1.5 hours from SFO. (Close enough to be convenient for your Bay Area groupies, yet avoiding the Crazy of the City.)

It is run according to Buddhist principles. I will let their website fill in their details… http://www.polmountainretreat.com/

…but I can attest to the amazing energy this place has, and how accommodating they are. I helped organize a retreat there about 8 years ago, and it is still one of the defining moments of my life. The people were wonderful to work with, the food was delicious and healthy, and I think you’ll have a minimal effort in “detoxifying” the place before your retreat, since it seems to attract positive energy/people and is full of collective wisdom.

Namaste

Here’s my ad, for my perfect job. It’s very, very long. ;-)

Wanted: one full- or part-time job to provide me with enough income and benefits to live in comfort and save for the future. You will be close enough to my home and school to minimize the amount of life and energy wasted in traffic. You will offer flexible hours, with the understanding that I will always do what is required of me, to the best of my ability, before leaving.

You and I will trust each other: you will trust me to set my own schedule during the day, to prioritize my own work and maximize my own productivity. I will trust you to keep me informed of what is needed and expected of me. When I decide to work away from the office, this trust will be expanded.

You will have a mission that inspires energy and commitment, an environment that encourages ideas and innovation. You will be focused on results rather than busywork and face-time. You will provide challenges that bring out my best without asking the impossible, and you will also provide recognition when I meet those challenges head-on.

The people I will work with will be diverse, but will share a sense of joy and meaning in their work. There will be no cynicism, no power plays, no backstabbing, no petty games; we will all behave like rational adults who value each other as people and as contributing members of a team.

Your physical surroundings will be attractive and functional, and I will keep them that way or improve upon them. Your technology will be up-to-date, and I will make the most of that. Your interior will be spacious and provide privacy, and I will honor my personal space.

You will offer me a chance to help others by doing my best work, and a chance to develop my skills and experience in marketing, business development, communications, management and leadership. As I develop, my responsibilities and position will grow.

In return, I will offer you my skills, which are considerable, especially in the areas of writing, editing, design and production. I will offer you my learning abilities, which are also considerable, and the benefit of all my learning in my MBA program.

I will offer you my problem-solving abilities, my creativity, my analytical abilities. I will offer you my sense of humor and my joy at making people laugh. I will offer you my dedication to see a job that is worth doing well done well.

We will prosper each other greatly.
.-= Catherine Cantieri, Sorted´s last post … Greening your job search =-.

http://wildwoodretreat.com/zjoomla/

I haven’t personally done a retreat here, but several friends have and they recommend it highly.

http://www.marconiconference.org/index.htm

I’m pretty sure they can handle special food requests, and the surroundings of the retreat are amazing (overlooking the Pacific ocean).

What I Want: To make some significant progress on my business plan and ideas (to get me the heck out of corporate america. The name of my escape from cubicle nation plan is Pidgeapalooza. So I want inspiration, support, and momentum for Pidgeapalooza. Specifically, I want to get clearer on the name for the business and what the most immediate next steps are for me to really make it real for myself.

How this could come to me: I’m really lousy at saying how this could come to me, so I’ll just say I want it to come organically, easily, and in an obvious enough way that when answers present themselves I instinctively know to say YES YES YES!

My commitment: To spend at least 30 minutes every day working on this, dreaming, thinking, making lists, brainstorming, just being in the space of “working on Pidgeapallooza.

I was at your SF workshop the other week and I loved it! So, of course, I’m suggesting a Bay Area retreat — and I know the perfect place: Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma County (www.westranch.com).

It’s not actually a ranch — but a wonderful space with great (and accomodating) food and really nice people. It has a pool & hot tub, people can book massages, and it’s overall fabulous. I hope you’ll check it out.

And… two personal adds:

#1: What I Want: to find my “right work” (and “right people” who will appreciate it). Preferably something creative, involving writing/editing or art.

#2: What I Want: to be more present in my body and allow my body to be at it’s fullest health.

Here’s how I want to get these things: Any way the universe wants to provide them. Through friends, inspiration, random meetings with strangers, twitter, whatever.

My Commitment:
To explore different creative things until I find “it.” To pay attention to my body, ground, and occasionally remember to be in the present moment.