Manchester Idea Parties

24-hour Global Twitter and Telephone Idea Party

A message from Barbara Sher:

Hi, everyone,

This coming Monday, Mar 23-24 is the big 24-hour GLOBAL TWITTER & TELEPHONE IDEA PARTY to celebrate the 30th anniversary of my first book, Wishcraft. Don't miss this giant brainstorming festival of ideas!

http://www.barbarasherwishcraft.com

The Idea Party will start on Monday, March 23th, at 8pm Eastern Standard time (and end 24 hours later, on Tuesday, March 24th, at 8pm Eastern Standard time (New York time)

The party will be happening simultaneously in 2 mediums, and we welcome you to join us at either one or both places at any time during the 24 hours. You're invited to ask questions, make comments, and give suggestions to people who are asking for help with 'impossible' dreams. (We know there are no such things, right?)

HOW TO JOIN US ON TWITTER

Twitter

For directions on how to use Twitter, go to this link.

Once you've registered in Twitter, you might find that it's easier to follow what's going on during the party by using this site, which parallels twitter.

BY TELEPHONE:

The same phone number will be used the whole time, but every six hours the access code will change, so there will be a few minute's pause and everyone will dial in again and enter the new access code. The  main number and all access codes are in this link:

All telephone info is at www.barbarasherwishcraft.com.

Since we are expecting a large volume of callers, we ask that once you are connected to the call, you mute your phone by pressing *6. If you want to make a comment during the call or ask a question, you can un-mute your phone by pressing *6 again, but once you've gotten an answer, please re- mute.

Wishcraft is 30 years old on Monday and has done some good in this world. You can read all the wonderful stories - mine, and Wishcraft's readers - and you'll never believe your dreams are impossible again. So let's celebrate that. (I might secretly drink champagne when it gets towards midnight in NY :-)

Let's make this a grand party. Let's launch someone's dream. Maybe yours.

Barbara Sher

One for the photographers amongst you...

Are you a photographer (amateur or professional) who would like to get your teeth into a new project? If that sounds like you, check out The Online Photographer's blog post about SoFoBoMo (short for Solo Photo Book Month) - a group event where a bunch of photographers all make solo photo books from start to finish in 31 days, at more or less the same time. The post contains a link to the SoFoBoMo site where you can sign up to join in the fun.

Learn to cook Dim Sum via Twitter

Lisa Tse of the Sweet Mandarin restaurant and cookery school here in city centre Manchester, is teaching people to cook Dim Sum via Twitter this Saturday (28^th Feb) at 10 am.  Follow @sweetmandarin for step-by-step instructions on the day and check out her website whilst you're about it.  Very entrepreneurial – love it!

Block Buster Fridays

Do you, like most of us, have a 'To Do' list as long as your arm?  A whole heap of things that you never seem to get around to doing?  A headful of things that you're carrying around with you and which you never seem to get to the bottom of?  In other words - all the things that block your productivity, creativity and your route to both relaxation and peace of mind.

Well you've come to the right place... 

Join us on our next Block Buster Friday and,
whatever it is that's been blocking you,
GET IT DONE - once and for all!

Gifts for the person who has everything?

Fundies (underwear made to fit two people), a Chanel sandal with a lightbulb for a heel and a bottle of Poo-Pourri (an all-natural essential oil spray for the loo that claims to trap 'embarrassing odours')...  In case you were wondering what to buy me for Christmas, these are some ideas about what I don't want.  Here are some more...

YachtScribble

How about this for initiative?  Jelly is an 18 year old girl who is already a regular on breakfast TV, radio, newspapers and TV around the world, and who had her first book published at age 15. 

She is launching a website to enable her and her boyfriend, James, to set up home together whilst avoiding debt and, at the same time, showing entrepreneurial talent and out-of-the-box thinking. 

How is she doing it?  By charging people £5 to scribble a message or an advert for their business on a yacht that the couple are hoping to buy with the money raised from the website.  Find out more here.

Extreme pumpkin carving...

If you thought pumpkin carving was just a case of scooping out the innards, cutting three triangles for eyes and a nose and then gouging out a jaggedy mouth, then think again!  Check out former Squidoo Lens of the Day - Pumpkin Carving Video Showcase for extreme pumpkin carving, pumpkin stencilling and appearances by Princess Diana and Frankenstein...

10 ways to make £100 more per month

Although there's plenty of advice around at the moment about how to cut expenses and spend less cash, it's always a great idea to have other sources of income so that you're not so reliant upon that one 'lump' of money coming into your bank account every month.

With that in mind, here are 10 ways to make £100 more a month, most of which will fit around your normal working day...

And if you're dying to ditch that day job completely, you might be interested in one of a series of occasional, themed Idea Parties that will be starting up next year.  In January 2009, I'm going to be hosting a 'Join our Escape Committee' Idea Party aimed at anyone who's ever dreamed about jumping ship, jobwise, and starting their own business. There'll also be an 'Escape Commitee' Mastermind Group to provide motivation, support, accountability and a sounding board for people who are really serious about doing their own thing.  More details to follow, so, if you don't want to miss out, make sure you sign up for our email updates at the top of this page.

(And don't worry - no-one will be expecting you to go into work the following day and give your notice in...  The emphasis will be on setting up a part-time business quickly and cheaply, which you can then use to supplement your current income or which you can grow until you reach the point where you can ditch that day job for good.)

Where do you stand on the Contentment Continuum?

When you think about your work, where do you stand on Mitch Anthony's Contentment Continuum?  Here it is:

1.  I dread my work and the pay is terrible
2.  I dread my work but the pay is decent
3.  I hate this work but the pay is excellent
4.  This work is okay but the pay isn't good
5.  This work is OK and the pay is OK as well
6.  This work is OK and the pay is excellent
7.  The work is great but the pay isn't
8.  This work is great and pay is OK
9.  This work is great and the pay is excellent
10. I'm having a blast and can't believe I get paid this kind of money to do it!!

Then ask yourself the following question:  What do I need to do to make my work life a 9 or a 10?

If you're struggling with this one, why not come along to one of our Idea Parties?  Don't get stuck in a 'life of quiet desperation'.  Just tell us you're stuck and we'll brainstorm for you.  Could be the most life-changing Saturday morning you'll ever spend...:-)

How can we help?

The credit crunch, rising prices and the downturn in the economy are leaving a lot of people feeling worried about the future and dissatisfied with the way they live their lives.  Many are left with a feeling of needing to do something more - something different - maybe even to reinvent themselves and what they do in order to:

~ supplement or safeguard their income

~ help themselves feel less vulnerable to the ups and downs of the economy

~ pursue a different way of life - one that feels more sustainable and fulfilling

If this sounds like you, we can help...

Scenario 1

You have no idea what to do but you just know you need to do something - something different, something else.

Solution

Come along to an Idea Party, tell us that you don't know what to do/where to start and we'll brainstorm for you.  We'll give you ideas to help you decide what you could do and resources to help you explore your options.

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Scenario 2

You have an idea but you don't know where to start with it...  Or you've hit a problem or obstacle that's stopped you in your tracks before you've even got started. 

Solution

Come along to one of our Saturday morning Idea Parties.  Tell us what your obstacle is and we'll brainstorm it for you.  We'll tell you how we coped when we were in a similar position and we'll tell you about any resources that we know of that will help you get unstuck.

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Scenario 3

You've got your idea.  You're pretty sure you know what you need to do to get it off the ground.  You may have even started your engines...  But you need some friendly support to help you make it fly (and keep it in the air). 

Solution

Join one of our Success Teams.  We'll help you to produce a specific plan of action to follow to achieve your goal.  We'll give you practical, down-to-earth support in the form of information and contacts, phone numbers, addresses and directions... the resources and 'odd bits of information' that you need to make your dreams come true.  More importantly, we'll give you guidance and encouragement, week by week, until you've achieved your goal and we'll absolutely refuse to let you lose or give up on your dream.

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Scenario 4

You've got your idea.  You know what you want to do.  But you've been here before and you don't have a good track record.  You've given up in the past - got discouraged, talked yourself out of it (or let other people talk you out of it).  Maybe you've fallen at the first hurdle or you're scared that you'll come up against something that you can't cope with.

Solution

Join one of our Success Teams.  We'll troubleshoot and brainstorm any obstacles you have. We’ll explore where winning attitudes and persistence really come from and keep you focused, supported and encouraged until you get where you want to go.

Isolation is the dream killer... Got a dream?  Get a team!