And when I write “basic” I really mean, basic. 

One of the things that has helped me incredibly throughout this process of dreaming and striving toward that dream is to purchase a few basic supplies that you can find at your local office supply store or any other location selling officy/papery type goods.

Because I’m a dork who loooOOOOoooves office supplies, and the ritual purchasing of new ones, this is a super fun errand for me.  I recently outfitted myself with a whole new set of supplies.  What are these mysterious supplies, you ask? 

Simply these:
A 3-ring notebook w/ a package of lined paper (I prefer college rule), dividers (at least 8), a set of pocketed folders/dividers, and a set of pens and pencils.

Why these particular supplies?  Well, years ago I started out with a spiral notebook just as a way to keep my thoughts and ideas all in one place.  But as time went by I started to collect fliers, business cards, and other things that I thought would be useful as resources, contacts, or ideas so I needed a place for those things as well as my thoughts.  So I upgraded to a binder with pocket folders (I like the clear plastic ones so I can see all the assorted goodies I keep therein).  Then I realized I had different categories of things I wanted to write down such as: list of people to invite onto my board of trustees; drafts of mission and vision statements; names and logos; list of people (along with their skills/talents/expertise) who might be interested in contributing their time and abilities; information about other organizations that inspire me; and of course, all the brainstorming about the details and inner workings of my dream…hence the dividers.

Now I realize this system may not be the perfect fit for everyone, but this is how I have chosen to organize my thoughts.  I really do believe that there are many benefits to getting some tangible materials that will help you organize your thoughts and put them down on paper where you can read them in black and white…or whatever color ink suits your fancy! 

I challenge the urge to get freaked out by the idea of writing stuff down.  Its not like I’m encouraging you to sit down and write a final draft of a grant proposal right off the top of your head.  Shoot, I don’t even know how to do that at this point.  But what I am encouraging you to do is put down your ideas–whatever they are and however raw or refined they are, just get ‘em down.  List people, books, and movies that inspire you; jot down places that have served as a model; take down information of websites and physical locations that are important to you and your dream; and definitely keep a list of people and their contact info who have influenced you and/or who want to be involved in your dream.

If you are at the beginning stages of the dreaming and visioneering process, you’ll be surprised at how much you know about your dream already.  Also, this writing down and organizing process will help you know how to better define and articulate your dream.  Because let’s face it, most dreams require funding that we ourselves rarely possess and that means grant writing and pitching your idea to the people with the bucks.  If we’re gonna sell our dream, we want the vision to be contagious.  That contagion results from your unwavering passion and your ability to articulate your dream and all of its components.

Email/Comments Assignment:  What are some basic very primary tools that have helped you get started?  What system has worked for you?  If you’re not the binder-with-cool-see-through-dividers kinda person, what’s your style of compiling thougths and ideas?  Remember, if you email me (at: thisfrontporch [at] gmail [dot] com) please specify what part of your content and name, if any, you are okay with me sharing on this blog.  Thanks!