Hello, I'm Tamara Johnson, your host of The Get Out of the Mud Show with your Weekly Quote and Assignment.

Friedrich von Schiller said: "Keep true to the dreams of thy youth."

During the month of December, I will be exploring the topic of childhood dreams, which is also the topic of the first chapter of my book: "Pull Yourself Out of the Mud: Know and Love Who You Are and Get MORE Out of Life!" Have you ever noticed that "growing up" seems to be synonymous with "get real"? Somewhere along the line as we grew up, we were encouraged to let go of our dreams in favor of a practical, safe journey into "responsible adulthood." But who says that responsible adults cannot also live their dreams?

Over the past few months, I have become acquainted with very successful people who live their dreams as part of their daily activities. For me, these people have challenged the idea that we must stay within the "practical" guidelines that physical survival requires. That is not to say that we must become incredibly successful in a financial sense in order to live our dreams successfully. For example, although you may not have the finances to tour Broadway and enjoy the shows, you can support your community theater. If you dreamed of travel, you needn't have the capability to afford exotic trips to far away places. You can explore sites local to where you live. Each little act we enjoy that aligns us with our dreams brings us closer to realizing the life we have always dreamed of.

For access to this week's assignment and every weekly quote and assignment that follows, simply fill in your name and e-mail address below. Then click "submit" and check your e-mail! (By the way, I hate spam as much as you do and will never send you unsolicited e-mail. You can unsubscribe any time you wish.)

Join me this Wednesday, December 5th at 6pm PST on The Get Out of the Mud Show when I will be discussing connecting with and healing your inner child.

Have you ever watched a young child playing care-free in the park, jumping fearlessly from high places or imagining wildly that she is an airplane pilot or a prima ballerina or a lion tamer at the circus? When you have seen such a child, do you wonder where your own inner, care-free, fearless child went? Have you ever thought of pursuing your childhood dreams as if they were more than just dreams but, in fact, potential realities in your life?

Hello, I'm Tamara Johnson, your host of The Get Out of the Mud Show with your Weekly Quote and Assignment. Today's quote comes from Chin-Ning Chu. She said:

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one's own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.
- Chin-Ning Chu

Chin-Ning defines a successful life as one in which we understand and pursue our own path rather than being directed by others in which way we should go. This is a profound principle that is grounded in a necessary understanding of ourselves - it is the understanding that I have invited you to when I challenge you to pay attention to your feelings and to be compassionate toward the child within you.

Hello, I am Tamara Johnson, your host of The Get Out of the Mud Show.

Today, I am exploring the concept of Taking Care Of Yourself During the Holiday Season. I want to begin by sharing a poem with you. It is called:

See Mother, Funny, Funny Mother

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.
- Wilma Rudolph

Stop and think about that for a minute. Why would Wilma encourage us not to underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit? My guess is that it is so easy for us to live without recognizing the power of our own dreams and the strength of our own spirits. One of the themes I explore very deeply in my book, Pull Yourself Out of the Mud, is that as we grow up, we are encouraged NOT to dream so that we can conquer the day-to-day realities necessary for survival with food and shelter. But that is backwards thinking!

What would happen if we had the courage to dream of our best life? If we didn't have the inclination to give up when an obstacle is thrown in the path of our fondest wishes? I believe that most of us are so quick to think "that's not something I can do" that we give up before we even try! Or, we learned the "practical lessons" of life so well that we never dare allow ourselves to break the rules and dream big!

For this week's assignment, please fill in your name and e-mail address and I will be happy to send you this assignment and every weekly assignment as it becomes available.

Remember to visit www.GetOutoftheMud.com on Wednesday when I provide a deeper exploration of the purpose of feelings.
Thanks for tuning in today! I wish you well.
Tamara Johnson

On a previous episode, I talked to you about the purpose of feelings. Today I want to add to your understanding of what our feelings are meant to do for us as well as how we came to disregard our feeling selves in the first place. Finally, I'm going to explain some things about feelings that will help them seem less threatening to you.

Goals are dreams with deadlines.
- Diana Scharf Hunt

I think Diana Scharf Hunt is really onto something. Very often, our goals are centered around day-to-day, practical "to do" lists. But have you ever stopped to think that your goals are actually mini-milestones toward your ultimate lifetime dreams? How would your goals change if you actually allowed yourself to dream wildly before you put your pencil to paper and wrote a single goal? And what if you actually were audacious enough to put a deadline on your dreams? Are you ready for amazing, wildly exciting things to happen in your life?

If you would like to take these possibilities to the next level, sign up for your FREE assignment associated with The Get Out of the Mud Show Weekly Quote. Simply fill in your name and e-mail address and I will send you your free assignment that you can use to take your growth to the next level!

Remember to join me this Wednesday to hear my conversation with Fredda Wasserman about Your Life As A Balancing Act. It is a conversation you won't want to miss!

If you would like to hear the complete 30-minute interview with Fredda Wasserman, simply enter your first name and e-mail address in the form below. I completely respect your privacy and will never share your information with anyone else.

Fredda Wasserman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Thanatologist. She knows that a Woman's Life is a Balancing Act and she specializes in helping women regain balance when they encounter stress and challenges in their health, their career or their relationships.

I wasn't going to be one of those people who died wondering what if? I would keep putting my dreams to the test - even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
- Alex Haley

Living with uncertainty and fear of failure in the shadowland of hope. Yes, that is what dreaming requires. The interesting reality is that the uncertainty may be real because in order to pursue a dream, we will never know how the path toward the dream will unwind. However, the fear of failure is only as real as we allow it to be. Most of the time, the fears we encounter while pursuing our dreams are old, worn-out relics from our personal history that evaporate when we explore them in depth. Unexplored, these same fears have the potential and capacity to cause us to walk away from our dreams without even trying. But there is another way to think of the fear of failure -- it is your personal invitation to grow. If your dream is your inspiration, your fear is the catalyst for personal growth. It is simply the developmental milestone you must pass in order to create what you envision.

I invite you to take the next step toward overcoming your fear of failure in order to live your dreams. Sign up for your FREE Assignment associated with today's quote. Don't worry, I will not share your information with anyone and the assignment is absolutely FREE -- my gift to you as you take courage to travel this journey of growth with me!

Remember to join me on Wednesday, January 2nd at 6pm PST as I explore the conflict between taking care of our own needs and the pressure we feel to be a "Good Girl." Until then, remember to dream big and be well!

All my love to you,
Tamara Johnson