DENNIS GINGERICH

While on vacation with my wife this week, we were visiting the Old Towne shops in Bera, Kentucky.  Behind the counter of Hot Flash Beads, we met an inspiring lady, Jimmy Lou Jackson, owner and creator. She joyfully makes and sells all kinds of beads, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry. Jimmy Lou revels in demonstrating her lampworking process with a steady stream of jovial banter with her spectator-soon-to-be-customers. I love a quote on her wall-sized bio that reads, “You can do something practical or do something that makes your heart sing.”

In conversation with Jimmy Lou, we learned that that she spent every work day up until age 50, examining PAP smears in a lab looking for cancer cells. Certainly, her calling made a significant difference in the early detection of cancer in the lives of thousands of Central Kentucky women over those many years. But now, the former cytologist, heats up science with a love of art. My wife looked over Jimmy Lou’s shoulder as her glowing torch met with molten glass rods, slowly forming and building each uniquely designed bead by hand. Jackson’s bead jewels are as astonishing and distinctive as the natural patterns that occur in fossils, gems and minerals. Fusing the worlds of science and art, Jimmy Lou has found her calling.

Are you doing what makes your heart sing? Or, are you just doing what is practical? If your days aren’t filled with what makes your heart sing, why not? What would a perfect day look like for you? Take time to write out a brief description.

What steps will you need to take to get to live your perfect day a year from now or two years from now? Even if you can’t completely transition to your dream life in a year or two, what intermediary steps will you take in the next year to prepare for a more complete shift later? The areas that usually need attention are finances, time and your energy—both emotional and spiritual.

What are the obstacles that stand in your way of living in such a way that you are doing what makes your heart sing? It’s good to start building your capacity now in the areas above so they aren’t hinderances. Obviously, if you don’t take any steps toward living your dream now, you will never live it in the future.

Jimmy Lou is living her dream because she made deliberate determinations and decisions before age 50. What one thing will you do this week to make your heart sing?

QUESTION: What makes your heart sing? Share it with the rest of us in the comment section below.