The Practical Dreamer's Handbook: Finding the Time, Money, and Energy to Live Your Dreams (Hardcover)

~ Paul Edwards (Author), Sarah Edwards (Author) "Everyone has dreams, both day and night..." (more)
Key Phrases: practical dreamers, magic feeling, pond house, Pine Mountain, Mary Ann, Santa Monica (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

HPsychotherapist, radio show host and coauthor with her husband, Paul, of several books on home-based businesses, Sarah Edwards tells, along with Paul, the story of their move from harried, successful lives in Los Angeles to happy, successful lives in bucolic Pine Mountain, Ga. The many setbacks and obstacles they overcame on this journey could provide enough encouragement to jump-start timid dreamers, but the Edwardses don't stop there. Recounting stories of Pine Mountain neighbors who also left the beaten path of overwork and unhappiness, the authors lead the way through desire and action to satisfaction. The Edwardses provide many surprisingly fresh and memorable "Try This" exercises and "Remember This" summaries to get readers moving in the right direction. Their' forte is fusing the practical and the imaginative, while recognizing the many roadblocks on the way. What makes this encouraging and helpful manual different from other "follow your bliss" guides is its fresh mix of clear, workable advice, realistic portrayals of just how long and challenging the road to fulfillment may actually be, and abundant examples of success. Rejecting both the traditional model of working hard for decades so that you can retire and then do what you want, as well as the prevailing model of goal setting and minute-by-minute day planning, the authors provide a truly original outline for "creating a simpler, more balanced life" that is not predicated on giving up money, comfort or anything one's heart desires. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

How often do each of us imagine a craft, business, or career we'd love to pursue or a unique place we'd love to live, only to drum up a hundred different reasons why it can't be done: Our bills are too high; we're tied down to our current home; our families will disapprove; our dreams won't pay enough-the list goes on and on. The Practical Dreamer's Handbook is the answer to those self-limiting notions.

The groundbreaking authors of Working from Home explain how readers can reverse their current mindset and marshal their resources to begin the lifestyle they desire. As always, Paul and Sarah provide a wealth of examples and anecdotes from real-life "practical dreamers" who have overcome the obstacles above and more. They counsel small but potent steps we can take-such as keeping a photograph of a place we dream of living-that not only keep our ambitions alive, but create the circumstances for positive coincidences to occur. They instruct the reader on specific actions in areas including money and time management that can help foster the transition from one type of working and living situation to another. Finally, Paul and Sarah show how to take pleasure in what you have created and how to avoid creating another stress-filled lifestyle.

The Practical Dreamer's Handbook is not geared specifically to home-based entrepreneurs, but rather to readers who yearn to begin any kind of new business, lifestyle, career, or artistic pursuit. Both therapeutic and pragmatic, it is the blueprint for which many have been searching.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (September 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585420557
• ISBN-13: 978-1585420551
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,101,048 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A personal life-strategy coaching session !, February 9, 2001

By	D. Williams "Host of By the Book Radio" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The gurus of working from home have done it again-- managed to package a personal coaching experience into the pages of their latest work, The Practical Dreamer's Handbook. I wasn't looking for a book that would change my life, but I sure found it. With their usual practical hands-on approach to working through a problem, the authors have provided us with the means to evaluate our life, choose our dream, and find tangible ways to achieve our goals.

From visualization exercises to training us to set measurable goals that can be attained, Paul and Sarah Edwards provide us with the tools to finally live our dream. I started reading this book on a Friday afternoon, and by Sunday I had rewritten my business plan and set some personal goals with my spouse. I guess you could say it has changed my life, and I plan to practice these techniques for continued success and stress-free living. Many thanks to this talented pair who continue to share their secrets and talents with the rest of us.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practically Dreamy, September 29, 2000

By	"kpickrel" (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This book was (for me) just the right mix of motivation for following your dreams and practical advice. The book is nicely divided into three sections - 1) Desire-Awakening the Dream, 2)Action-Building the New Reality, and 3)Satisfaction-Enjoying yourself. This is an uplifting, can-do type of book that celebrates your dreams and ambitions, which is nice in the face of all of the nay-sayers. If you don't have a dream yet but want one, _The Practical Dreamer's Handbook_ might just help get your juices flowing again!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only for those with the gutts to not give up, April 9, 2001

By	MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This is not a get rich quick or what I would call a yuppie new age mode book. But rather a well thought out book that is laid out in Three Parts with sub sections that cover everything from DESIRE -Awakening the Dream which then discusses Imagining, believing and being committed to creating what one seeks. To ACTION-Building a New Reality, which discusses following a plan or thread, finding the money, making the time, and having the needed energy. Part three is SATISFACTION-Enjoying Yourself, and is about feeling fulfilled and appreciating the ongoing process that never ends, but is always evolving.

The Parts on finding the time and money to go after ones goals were excellent if for no other reason than for the common sense shared. Challenging people to be quiet and be honest and look at how much time we waste doing nonsensical things, and spending money we should be saving for the goal. And the authors were smart to tell the reader to even downsize, and move to a smaller less expensive home or area if this will provide the extra income one needs to create the extra income one needs to have ones goals. That even cutting back on lunch everyday and taking a bag lunch or going for a walk will save a good 25-50 dollars a week that can be stuck away in a goal savings account.

They also are great at making the reader think about what do we REALLY want and WHY? Are we honest enough to realize that it could take 3-5 years before we see a payoff? Are we willing to put in the needed elbow grease to get the goal?

But most important to me was reading and being constantly encouraged to NOT give up. So many people grew up in homes where lofty goals were either not encouraged or sadly laughed at. The authors tell the reader that the world is full of naysayers and people who will laugh at dreamers. Yet ever notice how the nerd in school that everyone laughed at, becomes famous and has more friends from high school that were in the whole school in ten years?

Good book. Read it!