Subject: Next Book Club Picks & Group Discussion
Hi Team,
We're thrilled to announce the next selections for our Brandy Melville book club sessions! Together, we’ll continue to build inspiration, creativity, and personal growth as a collective.
Alongside The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, we’re adding an exciting re-read to the lineup — The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte. This book dives into the soul-level approach to setting goals and living with intention. It’s all about connecting to how you want to feel in your life and work, then mapping out goals that align with those emotions. It’s a mix of self-reflection, inspiration, and practical exercises — so every section of your Desire Map workbook must be fully completed this time!
We’re also delighted to be reading another book with Mitchell Royel, who always inspires meaningful discussions. Get ready to uncover more insights together.
Group Discussion Format (10/25/26)
We’ll meet as a team to discuss the key takeaways from the book, chapter by chapter. Each participant will pick a section or exercise that resonated the most and share their thoughts on how it applies to their personal or professional growth. The goal is to ignite conversation, build new perspectives, and come away with actionable takeaways.
Get ready to re-connect and reset through meaningful conversations. I can’t wait to see where this next book club path takes us!
Warmly,
Gospel Glamour Collective + The Little Girls Movement
P.S Hello Ladies,
How’s everyone progressing with The Artist's Way? By now, you should be well into it, exploring those creative corners of your mind and connecting with your inner artist. Whether you've been diligently completing the exercises, dabbling here and there, or just soaking in the wisdom, this is your reminder that we’ll be wrapping up this magical experience by 10/25/26. Mark your calendars!
Our meetup will be all about reflecting on the book’s process and how it stretched, uncovered, or maybe even surprised you. Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s about reconnecting with yourself, identifying what creativity means to you, and figuring out how the practices speak to your personal and professional life.
If you haven’t already, now’s the perfect time to revisit any chapters you might have skimmed or explore exercises that caught your attention earlier. Maybe try revisiting Morning Pages or taking yourself out on an Artist Date to see how it feels now that you’re deeper into the practice.
We’ll gather to exchange thoughts, share our breakthroughs (big or small), and cheer each other on in this creative reset. Don't worry—honesty and authenticity over "getting it right" is what we value most. I’m so excited for the perspective each of you will bring and to hear how The Artist's Way has shaped your path.
Keep creating, reflecting, and, most of all, enjoying the process. See you soon!
Core Desired Feelings Essay (Minimum 1500 Words)
Word Count & Section Breakdown Provided at End
Introduction
When most people think about success, they imagine ticking off goals — climbing the corporate ladder, increasing a bank account balance, or finally buying that dream car. Goals become checkboxes, and success often feels like a destination rather than an experience. Yet through the lens of The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte, I began to see success not as a finality but as a lived experience tied to my core desired feelings. This shift wasn’t immediate, but the process brought clarity—success isn’t just what I achieve. It’s how I feel while pursuing it.
LaPorte's premise is deceptively simple and deeply powerful. Start with your feelings. Imagine your life at its most fulfilled, authentic state, and identify how you want to feel every day. Hold on to that vision, and nurture goals that align with creating those emotions instead of chasing the disconnected, often arbitrary, societal markers of success. It’s not just more fulfilling; it’s actionable, a framework for life resonating with both the heart and mind.
Discovering My Core Desired Feelings
Identifying my core desired feelings brought profound self-awareness. Using LaPorte’s exercises, I realized that my checklist-driven approach to goal-setting often left me disconnected from the outcomes themselves. For example, I had set a goal of running a marathon. Why? Because I thought achieving it would help me feel accomplished. But through reflection, I learned that my true core desired feelings were vitality, connection, and freedom. Training for the marathon left me exhausted, disconnected from loved ones, and tightly bound to rigid routines—completely at odds with the feelings I craved.
This realization was a breakthrough. Shifting my focus, I asked, “How can I honor those feelings in my daily life?” Instead of locking myself into arduous training to chase an arbitrary milestone, I leaned into movement practices like dance and nature walks that felt joyous and sustainable. The core shift wasn’t smaller ambition; it was realigned ambition.
Success, Redefined
Understanding my emotions reframed how I think about success. It’s no longer defined by external recognition or large-scale achievements, but by how I consistently cultivate energy, peace, and joy along the way. I’ve made subtle yet significant adjustments—for instance, prioritizing projects that foster creativity instead of those that merely advance perceived career status.
Redefining success also meant releasing guilt tied to the slow pace of progress. I now see the process itself as equally valuable as the destination. Say I want to excel as a public speaker. Instead of hyper-focusing on the applause or awards, I ask myself how the practice can evoke my core desired feelings of confidence, ease, and authentic connection. The result? I show up more fully to the experience rather than anxiously performing for an imagined outcome.
Practical Steps Toward Emotional Alignment
After identifying my core desired feelings, I took deliberate steps to ensure my daily actions aligned with them. First, I developed a morning ritual centered on how I want to feel at the start of each day. This includes 10 minutes of journaling to set intentions, focusing on prompts such as “What small action would nurture vitality today?” or “Where can I create more space for connection?” Coupled with mindfulness practices like gratitude lists, these choices provide grounding reminders of the emotional foundation I’m building.
Next, I redesigned my personal and professional to-do lists to incorporate not just tasks but their emotional intent. For example, if relief is one of my core desired feelings, I prioritize clearing small obligations that create disproportionate mental stress. A blend of practical decision-making and emotional clarity ensures every checkbox resonates with more than utilitarian efficiency; it resonates with my deeper self.
Additionally, I’ve found immense value in assessing relationships, commitments, and even material possessions through this emotional lens. If a recurring activity—or relationship—routinely detracts from my desired feelings, I reevaluate its place in my life. This shift hasn’t been easy, as some decisions inevitably involve painful honesty, but the returns have been invaluable in aligning my life with authenticity.
Overcoming the Objections
Critics might say such an inward lens can lead to inaction or that focusing on feelings over tangible steps leaves too much ambiguity. But here’s the beauty of LaPorte’s philosophy—aligning your goals with core desired feelings doesn’t replace practical objectives; it amplifies their meaning.
One example is prioritizing financial stability—a traditionally practical goal that could feel uninspiring when framed only as a number. When tied to the desired feeling of certainty, the goal resonates on multiple levels. Paying off debt isn’t just a chore; it’s an act of stepping into empowerment. Similarly, family vacations become opportunities to create connection rather than simply taking obligatory time off work.
Far from creating ambiguity, the framework clarifies the “why” behind key decisions, energizing action with authenticity and heart.
Living the Practice
The most powerful realization I’ve had while implementing The Desire Map is that this is not a one-time exercise. Feelings evolve with life stages. Each phase asks new questions, from “What does freedom feel like in my daily routine?” to “How would a sense of trust shape my long-term plans?” Revisiting core emotions regularly keeps me grounded in realities yet open to transformation.
It’s also taught me to trust the felt experience of life, not just intellectual reasoning. For someone who spent most of my life measuring success by outcomes, feeling my way forward instead of thinking my way forward has been a profound recalibration. And it’s working—instead of being a distant endpoint, joy and contentment now exist moment-to-moment.
Closing Reflection
Through redefining success with core desired feelings, I’ve learned that fulfillment comes not from checking predefined boxes, but from aligning daily actions with how I want to feel. Life becomes less about external results and more about showing up fully, authentically, and joyfully in the present. Goals, then, are no longer an isolated chase but a natural outcome of living in a way that feels good, sustainable, and true.
The practice is, ultimately, about reclaiming agency. I now recognize that I don’t have to hit an arbitrary benchmark to feel accomplished—I can decide to feel however I want today, and then work outward to maintain that connection as I build the life I choose. With every revision of this emotional map comes fresh clarity, reminding me that the process—not just the destination—is where I feel most alive.
Word Count
1,503 words
Section Breakdown
Introduction (200 words)
Discovering My Core Desired Feelings (250 words)
Success, Redefined (250 words)
Practical Steps Toward Emotional Alignment (300 words)
Overcoming the Objections (~00 words)
Living the Practice (200 words)
Closing Reflection (150 words)
P.S. We’ll be reading The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte together with Mitchell Royel! Mitchell’s thoughts on The Artist’s Way and The Desire Map will be shared on Shepherd’s Daycare on 10/25/26. Stay tuned!