Author: Vian Wheatley

Stepping Out Series: Personal Brainstorming

Happy Sunday everyone! It has warmed up here in Louisville, KY so the snow has melted and it’s a whopping 54 degrees today.

I’m chilling out here at church waiting for a parent meeting for my son’s middle school Believe conference. It is so quiet without the kids here. Their vibrancy can sometimes be so overwhelming but without their boundless energy this place is not the same. They’ll be here soon so while I am waiting, I will use this time to write.

Chill Tea

I have been thinking about writing a series on what I have been talking about the last three posts – about stepping out to follow your dream and joining me in this journey. For lack of creativity, I am just going to simply call it Step Out Series.

I have been encouraged to really do this after a lunch date with a friend last week. She and I were talking and updating each other about life and I shared with her my daring faith journey.

I asked her what would she like to do that she’s always been passionate about but never thought would happen. Sitting there and listening to her just reaffirmed that I am not alone – that there are so many of us out there that’s just afraid to take the first step and believe. It doesn’t matter how young or how old you are at this point. Truth of the matter is that we have this fear – of the unknown, of failing, or succeeding so irreversibly we believe that it’s not ever going to happen. Dreams (or goals) become suspended in mid-air and out of reach.

My goal is to help you and in doing so, you are making me realize that I too can make my dreams happen. So are you ready?

First step is personal brainstorming – understand what it is you want to happen in your life. Write them down however weird or unattainable. Is it losing weight? Is it starting that art class? Is it going back to get that degree? Is it finally taking the courage and take that bungee jump? Is it starting a blog like I am doing? A business? Anything that has been a burning desire that has been in your heart and you feel strongly about. Write them down and don’t mark them off your list. This is what brainstorming is all about. No ideas too mundane or stupid. Write them down to acknowledge your innermost desires and passions.

So are you ready?? Get busy and start this journey with me. Let’s all Step Out!

Snow Day Diary

Today is Snow Day which translates to No School Day. I finally got my snow – woohoo! You would think that someone who grew up in the tropics would hate the cold and snow but I love it! There’s something about snow-covered picturesque landscape that touches my soul. I find beauty in this wintry panorama – until someone starts walking on my perfect snow landscape and the sun turns my white dust to dirty slush

I’m sharing some pictures from today – the first one is the View from our front yard and the next one is to show you how much snow we got today.

We got snow!

I’m waxing poetic here so let me get down to what I promised on my last post. I shared that I wanted to have my own website. So, here I am intentionally ensuring I write and share more of me even if I know that not many people will read what I have to say. I’m doing it to encourage at least one person to believe in his/her dream and to take that single step.

For the past week I have been brainstorming in my head the name of my website and what I would write about. It’s already forming in my mind. I finally had the courage to verbalize to my husband and kids what I have been pondering about. I’m boldly telling them that it is going to happen this year. There were some promising names but mostly the name suggestions were downright hilarious and will not pass as website names. What joy it has given me just by sharing with them one of my dreams. I love how they support me.

I know it will happen sooner than I think is possible. What about you? I encourage you to take this journey with me. We will figure d a lot of treasures along the way. I leave you with this in mind. Believe it can happen to you as well.

Photo from All Good Things

Let’s Hustle!

I’m having a late start but I will eventually get there. Two days ago I encouraged you to believe in your dreams and that it is possible for things to happen whatever stage you are in right now or how old you are.

So let me boost you up by sharing this picture.

We gotta hustle friends! It starts with faith and belief that it can happen to you. Next is the courage to take that small step however daunting your goal seems like. As you move forward, your confidence will slowly rise from within and you’ll be amazed at what you can do. There will be some ups and downs along the way but don’t lose your determination and your grip on the goals and dreams you have set. You can do more than what you think you are capable of.

If you need an accountability partner or someone to boost you up, let me know. We are in this together. We are going to scale our mountains and conquer the summit.

Next post I will share what I have been doing to follow my dreams. I am also slowly stepping out in faith. For now I just want to enjoy my day off with the family.

2018 – Dare to Believe It Can Happen

Good morning folks!! It’s Saturday morning and what better way to spend it than being in bed. I know it’s been a while since my last post and we are already halfway in January. I hope the year that was 2017 treated you well and that you are hopeful for 2018.

I don’t do resolutions but I do vision and prayer casting (as I call it) for the new year. I spend time praying and reviewing what the Lord has given me and directed me for the current year and what His direction would be for the following year.

2016 was a year of promise while 2017 was the year of breakthrough for me and my family. 2017 was the year God taught me a lot about love, hope, and generosity. It was an emotional year too since we lost our dad but through it all God’s favor has been upon us. There were a lot of unexpected blessings that dotted our 2017 not just financially that I am truly grateful for.

I am declaring that 2018 will be the year of fulfillment for us. This is the year of daring faith – to believe that the impossible can happen, for dreams to manifest in reality, and promises to come to fruition they are already YES in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Personally too, I want to be more intentional in the way I live my life, as a wife and mom, my relationship with my family, friends, and others so I can pursue a meaningful life driven by God’s purpose.

What are you hoping for that you think will not happen? Have a candid conversation with God and dare to believe it can happen.

For me, I have always desired to become an entrepreneur, have my own website, write my own book, and to become a public speaker. I am putting them out here as my first step of faith. I have been very vocal to others that I want to have my own business and creating my own website but not about public speaking and writing my own book. I am saying this to encourage you to boldly believe and take a small step of faith to get you started.

Financially I don’t have the funds yet to jumpstart my business nor am I creative enough to design my own website but I know they will happen this year. As for the other two, my greatest barrier is that I think no one will ask me to speak or that I have what it takes to write a book that is worth reading to someone.

BUT I am daring to believe these can happen and I am taking the bull by its horns because it is time to take action and follow these dreams that God has placed in my heart. I am more than hopeful! I am expectant and I want to share this with all of you to get you started as well.

Join me in this unexpected journey and believe things can happen beyond our wildest expectations. Let us soar high and believe no matter how young or how old we think we are.

Let us share our experiences so we can also embolden others to do the same. Send me your story at vianwheatley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

P.S Photo not mine. I screen grabbed it from alfchurch.org.

Project Nothing Day

Last night while I was laying down on the couch and looking very tired, my eleven year old son summed up everything that I needed to do relax.

He said, “Mom all you need to do is take a day off. Do nothing and do not worry about anything. Trust me it works.”

His wisdom had me totally flabbergasted! Out of the mouth of babes, indeed! Where on earth did this kid get this intuitiveness from? I would like to think that God has used him as a mouthpiece to get me to truly believe that I really do not have to worry about anything.

It seems easy enough to do but the struggle to do nothing is real. I love knowing I did something meaningful or that I achieved something at the end of the day. I brainstorm on ways that I can extend 24 hours because I am a full time working mom that wants to do more because the dreams that I have before I became a wife and a mother are still alive in my heart. I still need to define me and the purpose of why I am here.

Ok rant over. I’m out of my soapbox. Please tell me I am not alone and that my drama is real and not imagined. I told my daughter who is away for college that “adulting” is hard work.

I do have to take heed of my son’s pearl of wisdom. I need to take a vacation day sometime soon and plan on doing nothing and not worry one iota. I know its counterintuitive that I need to plan to do nothing, right? Let’s face it, I still have to work for my family and there are other people depending on me as well.

How about joining me in having a Project Nothing Day? I know it’s also called a Sabbath Day but I have to be honest – I still worry and try to do something on my rest day.

Project Nothing Day is a day of no activities planned or unplanned activities (let’s be spontaneous), no worrying, no kids (at least until they come back from school), no laundry, no cleaning house, etc.

It’s going to be a day of absolutely nothing.

Who wants to do it with me? Let us see if we can relax and just be. Shall we?