dream BIG: week six

I continue to enjoy the journey of reading Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts.
In the next  few pages {24-27}she encourages us to PLAY with art. For her this means using:
papers, paint, glue, fabric and more to create paintings or journals.

What does it mean for you to PLAY with art?
Does that mean paper and pen?
Does that mean fabric and a sewing machine?
Does that mean playing with various ingredients and a oven?
Does it mean playing with items from your closet to create a new outfit?
It looks different for each of us.

As I started this book I was also in the beginning phase of being "crafty" for Avery's 1st birthday celebration.
As I read this book I decided I was going to shift my perspective while planning the decor for her party.

Rather than being crafty I was going to be artsy. Each area I decorated I decided to treat as a canvas. I wanted to walk away having created the perfect "painting" even if that meant giving up getting decorations done for other areas.

I decided to play with mediums of art that I have never explored before so I could discover new things and places in me.

It brought me so much more satisfaction in each finished product. Knowing I had done it with a different eye than I have ever used before.

What is it that tempts you? What do you see other people doing that you wish you could do? Try it...you never know what might come of it.

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dream BIG! week five

Journaling

Pg 14 of Taking Flight emphasizes the importance of journaling as a part of discovering/uncovering your dreams.

Since journaling happens to be a spiritual disciple I have practiced I thought I would interview myself (he he he) on the subject?

How long have you been journaling?

My mom would say she got me my first journal at age 5 which would mean I have been keeping a journal of some kind or another for 32 years. She got it for me because of my vivid and detailed dreams. This was my place even as young as 5 to document what was happening. My journals have remained a place I chronicle my dream life. I have had numerous occasions that my dreams have become reality. I have always said that God and I communicate best through my sleep time. Therefore it makes sense for me to have a journal beside my bed and have a place to write out what is on my mind in my waking moments.

If someone has NEVER journaled where would they start?

Step one: Find a journal or make a journal you LOVE. If you have something you enjoy then you will be excited to see it and spend time with it each day. Step Two: Get a pen you love. Nothing it more annoying than starting to write and having your pen not work or just a pen that doesn’t write as smooth as you like. Step three: Simply write. I have always loved the concept of Morning Pages that Julia Cameron teaches about in The Artists Way. The concept is that every morning as soon as you wake (skip the potty, coffee and brushing teeth) and write THREE FULL PAGES without stopping. It may include your dreams, your to do list, the fact that you are annoying that can’t stop,etc. The point it to MAKE yourself write and create a habit.

Why? Why would someone start a journal?

For me journaling is the way I talk back and forth with God. It is the way I hear Him and how He is directing me, moving me and pushing me. By keeping those directives in a journal I can look back on them. I can see where I obeyed and where I strayed. I can see how He answers my prayers. I can also see very clearly the God given dreams I have honored and the ones I have allowed fear to get in the way of. My journal is also a very good friend to me and allows me to vent. No one judging me or trying to fix the situation.

Does journaling look the same every day?

I can say that prior to kids my journaling life was consistent. Now I have had to make changes...I like to call it a new phase. Some days a blog post is my journal, some days I open a word document and just write or I have used an email to myself to serve as my means or journaling. All this to say is that you may have to change it up depending on what life looks like. But, if you are in the midst of trying to hear God and the direction He has for your life then I strongly encourage a consistent journaling life.

Kelly Rae Roberts encourages making your own journal for fun. Are you panicking? DON’T! There are lots of options. You can buy a composition book at Target, scrapbook paper and stickers and go to town. You can cover a blank book with fabric. You can make a cover with empty cereal boxes and tie notebook paper inside.  You do this so that you feel invested. And your journal becomes something you care about.

Hope you are excited about the possibility of hearing your dreams in a new way. 

P.S. - Going offline for a bit. In the last days of prepping for Avery's 1st birthday party. 

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dream BIG! week four.

Believe it or not we reached the end of section 1. Woot! Woot!
Kelly Rae Roberts leaves us with a few questions to ponder.
Taking Flight pg 18
The one thing I never thought I could do is?....

How can I make a plan to do that?....

Who in my life has passion?...

What questions can I ask them about their story?...

I feel most inspired when?...
Next week: journaling and MAKING your own journal!

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dream BIG. week two

I continued my dream BIG adventure by reading TWO whole pages of Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. It is NOT that I don't want to read more it is simply because it takes so much to even process the two pages I have read. Here is a glimpse into the stands outs for me in those two pages. 


Quote pg. 12
The whispers of our dreams often get suffocated by the constraints and pressures of our everyday lives. 
Wow! The word parenthood could sum up the above quote. 
In my vocation I get Mondays as my day off. My Mondays pre-motherhood were dreamy. Sleep in, hot tea, journal, and read. Catch a movie that I wanted to see or take myself on an Artist Date (Artist Way.Julia Cameron), throw an errand or two in and you have a glorious day. 
Now my Monday picture is to wake up a tad groggy, feed kids, change diapers, do dishes, put away laundry, MAYBE take a shower, MAYBE eat, pick up toys, feed kids, change diapers, do dishes, repeat!
That can sound bleak and some days it feels like everyday life is suffocating me. But, my Mondays also include playing, dancing, laughing, painting or coloring, playing outside, sliding down slides and LOVING my kids. The point is that it is my PERSPECTIVE that takes it from suffocating to dream giving. 


Quote pg. 12
Inner yearnings are our living dreams
Yearnings? What are those exactly? Things that tap on you, bring you a smile, make you think and think and think. Things that you find your mind dreaming about and wishing for. 
Only you can say what your inner yearning are! 
Anyone who knows me well can easily tell you that mine have always been to write, create, dream, and coach others. 
Thankfully I get to do a certain amount of that through my vocation but there are ways that I can push myself farther. It is my job to push the yearning into a living and breathing dream. 


Quote pg. 12 
Even the most intuitive and self aware artist can benefit from testing the limits of her/his creativity and pushing boundaries of her/his comfort zone. 
I think the natural response to this quote would be HOW? How do I push my boundaries? My answer to that has been: read.retreat.conference.try! 
read.retreat.conference.try!  
READ, READ, READ, LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!
My choice favs:
Artist Way by Julia Cameron
Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli 
Let your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
RETREAT
Pre-motherhood I took myself on two personal retreats a year. Once you start looking you will be surprised how many local possibilities there are. Book a room at a bed and breakfast, check churches for woman's retreat or google retreat centers in your areas. I suggest going with a goal, even if that goal is relaxing! But, know what your mission is so that you can walk away from your time feeling accomplished. 
Right here right now I promise to begin this again once Avery is 1 1/2. Keep me accountable?
CONFERENCES
Conferences are always boundary pushers for me. While expensive sometimes it is worth the investment or sign up to "work-it" and listen in for free. But, again a lot of local churches or organizations will offer opportunities at little or no cost. Google is a beautiful tool!
TRY
Last but not least in the end you simply have to be willing to TRY doing something new. It may push you forward or it may push you to the ground but at least you will have tried. 


Quote pg. 13
Our whispers also tend to reveal themselves in subtle ways to people who we feel closest to. 
This can be powerful. When a friend or friends speak into you life and encourage you in your dreams you can feel excitement. This is also a place to put your radar flags up and make sure what they are speaking into your life is what God wants for you. 
Case in point. Over the last year I became ridiculously obsessive about party planning. I love looking at blogs, dreaming up ideas for my own kids and friends. I LOVE IT! Friends have been encouraging, they ask for ideas, and help. A few have gone as so far as to ask why I don't turn it into something more? And while the idea sounds fun I know what God has asked of me and it is not to be the next AZ party guru. 
On the flip side when God gave me the vision for Cravings close to 2 years ago I kept it close to my heart till I was ready to be brave and own it as something I was going to bring to reality. Once I was ready to share I was open to friends thoughts, feedback and help. When I went into the solicitation phase of the product I had prepared myself for a long haul to finding the RIGHT company to pick it up. Ready for discouragement I was overwhelmed when I was immediately meet with willingness. It only took me 8 weeks to find the right fit but I credit that to being a God given vision and being open to Christian friends giving me input and direction.
The point here is that we shouldn't let a friend lead a vision. Make sure it comes from God first and then let your friends pour into that vision.  


Quote pg 13
The next time you catch yourself beginning a sentence with "One day, maybe I can...or if I had more time, I would..." take notice. 
My "if I had more time" list is: I would...simplify, organize, read more, and write more. 
My "one day" list is: One day...I will be a published author. I will be a full time mom and wife. 
My "maybe I can" list is: Maybe I can...make an impact on mom's who desire to know God more, impact young woman who struggle with body image, help churches around the world have quality children's curriculum. 
The best thing I know how to do when there is a to-do list in front of me is to create an action plan. Guess I know what my personal 6x6(Axiom Bill Hybels)looks like. 
Question for the week:
What is ONE new thing you can try this week? Don't question it, over think it, or worry about it. Just try it. 

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Dream BIG! week one.

chapter one. page one. 

Have you ever had a book you were so enamored with that you can’t even turn the page? I have a new one. Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. I am only two pages in because I keep reading those two pages over and over and over again. I am trying my hardest to soak in the words, apply them and let them challenge me.

Pg.  11: “Do you have an inner voice, a gentle whisper quietly nudging you to listen?... It may just be a whisper, a small voice tucked deep inside the pockets of your heart, but really, it’s your life calling.”

As a Christian I call that whisper the Holy Spirit. A powerful being that moves me, shakes, pushes, pulls and changes me. It nudges and I am supposed to answer. If I am honest I sometimes send it to voicemail. I avoid even listening to the message because I don’t want to move from where I have found comfort. But, my heart knows it needs to pick up the call.

Pg. 11 “We must make the unconscious conscious”

When the Holy Spirit calls the immediate response should be “I am here! What do you need from me?” Otherwise called ACTION! For me I am usually filled with questions when the whisper happens. Speak up, I can’t hear you! What do you mean? How in the world can this happen?  Why should I? Are you real or are you just a crazy voice in my head? But, I also know from experience following the call helps me discover who I have been created by God to be. Following the call uncovers my potential that I can’t even see. Following the call changes me, which changes those around me which has a trickle effect into the world.

Pg. 11 “Once I started listening …buried dreams became unearthed and creative joy exploded into my life”

BAM! I love exploding JOY!!! Over the break I gave up my daily blog so that I could focus on family time and catch up on my kiddos blogs. I was faced with some questions for myself about my personal blog. Why does it exist? It exists for me. I started it as a place that would be all my own where I could record my life. In becoming a mom, which I love dearly, there was a part of ME that got lost. It was all about them and I felt a piece of me had vanished in the process so I started With Joy.  I had no idea what would be unearthed from there.  I am daily watching people in the blog world explode with creative joy and it is so motivating to watch. The number of people out there that are creating and writing their Holy Spirit driven stories are so inspiring. What I love is how unique each story is. No two repeat. 

I am in the midst of listening and responding to a call. It has been a year and half since the call for Cravings happened on a car ride to Big Bear, California. I sat on the call for 9 months. Asking a lot of questions and frankly questioning the call. But, I eventually listened, pushed, and moved into an ACTION phase. It was and is terrifying. Will it be reality or stay a buried dream? Will it succeed or fail? Every day I tell myself it doesn’t matter because it was about responding to that whisper that nudged.

Pg. 11 “Rediscover your dreams...They are real and possible.”

What whisper have you heard in your life? What scares you about the whisper? What steps can you take this week to move that whisper into an action phase?

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Dream BIG

"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." Matthew 13:3

I happened upon this little lady in the day after Christmas sale at our church bookstore and it was love at first site.

Her head cocked, her mis-matched style, and then there were the words she wears on her heart: Dream BIG!

It will be my 2011 mantra, theme, wish, desire, and hope.

I think my family would agree that I have always been a dreamer. Since I can remember I have had vivid dreams as I sleep. Some actually coming to reality. My mom says my nightly dreams were the reason she got me my first journal. It gave me a place to document the crazy details of the nightly lands I would visit.

I also never hesitated to dream about my life. Dreams of being a mommy, school teacher, dancer, actress, youth director, and children's book writer. Eventually as I got older I simply dreamed of being a person that  desired to live a healthy life. With the intent to create and share as Christ calls me to.

Since I am not a stranger to dreaming what will "dream BIG" mean to me for 2011?

I came to realize over 2010 that dreaming can be just dreaming. While fun...in the end it is wasted time. The other option is that dreams CAN become a reality and bigger than you can ever imagine. If normal it will not happen with the snap of your fingers, it will take hard work, and for me it takes an action plan. I LOVE action plans! But, it is knock your socks off cool to watch dreams become BIG dreams.

I have some specific BIG dreams for 2011(our family has some separate goals). Do I hope to accomplish them? You bet! Do I think I will 100%? Nope! ( I have already failed today) And I am willing to say that now - but I also know I willing to try. I am up for the challenge of dreaming BIG in 2011.

My lady sits with me beside my bed. Each morning I will look at her and be reminded that I can sit and just dream or I can step into the day and plan to dream BIG!

* The Little lady is from the Kelly Rae Roberts Collection. I have already gotten her book and am in awe! I will be sharing from it on Wednesdays. 

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