It's never too late.

It's never too late you know. That thing you've always wanted to do, no matter how you might have procrastinated over the years, and made up excuses as to why you can't actually do it (even though, hello, it's clearly burning in your heart, which means you're probably more equipped and even more capable of doing it than anyone else around you!) Anyway, I'm here today to tell you something. Friend, it's never too late. I had a conversation with someone very dear to me yesterday, we were talking about a particular vocation and their eyes lit up as they excitedly told me over and over "I would love to do that..." So I told them, it's not too late to start now! 

God is outside of time, so there are no limits with him. Think about it. He has no limits, but we limit ourselves by making up silly deadlines, and then we feel completely overwhelmed when we don't meet them! I simply have to have a  <<insert here: college degree, house, husband, wife, baby, successful business, book published, investment property, round the world adventure>> by the time I'm 30 or I'm doomed! What the heck? Sometimes I think we are actually crazy. Anyway, I just want to encourage you today. Whatever is stirring in that beautiful heart of yours, don't doubt it or push it aside one more moment, God is stirring things within you, so stop and listen. It's never too late.

It's never too late to change careers.

It's never too late to fall in love.

It's never too late to travel.

It's never too late to buy a house.

It's never too late to be a mum or a dad.

It's never too late to move to another city.

It's never too late to start creating.

It's never too late to go on an adventure.

It's never too late to hear God's still small voice whispering secrets to you.

So friends, I want to take the pressure OFF you today. There are no time limits. And I want to release you. Today is a brand new day. You, my friend, have greatness inside of you. There are things locked up inside you that are bursting to come out, so listen to that still small voice and ask him to show you. Cos he will. Here is some encouragement for you... look at these amazing champions (hardly spring chickens!) and look what they achieved:

* Laura Ingles Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie, published her first book at age 64.

* Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa when he was almost 76.

* Julia Child didn't learn to cook until age 40, and didn't begin her television program "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" until she was 51.

* Andrea Bocelli didn't begin singing opera seriously until he was 34.

* Peter Mark Roget published the first edition of Roget's thesaurus at age 73, and continued overseeing every update until age 90.

* Anna Mary Robert Moses, known as Grandma Moses, began painting at 76 and painted over a thousand paintings up until her passing at age 101.

So friends... my challenge to you is this: if it's tap tap tapping away inside your heart, do NOT be limited or held back by your age, by finance or by time. 

It's time to jump.

Because...

As you always hear me say, be ready, because at any moment anything can happen, anything can change and in a split second the door of opportunity can swing right open in front of you. As I was writing this, I felt to say, if you feel stuck and you're not sure how to take the next step in chasing your dreams please feel free to leave me a comment or email me as I would love to encourage you! 

God is cheering you on and so am I :) 

Love Nat xoxo

Image - Pinterest // Stats - Here

Anything Can Happen ~ Book Sneak Peek { Everyday Adventures }

On a scale of one to ten, how much adventure would you say you've you had lately? Would you say you are adventurous all day? Half the day? Or would it be more like 1 hour per day? Or maybe not even be that much? Well, I've been working on my book "Anything Can Happen" quite a bit lately and yesterday I was writing all about adventure. Ah, I love this pic below, doesn't it make you want to go and climb a mountain?

What is this desire in us for adventure? Even if we don't realise it's in us, it's there. We have been given "life in abundance" (John 10:10) Abundance = a very large quantity, more than adequate, over-sufficient. So for me, abundance is simple, I need to have a lot more fun and adventure. So, here's a sneak peek of a snippet from Chapter 4 of the book ~ "Expect Surprises Everyday" :) xx

A N Y T H I N G   C A N   H A P P E N 

{ e v e r y d a y  |  a d v e n t u r e s }

"If I say to you “expect adventure today”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? You might have a list of great things that just roll off the tongue, which is great, but if you don’t, then it’s time to dream. 

I’m challenged even as I write this. What am I expecting today? It’s 3:48pm on Tuesday 25th February. There are still just over 8 hours left in this day. So, what am I expecting? It would be easy for me to think, “well it’s almost 5pm, that’s the end of the day, then I’ll go home and just relax and have an early night”. Sensible, yes. Adventure, not really. What time is it now, as you read these words? Look at your watch, then work out how many hours are left in this day. Even if it’s only 30 minutes, that’s plenty of time to encourage someone, write in your journal, send that email, look up that course, or take one tiny step toward that dream you’ve been putting off for six months. 

An adventure is “an unusual and exciting or daring experience”. It’s “participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises” (Oxford Dictionary) and really, "life in abundance" means we should be participating in and experiencing these all the time right?! So let's stir it up. Let's stir up a sense of daily adventure and expectation. Adventure and fun are not just for ‘every now and then’, they are for everyday. 

Even if you don't know quite what you'd love to do... just ask God, and he will show you. :) Life is too short not to have fun and do what you love all the time. So what is it for you? Take a few minutes, take the limits off, let your mind go wild and just ask, “What’s the adventure awaiting me right now?” Because guess what he says to you...

As we start thinking like this, adventure actually becomes our normal. God has put so many seeds of adventure inside us, and it’s up to us to dig them up. When we have a vision for what we are expecting, we go after it with greater tenacity, and we actually SEE it happen. So write down some things on your heart right away, then get ready because... Anything Can Happen."

Have an amazing day expecting adventure.

Love Nat x

Images - Pinterest

(click here to leave a comment)

Stewarding creativity on purpose.

Are you creative? When creativity is mentioned, often the images that come to mind are obvious activities such as painting, playing music, or dancing. While these things are creative, they don't define creativity. Creativity defined is simply the use of your imagination or having original ideas. It is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods and interpretations. I love this. So, let me ask you again, are you creative? :)

Did you know that you have something to create that no one else can? 

And it releases a piece of heaven that no one else can release.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to stir it up.

Our heavenly Dad is the author of creativity! And He has given us the capacity to dream and imagine... and create. So what are we doing to steward this gift of creativity we've been given? If you love to write, are you writing creatively? If you love to work in business, are you working in business creatively? If you love to encourage, are you encouraging people creatively? If you love to style and decorate, are you styling and decorating creatively? 

OK... now don't be overwhelmed, you only have to start with a little seed. :)  Often when we refer to "sowing a seed" for our dreams, we talk about finances. Of course this is powerful, but in addition to our finances, another thing that is precious to us is our time. As we take our gift, and faithfully set aside time to stir it up, God sees this and it totally blesses His heart. :) Then He adds His supernatural favour to it and... hello miraculous creativity!

I feel like I have so many creative dreams in my heart, so about a year ago, I started setting aside every Thursday to stir up my creativity on purpose. So now "Creative Thursday" has become a highlight of my week, and God has literally blown my mind. So now I have come to realise...

So. Today's mission (should you choose to accept it) is easy. Make a creative appointment. Just like you make a doctors appointment or plan to catch up with a friend for lunch, make time for your "creative appointment" and plan your week around it. And guess what, when you do this... you just never know what might happen...

So go on, get out your phone, your diary, your wall calendar or whatever, and book in a time. Start with 20 minutes. And even if you don't know what you're going to do in this time, as you set aside time to stir up the creativity on purpose, trust me, God WILL do something amazing!!

So friends... in answer to my question, you are creative. So get ready, because as you steward your creativity on purpose... anything can (and will) happen!

Have a great Monday friends :)

love nat x

Images - 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10