acceptance

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYER! There are two kinds of days: good days, and character builders.

SLAY on!

Chapter 20

Find Your OK Without Giving Away Your Power

We all want people, places, and things to go our way.
We imagine how life should look, how others should act—and when things don’t line up with that vision, we get unsettled.
Sometimes we unravel.

But here’s the truth:
If you need someone else to act a certain way so you can be OK… you’ve given away your power.

We cannot control the world around us.
We can only control how we show up in it.

Control, Acceptance, and That False Sense of Safety

Back when I was living in the dark—emotionally, mentally, spiritually—my life felt completely unmanageable. I was spiraling, yet I still expected everything around me to bend in my favor. If things didn’t go how I wanted, I panicked. If people didn’t say or do what I thought they should, I spun out.

So I tried to control what I couldn’t:
People.
Places.
Situations.
Emotions.
Outcomes.

Spoiler: It never worked.
And it only made me feel worse.

When we tether our mental wellness to the actions of others, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment, resentment, and chaos. True stability doesn’t come from control—it comes from acceptance.

Pause. Then Take Right Action.

Today, when I feel disturbed, I pause.

I ask myself:

  • What’s actually going on?

  • What do I need to do for me?

  • Is there any action to take?

  • Or is this something I need to let go?

That pause is everything.

Because if I haven’t checked in with myself—if I haven’t done the inner work first—any action I take outwardly might come from fear, ego, or unmet expectations.

Feelings aren’t facts.
And reactions aren’t always truth.

I’ve learned that when I find my center—when I root myself in clarity and self-love—I no longer need everyone else to behave a certain way for me to be OK.
I become OK because I’ve chosen to be.

You Are Not the Center of the Universe (And That’s a Good Thing)

Sometimes we resist change because it feels personal.
Unfair.
Uncomfortable.

But growth rarely happens in comfort.
And what doesn’t feel good in the moment might be the very shift that leads to a better outcome—not just for us, but for the collective.

That’s humbling.

We’re not the center of the universe—but we are a part of something bigger. And when we stop trying to bend life to our will, we open ourselves up to learning, connection, and peace.

Your Peace Is Your Responsibility

Here’s what I know:
No one else is responsible for your OK.

Not your partner.
Not your friends.
Not your boss.
Not your timeline.
Not your past.

You are.

When we find peace within ourselves, the chaos around us loses its power. We stop being reactive. We become responsive. We make room for grace. For learning. For love.

So don’t hand over your peace to anyone else.
Take it back.
Hold it close.
Let that be your anchor.

SLAY on.

SLAY OF THE DAY: Reflect & Rise

Do you need others to act a certain way for you to feel OK?

  • How does that show up in your life?

  • Where do you think that need comes from?

  • How has that pursuit held you back or caused pain?

  • What could shift if you found your OK within yourself?

  • What practices help you find peace regardless of what’s happening around you?

Let go of the grip. Let in the grace. Find your center—then carry it with you, wherever you go.

Call to Action: Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you.
How have you learned to find peace within yourself—especially when life around you is messy?
Share your story in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on.

And if you know someone who’s struggling to feel OK in a world they can’t control, send this their way.
Sometimes, we all need the reminder that we already have what we need inside us.

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYER! Patience is the acceptance that things can happen in a different order than what you had in mind.

New blog goes up Friday, until then… SLAY on!

State Of Slay Patient Heart

 

 

 

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYER! What is meant to be will always find a way.

SLAY on!

State Of Slay Patience Impatience

Patience Is To Sit In Your Suffering

Patience is a skill I never had when I was living in the dark. I wanted what I wanted—and I wanted it now. If something took longer than I thought it should, I unraveled. I’d stew in my own anxiety, convinced that worrying over it somehow meant I was “doing something.” But it never helped. In fact, it only made things worse.

The reality is, I was causing myself more pain by holding on.

Prefer to listen? The Audio Blog version is available here.

Suffering Is Optional (But It Doesn’t Feel That Way)

When I started my journey toward healing, I had to face a hard truth: patience isn’t passive. It’s active. It’s powerful. It’s choosing to sit still when every part of you wants to control, manipulate, and fast-forward the process.

I was taught something simple, yet profound—do the footwork and let go. And actually let go. Not say I would, then sit in agony while pretending to surrender. That took time. It still does. But every time I allowed myself to sit in discomfort, without reacting, something shifted.

Here’s what I learned: the suffering didn’t come from the waiting—it came from the clinging.

Letting Go of the Illusion of Control

So much of my anxiety came from the belief that I had to manage everything. I believed I had the best plan, the right answers, and the perfect timeline. But that was just my ego talking. And when I realized how wrong I’d been before—how lost and broken I felt trying to run the show—it humbled me.

I had to accept that I wasn’t the director of the universe. That my vision was limited. That maybe—just maybe—there was a bigger plan unfolding, and my job was to participate, not dictate.

That’s where the power of patience lives. Not in forcing, but in trusting. Not in pushing, but in practicing peace. And the more I practiced, the less I suffered.

Choosing Peace Over Pressure

Let’s be honest—letting go is not easy. Especially when we care deeply about the outcome. But once we start to realize that the suffering is self-inflicted—that it’s not coming from the waiting, but how we wait—it becomes easier to breathe through it.

The truth is, when we choose to surrender, we reclaim our power.

Patience doesn’t mean inaction. It means taking the action that’s yours, and then releasing what isn’t. It means being OK with not knowing, trusting that the right things will unfold in the right time. That may feel uncomfortable at first. But comfort isn’t the goal—freedom is.

And freedom comes when we stop clinging to control and let go of the suffering we’ve been dragging around.

 

SLAY OF THE DAY: Reflect & Release

  • Do you try to force outcomes instead of letting things unfold?
  • What’s the cost of that tension—emotionally, mentally, physically?
  • How do you feel when you’re able to truly let go?
  • What fear is keeping you in the suffering?
  • What step can you take today to release control and choose peace?

Suffering shows us where we’re clinging. Let it be your invitation to let go.

Call to Action: Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear from you.
What’s one area of your life where you’re holding on instead of letting go?
Share your story in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on.

And if you know someone who’s struggling to sit in the waiting, send this to them.
Sometimes, all we need is permission to pause.

Accept The Gifts

For many of us, it isn’t easy asking for help or accepting it. During this time, it’s near impossible to do everything on our own. Life, very often, presents opportunities for us to not only humble ourselves and ask for what we need but also offers a chance for someone else to step up and be of service.

I’ve written before that it’s okay to ask for help. In fact, when we do, most of the time, it not only helps us but also helps the person we ask. It’s funny how that works. Just like when we need to talk to someone about what we’re going through—the person we open up to usually gets just as much out of the conversation as we do.

Releasing the Armor

When I was living in the dark, it was very difficult for me to ask for help. I thought it was a sign of weakness. I was proud to push through on my own, no matter what the collateral damage was. There were times when I’d gotten myself into situations I couldn’t get out of and was forced to ask for help, and I’d beat myself up for doing it. Or, in my twisted thinking, I’d justify it—I thought the help was owed to me because of past grievances, some imagined, some real.

Eventually, I realized that asking for help was not only necessary but an act of courage. That first reach-out was terrifying, but it was also a huge relief. It was the moment I took my power back.

Practicing the Art of Acceptance

Learning to continue asking for help and accepting the gifts that came my way was its own journey. For me, finding acceptance in myself and learning to love myself was the key to accepting gifts from others—and from life. I’m not just talking about physical gifts. Gifts come in many forms: a smile, a warm hug, a kind word.

I had to learn to believe I was worthy of receiving these gifts. I had to trust there wasn’t an ulterior motive and that these gestures were given from the heart. It took time, but the more I learned to simply say thank you and accept them, the easier it became. And the more I gave of myself—my time, my kindness—the more I understood the power of these simple gestures.

Don’t Steal the Gift

When we refuse a gift or brush off a compliment, we’re telling the giver they’re wrong. That doesn’t feel good to anyone. To simply say thank you and leave it at that is a practice of grace. It allows us to learn to accept good things and allows the other person the experience of giving.

Right now, we can all benefit from both giving and receiving. But it’s essential for our spirit and self-worth to practice receiving with gratitude. When we do, it fills our hearts, shows us we’re worthy of kindness, and reminds us we deserve good things.

Don’t let pride or discomfort block these moments. Nothing happens by mistake. There’s a reason for the giver and the receiver, and it may be bigger than either of you can imagine. If you feel compelled to give, do it. If you’re the lucky recipient, smile, say thank you, and know you were chosen for a reason.

SLAY OF THE DAY: Reflect & Rise

  • Do you have a hard time accepting gifts? Why do you think that is?

  • What was the last gift you accepted? How did it make you feel?

  • What was the last gift you gave? How did that make you feel?

  • Can you see how important it is to accept the gifts that come your way?

  • Why do you feel others deserve gifts more than you do? Why do you think you’re not worthy?

You are worthy, SLAYER. Gifts come into our lives to show us something, to lift our spirits, or to bring us closer together. Trust that the gifts coming your way are there for a reason. Say thank you, and feel it in your heart.

Call to Action: Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you.
What’s one gift—big or small—you’ve accepted lately, and how did it make you feel?
Share your story in the comments. Let’s support each other.

And if you know someone who needs this reminder, send this to them.
Sometimes, a simple gesture says: “You’re worthy of good things, too.”

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYERS! I am more than my scars.

New blog goes up Sunday, until then… SLAY on!

State Of Slay Gold Self Love Super Power

When We Love Ourselves Love Finds Us

This seemed like a good topic for Valentine’s Day, and one that may stir up some feelings about self-love. As someone who spent most of her life hating herself I know the power we have over what we attract into our lives. That’s not to say if we don’t love ourselves that we won’t, can’t, or don’t have love in our lives, because I know we can, I did, even when that self-love wasn’t there, but when we do find or have that love for ourselves it invites more love in, and, we tend to look for the love we already have and want to share our love with others.

Love is contagious, who doesn’t want to feel, receive and give love? It can heal almost anything, and what I may not be able to heal alone, it can certainly help with the process. Finding love for myself came with some work on my part, but I knew I had to find it to get better and to live the life I had dreamed of. To get to the place I am now I had to first find forgiveness in myself, for all the unloving things I did to myself and to those around me. I had to let go of the guilt and shame I carried around that held me back and blocked me from finding self-love. I had to take responsibility for my actions but I also had to accept that I was doing the best I could with the tools I had, and, with untreated mental illness, my best thinking often set me on a course of self-sabotage and self-destruction. I would never criticize someone with cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer’s so why would I criticize myself for the disease I had that had clouded my judgment and stole from me for most of my life. Finding that acceptance and using it as a tool to grow from where I was, to do better and to start living in a positive way was the place I started on my journey to self-love. I made a point, each day, to find gratitude in who I was, where I was and where I wanted to go, and some days that proved more challenging than others, but even just thinking of one thing was enough to change my outlook. I gave back where I could to others struggling like I was, which got me out of my own head and relieved me of the negative thinking that had plagued me my whole life. I made a lot of changes, took direction from others and professionals and I began to feel better. Slowly, by practicing loving acts towards myself and others I was able to say, out loud, that I loved myself, and when I did my life changed, and I began to look for love in each day. I also began to share the love I had with others, even by paying someone a compliment are congratulating them on a job well done. Walking this path with love in my heart ultimately brought me a love I didn’t know I could have and a man who I now share a love with that continues to grow each day.

Finding love for ourselves may seem like an impossible journey, but nothing is impossible if we try and make changes in our lives that support our efforts to find that love. It’s a journey that takes humility and a desire to search for those things that we feel make us lovable and what allows us to share our love with those around us. We all are worthy of love, even if we don’t feel we are, but when we open our heart to the idea of it, the magic of love may just open your heart enough to show you just how lovable you really are. SLAY on!

SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you believe you are lovable? If not, why not? Have you always felt that way? If you haven’t, what changed? Are there moments in your life that have been able to find self-love? What were they? Why don’t they stay or why did they go away? What can you do today to show yourself love? How can you share that love with someone else? Today, since this is a day to celebrate love, look for all of the love you have in your life and all of the ways you can show yourself love in return, just being willing to look for it opens the door enough to come in.

S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYER! Freedom is being you without anyone’s permission.

SLAY on!

State Of Slay Authenticity

Slay Say

Good morning SLAYER! We have what we seek, it has been there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.

SLAY on!

State Of Slay Time What Really Matters