Good morning SLAYER! If you’re living in harmony with yourself, you’re living in harmony with the universe.
New blog goes up Friday, until then…SLAY on!
direction
How Do I Know I’m In The Flow?
Someone recently asked me how I know when I’m in the will of the universe or my own will. For me, I can typically tell because when I’m not trying to force my will things go smoothly, it’s like being in the express lane on the freeway.
Looking back, before stepping on this path, I only wanted things my way. Nothing went smoothly because I was trying to force things into happening the way I wanted them and when I wanted them. There was no waiting or investigating to find the right way, or the right time, I wanted what I wanted and I wanted it now! As a result I wasted a lot of time and energy on things I had no business being a part of, and would often get involved with people I shouldn’t have, or get involved with them for the wrong reasons. Nothing just flowed into the right direction because I was trying to override that direction with the direction I was trying to make happen, which led me into dishonesty and manipulation. It was all a slippery slope with me, and when I’m in a mode of trying to force my will I’ll go to almost any length to make that happen, ignoring the signs around me that I’m heading in the wrong direction.
The Universe, God, Higher Power, whatever makes sense for you, does send us guidance and signs if we ask for them, and, we are looking for them. Sometimes those signs do come like a slap in the face when we’ve been ignoring them, and there may be something that comes that is even bigger than a sign and just stops you dead in your tracks, but when we are open to working with a force that is bigger than ourselves, and look for direction, I have found it is there, and if it’s not in that moment I know that I am not supposed to do anything at that moment, to keep doing the work, keep investigating, keep asking for direction, but stay right where I am until I feel confident about the next move. It is during those times, when I am in alignment with where I am supposed to be that I feel at peace, that things do fall into place, many times, quite miraculously, and I feel grounded and centered on my path. Now that may sound like some mumbo jumbo if you don’t have a belief or understanding in something greater than yourself, but I am a firm believer in a higher power and I know, from plenty of experiences in my life, that there is something out there that watches over me, and I also know that when I connect with it, it has my back, in fact it’s even had my back when I haven’t connected with it, but it works better when I do, and I certainly feel better.
There are signs and direction everywhere if we choose to see them and take the direction. We can try to run the show and steer the ship ourselves, but we’re likely going to hit solid ground at some point steering it alone, now that’s not to say that hitting bottom isn’t a part of your journey, and, could possibly be a blessing to get you where you need to be, but why cause more chaos than you really need to, life is meant to be enjoyed, we’re not meant to suffer at your own hand. Find your flow, be open to new ideas or directions, and look for the signs, they’re there and they’re there to show us the way. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you believe that there is something greater than yourself that guides you and looks after you? If not, why not? If you do, what is your understanding or belief in what that is? How has it guided you in the past? When have you seen the guidance and chosen not to take it? What was the result? What signs have you seen in your life that there seems to be some guidance from that source? How do you connect with it? How can you connect with it more? It comes down to having faith SLAYER, faith in something you cannot see but can feel, if you consciously work on forming a relationship with it, and allow yourself to loosen the reigns and let something else show you the way, that connection, or bond, will get stronger, and that direction clearer. There is a lot out there we don’t know, so why not let yourself believe and trust that you may have more on your side than you thought?
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
If You Feel Like You’re Sliding, Ground Yourself In Gratitude
Because even the smallest anchor can save you from the storm
There are seasons in life when the ground beneath your feet doesn’t feel steady. You’re doing everything “right” — showing up, trying hard, taking care of what needs you — and yet somehow you still feel yourself slipping. Emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually. Energetically.
It starts quietly.
A missed step here.
A spiraling thought there.
A wave of heaviness that settles on your chest and won’t explain itself.
Before you know it, you’re sliding — away from your center, away from your peace, away from the version of you who feels grounded and clear.
I know that feeling well.
We all do.
And when life gets like this, it’s easy to panic.
It’s easy to think: What’s wrong with me? Why am I regressing? Why can’t I hold it together?
But here’s the truth most of us forget:
A slide isn’t a failure.
It’s a signal.
And gratitude is your handhold back to solid ground.
The Quiet Descent We Don’t Notice Until We’re Already Falling
Life rarely knocks us off balance with one big moment. Instead, it’s the slow accumulation of little things:
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A slight disappointment
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A broken routine
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A lingering insecurity
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A change in circumstance
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A comment that hits us the wrong way
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A feeling we don’t want to admit we’re feeling
The slide is subtle.
It begins when we stop listening to ourselves.
When we stop resting.
When we stop checking in on our heart.
When we slip into autopilot because being present feels too heavy.
Suddenly, we’re overwhelmed. Or discouraged. Or disconnected from the person we know we truly are.
The human instinct is to claw our way back through force — push harder, work more, suppress the feeling, pretend it’s not happening.
But the way back isn’t through force.
It’s through grounding.
It’s through presence.
It’s through gratitude.
Gratitude Doesn’t Erase the Hard — It Stabilizes You Inside It
Gratitude gets misunderstood as a way to bypass pain.
But real gratitude doesn’t ignore how you feel.
It simply gives you something to hold onto while you feel it.
Gratitude says:
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“Yes, this is hard… and here is something still supporting you.”
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“Yes, you’re tired… and here is something still holding you steady.”
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“Yes, you’re overwhelmed… and here is something still working in your favor.”
It returns your mind to what is real — not imagined fear, not spiraling emotion, not worst-case scenarios.
Gratitude pulls you out of the fall and reorients you toward truth.
It doesn’t invalidate your struggle.
It anchors you through it.
A Small Gratitude Can Shift a Heavy Heart
When you feel yourself sliding, you don’t need a miracle.
You don’t need a life overhaul.
You don’t need everything to be perfect.
You just need one grounding thought — one spark of gratitude — to interrupt the descent.
It can be as simple as:
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“I’m grateful for the breath that steadies me.”
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“I’m grateful for one person who loves me.”
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“I’m grateful for the strength I don’t always give myself credit for.”
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“I’m grateful for the lessons that shaped me.”
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“I’m grateful for this moment of awareness — it means I can choose again.”
Gratitude is not about pretending everything is wonderful.
It’s about remembering that not everything is falling apart.
It’s the shift that gives you back your footing.
Gratitude Helps You Regain Perspective — and Power
When we slide emotionally, our mind tries to convince us that everything is collapsing. Gratitude counters that narrative with something more grounded and true.
It:
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Softens the panic
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Brings the nervous system down
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Helps you see the full picture instead of the distorted one
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Reconnects you to what’s working, not just what feels wrong
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Reminds you of your resilience
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Guides you back to your inner stability
Gratitude says:
“You’ve survived every version of life you thought would break you. You can survive this, too.”
And when you remember that, the slide slows.
When you feel that, the ground steadies.
When you breathe into it, you begin to rise again.
You’re Not Failing — You’re Feeling
There is nothing wrong with you for having moments where your footing slips.
There is nothing wrong with you for needing support.
There is nothing wrong with you for losing your center and finding it again.
Strong people slide.
Resilient people slide.
Healing people slide.
But grounded people know how to climb back.
Gratitude is your rope.
Your anchor.
Your reminder that, even in the wobble, you are held.
SLAY Reflection
S — Sit With Your Truth
Where have you been feeling emotionally unsteady or overwhelmed lately?
L — Look at the Pattern
What small shifts or stressors may have contributed to your sense of “sliding”?
A — Align With Your Values
What gratitude practice — even a simple one — can help you feel grounded in this moment?
Y — Yield to Growth
What becomes possible when you anchor yourself in gratitude instead of fear?
Call to Action: Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear from you.
What gratitude has helped ground you when life feels unsteady?
Share your story in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on.
And if you know someone who’s struggling to find their footing right now, send this to them.
Sometimes, all we need is a nudge.
Slay Say
Good morning SLAYER! 80% of success is just showing up.
New blog goes up Sunday, until then…SLAY on!
Just Show Up
There were so many times in my life, before stepping on this path, when I never started things. When I meant to make better choices, different choices, healthier choices, but didn’t feel like I had enough information to start, or it wasn’t the right time, or I thought I should wait for a bigger sign, when really all I had to do was just show up. There are always excuses or reasons not to start something, or show up for someone or yourself, but all that is required is to show up, to do the best you can and figure it out as you go. No one has all the answers. No one. There isn’t some magical guide out there with the right way to do everything. Well, I guess there is, but it’s not something you can hold in your hand, it’s inside of us. Each an every one of us has that magical guide, it burns inside of us and when we connect with it, and listen to it, it shows us, not only by the way we feel, but it will show us in ways we can see, hear and touch. We just have to be open to it.
When I was living in the dark I had turned off that inner guide. My mental illness told me I knew better. that I didn’t need to listen to it, or that it wasn’t actually there at all, but it was, I had just stuffed it down, piled a bunch of stuff on top of it and had numbed myself so much I couldn’t hear it anymore, or feel that it was there. That’s exactly where my disease wanted me, so it could tell me things that weren’t true. It told me that there was no use in starting something new because it wouldn’t work, or I wouldn’t be good at it, or no one would accept me. And since I had turned off my inner guide and wasn’t sharing these thoughts with anyone, I believed it. I watched opportunity after opportunity pass me by and each time I did, I sank deeper in the darkness. The only opportunities not taking those opportunities gave me was the ability to continue to knock myself down and tell myself I wasn’t good enough, that I was too much of a coward to start something new or try to live a better life, or that I wasn’t worth showing up for. It seems so simple, looking back, that each time an opportunity did come up all I had to do was show up to make a difference, to change the pattern I was in, but I stayed where it felt safe, where my disease wanted me, until I had to make a change to save my life.
I can’t say what exactly happened to make me finally show up for myself, I just knew that I had to or I would no longer have a choice. That little bit of light inside of me shined that night as bright as it could, but it was enough, it was enough to ask for help and to finally show up. When I did, I had no idea what to do next, or how things were going to go, but I was there, I was present for me, and I asked for direction from those who had stood where I was, and I kept just showing up, each day, and each day I got stronger, I got better, I started to shine brighter.
You don’t have to know all the answers, or the path you need to be on to change your life. Just show up. Be willing. Be open. Just be. One of my favorite quotes is by Zig Ziglar, it goes “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.” Just start, because that in itself is great, and if you show up each day ready to start and take on whatever may come, one day you may just realize how great you really are. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you stop yourself from starting something new or something you know is good for you? Why? What’s stops you? What do you tell yourself that stops you? How can you get around this? What should you be starting that you haven’t? What can you do to start? How will starting help you? Focus on the good SLAYER, focus on how showing up can help you grow, help you to move on, and help you to move forward to where you are meant to be. I know that can be scary, walking on a path you’ve never walked, but trust that you are there for a reason, and know that there are many of us walking that same path who will walk with you. You are not alone. Just show up. You’ll see us there.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
Slay Say
Good morning SLAYER! You are only one decision away from a totally different life.
New blog goes up Tuesday, until then…SLAY on!
Contempt Prior To Investigation
I used to think I knew better. I thought I knew better than all of you, and I thought I knew if I was going to like something, even if I had never done it before. And because I lived in a negative space, I often said no to things without ever trying them. Before someone could even finish asking me to join in or participate in something I had already made up my mind I didn’t want to do it. Some of that came from fear, fear of never having done it and now knowing what the result will be, or, maybe looking stupid because I didn’t know what I was doing. My first reaction to any invite or suggestion was no. As a result, I missed out on a lot of things, a lot of opportunities, because I had already condemned something before it happened.
When I stepped on this path, I was encouraged to say yes. Yes was a word that made my anxiety shoot up immediately. What if I didn’t like what I agreed to do? What if I didn’t like the people? What if they didn’t like me? What if? What if? But I knew if multiple people kept encouraging me to say yes, I had to try, I had to say yes to saying yes, no matter how nervous that made me. I had to watch myself, in the beginning, I had to watch that I didn’t jump in each time with a quick no, I would breathe, make myself listen and then tell myself, regardless of what it was, I had to say yes, just to try. If I didn’t like it I didn’t have to do it again. I made a commitment to myself, that in that first year I had to say yes, so the year of yes began.
The first few times it was tough, saying yes, but as I kept doing it it got easier. And, I was discovering some new things about myself. When you say no all the time you don’t give yourself an opportunity to grow, to learn, to test yourself. As we move through life, our wants and needs change, as we do, but when we’re not testing the waters to see what works best for us today, we stay stuck and keep doing the same things, or nothing, and not growing to our potential. Saying yes does take courage, and faith, that you’re being asked to say yes for a reason. Nothing happens randomly, typically things come to us when we need them, or should take part in them, so we can take away what we should to move forward, or possibly, change the direction we’re going in completely. So when we keep saying no, we’re not only stuck, we’re not were we’re supposed to be.
Now after almost 13 years of saying yes, I can say that the yes’s have been very good to me. Yes has gotten me to a pretty incredible place today, and one I wouldn’t have had to courage to say yes to if I hadn’t had years of practice of saying yes, because this yes, is life-changing, and has taken a big leap of faith that what was given to me was exactly where I am meant to be, and I know that with every fiber of my soul. When we say yes, the universe says yes back. We open the road of possibilities and allow the flow of new ideas and new challenges that are meant to prepare us for the next yes, and possibly, prepare us for the biggest yes yet. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Is your immediate reaction when being asked to do something a no? Why? What happened the last time you said yes? Why don’t you say yes more often? What do you think will happen? When you think about the times you may have said yes, how do you feel about those choices? How do you feel when you see other people saying yes and getting remarkable results while you’re still saying no? You can be one of those yes people SLAYER. Challenge yourself this week to say yes, at least twice. Ignore the negative voices that tell you to say no and just say yes, say it without even thinking about, just blurt out yes! You may just discover some new things about yourself, and may even meet some new people who are also saying yes. Surround yourself with people who say yes, try new things, challenge yourself to move forward, to uncharted waters, and say yes to exploring who you are and where you are meant to be. One yes may just change your whole life.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
Why are we so averse to change? Well, we’re certainly not averse to the circumstances changing in our lives that we don’t like, we just don’t want to have to change to change it. Therein lies the rub. Change starts with us. In order for anything in our lives to change, we have to make changes in order for that to happen. Did that just make you break out in hives?
Change used to make my anxiety level shoot up immediately. I hated change. I can still sometimes be resistant to it, but now it’s more about when a website changes its interface and I can’t find anything, or a favorite restaurant changes its menu and gets rid of my favorite dish, why do they do things like that? I have learned on my journey so far that I need to make the changes I want to see happen, I need to do the footwork, without that nothing changes.
I used to live my life in this constant cycle of same. One day just like the next because I kept doing the same things. I hated where I was, but I only knew one thing and I stayed there, just spinning my wheels to insanity because every day was just like the last. I kept thinking that life would just change it for me, by somehow just wishing for it, without any more effort from me than that. Well, if that’s you I’ve got a newsflash for you, it won’t change, and if it does, it’s probably for the worse, not better. You have the power to make a change and to set your life in a new direction. When I did that for myself, for me, it was reaching out for help, that act set the course of my life into one of recovery, of hope, of better choices, of self-love and healing, that one act of change changed the entire direction of my life, which as lead me right here.
Knowing what the power of change has done for me, I now look at change as a powerful act, something I can do because it’s within my control, I can choose to make different choices, better choices, I can make choices that are loving to myself, that honor myself, and when I do that, my life always changes for the better. Instead of looking at it as work, I now look at it as taking my power back instead of acting like a victim of life, I can make positive changes that will take me in the direction that I want to go, life will always do it’s dance, but if we can change our steps or learn some new dance moves, we can learn to dance along with it, even if we get knocked down from time to time, when we fall, we learn, and we make different choices the next time that same dance comes our way.
If we are not changing, we are not learning, we are not challenging ourselves, and testing what we are capable of, what we believe we deserve, and showing the universe we are willing to do the work to get it. When we demonstrate our willingness to change, the universe listens. And sometimes it starts right there, just by being willing, even before we are ready for the act, just the consideration of it can bring about change.
We all have sat in a state of frustration and thought, when are things going to change, they’re going to change when you do, so why not start today? What’s stopping you SLAYER?
SLAY OF THE DAY: Are you averse to change? Why do you think that is? What about change scares you, or makes you uncomfortable? What do you think your biggest roadblock is to change? How do you think you can overcome that? In the past, have there been instances where you have made a change and the result was different? Site those examples. Do you see that you making the change or changes caused things in your life to change? What stops you today from making changes? What in your life today, that you have control over, can you change to live your life in a healthier happier way? What’s stopping you? I challenge you SLAYER to be open to that change, to consider it, and of course, to take the necessary steps to make that change for you. Find it in you to overcome your fear to change, and make that fear less than the fear of staying the same. SLAY on!
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
Slay Say
Good morning SLAYER! Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.
SLAY on!
The Signs Are There
When I go about my day I always look for the signs, those things that are pointing me in the right direction, showing me the way, the people I am meant to have in my life, and new things that will open my eyes to a new direction or something I might enjoy. Those signs have always been there, but when I was living my life in the darkness I couldn’t see them. Or, didn’t want to see them. Thinking back, there were many signs I chose to ignore because it meant I had to change, or do some work, or say goodbye to something that wasn’t really good for me but I enjoyed hanging on to, either to continue to punish myself, or to keep myself on the same dark path I was on. My line of sight was so dark and so narrow I didn’t see much of anything except what I chose to see. But when I stepped into the light I started to see a new world around me, one full of signs and signals to where I was supposed to go, where I wanted to go, or where I was open to going, they were there, not always at the exactly moment when I wanted them, or asked for them, although sometimes they were, but they popped up when I needed them, when I was ready for them, when I chose to see them. When we find ourselves feeling directionless, or at loss of where to go next, as many of you know, I’m a huge advocate of asking for what you want, so say it out loud, tell people about it, the act of getting it out there can many times bring surprising results, and we may realize that what we want isn’t that far out of reach. But sometimes it takes a little more than just saying it out loud, it takes us being open to it, and living our lives in away that allows us to see the signs. So, how do we do this?
Develop A Desire To Receive The universe is always sending us messages, trying to help us to where we want and/or should go. But we have to be open to seeing and hearing what’s coming our way, not just looking for the signs we want to see and hear. What may come to us may not be what we’re looking for, but it’s what we need, so being open to not only receiving those signs, but being open to the idea that it may bring us to unexpected places. Let yourself be a vessel to take in what is being sent to you, without filtering out what you think you don’t want.
Be Alert Pay attention to the people, places and things around you, even the song that comes on the radio. Signs can come to us in many different ways, and at any time, but if our faces are buried in our phones, or we’re set in our mind that a sign can only look and feel a certain way, we’re going to miss them. Take some time to look around each day, to engage with life, and those around you, to take a moment or two to be quiet with yourself, the answers do come when we look, and we allow ourselves to see.
Look For Patterns If you’re unsure about what’s coming your way, or can’t make sense of it, keep a log, write it down, sometimes it’s easier to piece things together when you can see it on the page rather than just thoughts bouncing around in your head, look for patterns, similarities, things that connect the signs you are getting. Sometimes it’s that we’re not getting the point, so we’ll keep getting the same signs, or we’re ignoring them, if we’re meant to be somewhere we are not, the universe will keep sending the same signs until we get off our butts and go there, or do what we’re supposed to do, so, if you keep getting the same things, take a look at that, and why you haven’t gone there or done it yet.
Surrender Whatever comes your way you have to surrender to it and learn to work as one with the universe and stop trying to manipulate what the signs are that come your way to bend them into what you’re looking for. Surrender and be open to where you may be guided to go next.
Keep It Simple It’s easy to over complicate things and put words in the universe’s mouth where we may not have complete answers, but the universe works in simple ways, if you don’t have enough information yet, stay open, and keeping surrendering to the process, the universe will give you the information when the time is right, or in a way you’ll understand, so stop trying to help things along by trying to finish the job yourself. Keep things simple, listen, and wait.
The biggest ally you have is the universe. The universe is on your side and is sending you love, but you have to be open to receive it, and surrender to the process of it’s guidance of where you’re supposed to be. There are no short cuts in life, you either learn how to dance to it’s rhythm, or trip over your two left feet.
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you notice signs in your life guiding you to where you’re supposed to be? Name some. If not, why do you think you’re not seeing them? What gets in your way? How do you think you can overcome them? Do you think you have an open mind to the signs you are given, or do you only look for the signs you want to see? Are you able to surrender to the signs you find? If not, why? When you haven’t surrendered and have moved forward on your own anyways, what was the result of that? Do you see, looking back, that you may have been directed a different way? Do you believe the universe cares for you and wants the best for you? If not, why? Are these ideas based on fact, or based in your own self-loathing or self-love issues? What if you tried SLAYER, to think of the universe as your ally, to try to work together with it, to look and listen to what it’s telling you, and to take action where it’s showing you to. What if you stopped running your life on self-will and started to let go to the next indicated right action? I challenge you to SLAYER. You may be surprised what you’ll find.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
