Hey SLAYERS, September 5 – 11th is Suicide Prevention Week and I am always honored to work with Attitudes In Reverse® in spreading a message of good mental health and suicide prevention. I was recently asked while Zooming into an AIR event what I do to combat my fear. Please find my response below:
Good morning SLAYER! Keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.
New blog goes up Friday, until then… SLAY on!
Good morning SLAYER! It’s what we think we know that keeps us from learning.
SLAY on!
Good morning SLAYER! The best time for a new beginning is now.
New blog goes up Sunday, until then… SLAY on!
Good morning SLAYER! Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Good morning SLAYER! Open Your mind before you open your mouth.
SLAY on!
Good morning SLAYER! The quieter you become the more you can hear.
New blog goes up Sunday, until then… SLAY on!
I write a lot about looking and listening for signs, they are all around us, but if we are close-minded, think we know everything, or are determined to walk a certain path regardless of what you we be shown, we can easily miss these signs and messages all around us by not showing up for life, or deciding ourselves how it’s supposed to go.
I can relate, before I made a conscious decision to walk this path I thought I knew better, or, even if it was obvious that something should go a certain way, I tried to manipulate or force it to go the way I wanted it to. My ears and mind were closed, even when the signs were right in front of my face, screaming at me, I chose to ignore them and force my way ahead. All I really did was prolong my suffering, and, probably missed many opportunities for good things I would have wanted for myself, if, I had had the humility and an open mind to recognize them. I had to hit a very hard emotional and spiritual bottom before I was willing to listen to those signs, and I am grateful that it wasn’t too late.
We are given messages and signs every day, through music, people, nature and that thing we call our “gut instinct”, there are many ways that we are being guided, and, many ways we can ignore or choose not to listen to what we’re being shown. We do have freedom of choice, and there are many choices every day, but when we are open to listening and looking for that bit of guidance to help us on our journey we are often amazed at how often those signs appear.
For me, when I look back, even when I wasn’t open to them they were there, trying to nudge me in the right direction as I was careening off course. While I was living in ego, and listening to the negative voices in my head, I was almost defiant to them when I did notice them, I was resentful and pushed through them to forge my own path, even though that path was not one that was giving me what I wanted. I continued doing that until there were only two choices, get help, or give up, thankfully I remembered a message that had come to me months before and reached out for help.
Now I look for the signs, I think of them almost like my sidekick, that I am where I am supposed to be, or, when I am questioning starting something new, or looking to make a change, I reach out and ask for those signs, patiently waiting for them to appear when I am meant to see them. They have always appeared when I’ve asked, not always in that exact moment, but shortly after, and because it usually takes me a few times to really get it, I’ll usually get a few of them pointing me towards the same action or conclusion. Today they make me smile, and they comfort me, knowing that they are there walking this journey with me and working with me to get me to where I am supposed to go. I don’t know everything, there’s no way I can, so I look to them to help me on my path. The key is to be willing to listen, and with willingness change can come.
We often ask for signs but are we really open to seeing and hearing them? They only work for us when we are able to get out of our own way and hear them for what they are, if you’re unsure, ask again, in my experience they will keep coming until you are sure, and I know they will show up for you too if you show up and listen for them. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you look for signs in your day to day life? Do you see and hear them? Do you listen to them? If they are not what you want to hear do you keep doing what you’re doing and ignore them? What is the result? What has been the result when you have followed them? Do you think you are willing and open to their suggestions? If not, why not? What would you ask to see signs for today? Ask SLAYER, ask and listen, this blog may be the first sign to get you to look outward for answers you’ve trying to solve within yourself.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
Good morning SLAYER! Today is full of possible.
New blog goes up Friday, until then… SLAY on!
My brain tends to straddle between the practical and the magical. But when I get overwhelmed, tired, or stressed out, it typically defaults to the practical, which, can be helpful in walking through things, but it can also close my peripheral vision and the place where the magic happens. I consciously work every day to keep the channels of possibility open in my mind, to leave room for the unknown and channel my positive energy to that place, because the truth is, I don’t know everything, no one does, or can, but believing I do, or that I know what the outcome will be, closes the door of possibility of anything different than what I’ve already predetermined will be. I’ve learned, from the many years of living in the dark, that, not only I am grateful that I left the door of possibility open just a crack on a day when it mattered most, but that me thinking I know everything can lead me to a place of utter despair and a state of emergency. So, every day, I keep that door open, even when it feels safer to slam it shut, for possibility to come in.
When I was struggling to find the light in my life if felt safer to close off the world around me. I tend to, when I feel like things are out of control in my life, try to tighten the reigns and control things more, at least what is within my control, but in doing that I only see what I want to see, and I’m only thinking of safety, or what I perceive as safety, instead of really seeing all of the possibilities of what’s out there. During those times of fear, the “what’s out there” is what scares me, but, what’s out there isn’t always something I should be fearful of, because it can bring many beautiful gifts. In my journey today it is important to keep my heart open, that is the place where possibility is born, which is why, at times, it can be scary to leave room for it, because I feel vulnerable. But it is within that vulnerability that I have received so many incredible gifts, and why I work, each day, to live within it.
I do believe we are meant to share ourselves with others, to share those vulnerabilities, be mindful of what we do, but allow people to see who we are and where we’ve been, to feel compassion for those around us, and to be open to new things, thoughts, people and challenges. I have found that my vulnerabilities, those things I used to work so hard to hide, are what connects me to those people I cherish most, it allows me to share my light with others who may need it, just as someone else’s vulnerability lit my path almost 14 years ago. Our vulnerability is a powerful thing, which is probably why it can be so scary to show it to the world, but it is our soft gooey center that is our sweetest part.
As I am thinking about the year ahead, I remind myself to leave room for possibility, and that may be easy as we look forward to a fresh start, but it’s important to leave that room every day, especially when things gets tough or we get bruised by disappointment, it’s during those times that we need to push that door open a little more. We don’t know everything, and even though things may look like all is lost, there may be a reason for it all happening the way it has, and by leaving room for possibility we allow ourselves to be open to a positive result. For me, I had to trudge through a lot of difficult roads to find myself on the road I am now, and I can see how all of the roads I traveled on, even the most treacherous, had to be traveled on to bring me to this road where the possibilities are endless. Open your heart and let the possibilities in. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you leave room for possibility, or close yourself off thinking you already know the outcome? Does living closed-minded leave any room for the unexpected, or possibility of a different outcome? When have you been surprised in my life when something turned out differently than you expected. Write down an example. What did you do differently then that you may not do ever day? What stops you from doing that every day? Look at possibility like leaving room for dessert, I know I never have a problem doing that, so do what needs to be done each day, make sound, clear choices, but leave a little extra room for something sweet, you may be surprised what comes your way.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
