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Run Into The Tornado

We all have moments when we can either run and hide, or, run into the tornado. When we get an opportunity to go after something we want, or create the opportunity to reach a goal or achievement, we can let fear take over and hide, or just run full steam ahead and take it. Before walking this path I often let my fear of the unknown, fear of what you might think of me and my goals, and fear of not getting what I wanted stop me, stop me from trying new things, stop me period. As a result I would get angry, angry that others ran and got the things I wanted for myself, angry that I didn’t try, or angry that my life “was so difficult” that I couldn’t run and get what I wanted. But I could have, I stopped myself, I let fear win, and when I stopped doing that and started to run anyway, even full of fear, even if I didn’t get what I wanted I still won because sometimes the winning is just in the journey itself and not in the result, so run straight in, don’t look back and go get what’s yours, no matter what that is.

I like the visual of a tornado because that what it seems like many times. You’re running towards this whirling, grey, unstable beast the size of a gas station and you don’t know what’s going to happen, but just do it. Fear of the unknown stops us from doing so many things. When we set out to try something new, or go after what we want, we don’t know the outcome, we know what we want the outcome to be, but we never know exactly what’s going to happen, or if it’s going to happen just the way we envisioned it, in fact, it probably won’t. So knowing that, we use that an excuse not to chase after those things, but we should. We should always run after the things that inspire us, challenge us, excite us, nourish us, support us, and just make us feel good, go after all of those things, and by go I mean run, go get them, grab them, work for them, and never make excuses for them. When you get a no, still go, when you trip and fall, keep going, when you think you can’t go anymore, keep going, I didn’t say running into the tornado was going to be easy, that you wouldn’t get knocked down, but when you get there, in the eye of the storm and everything is moving around you, and you are just still, in the place that makes you happy, or having reached the goal you wanted, that you worked for, all of it, everything will seem so small. We build up the excuses, the reason not to in our heads, we stop ourselves from reaching our potential before we even start, so don’t give yourself the chance to, just run, run with purpose, run with passion, run with the intention to win!

Now running with total wild abandon will sometimes get us what we want, sometimes it’s just the act of running at all that is the victory, but typically there’s some footwork that needs to happen before we strap on those sneakers and get ready to bolt. It’s about setting up your foundation to succeed, all of the things I’ve talked about in my previous blogs, loving yourself, knowing and believing you deserve good, surrounding yourself with good people who love and support you, making your intentions known, asking for what you want and then diving in and getting it! Go get what’s yours, and what you want, take it, not matter how stormy the journey is, if it’s what you want it’s work fighting for.

SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you go after what you want in life? What stops you? How can you stop that from stopping you? Is what stops you a real obstacle? Or are you creating one so you don’t have to try? Or so you fail? Do you set yourself up to fail so you can continue the narrative that you are a bad person, or don’t get to have good things in your life? If you do, only you have the power to stop that story, and you can stop it. Today, take control of your story and your life, run into the tornado and go after your hopes, dreams, goals, go get them, you deserve to have the things you have worked for and have had the courage to go after, go get them all, and know that in doing so you are giving yourself the gift of trying, of fighting for you, and of honoring yourself. SLAY on.

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

You Can’t Grow In Your Comfort Zone

When I first stepped on this path I was desperate, desperate to feel better, desperate not to hate myself, desperate to not want to harm myself, desperate to make that dim little light inside of me brighter. And as much as I wanted to change, to grow, to get better, there were times I pushed back, recoiled, and didn’t want to do the work. The thought of sharing what I had been doing, thinking, and the way I had been living made my skin crawl, I was afraid you all would judge me and I would be left alone, a fear I had lived with my whole life, but now, my life depended on me stepping outside my comfort zone and taking action. You see, my comfort zone had gotten me to that place, it had gotten me to a bottom, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and even though stepping out of it and trying a new way of living made sense, and I wanted it, I had to actually take the steps to do it, to take action, no matter how uncomfortable it felt, because it was a better path, and a path that would save my life.

We’ve all been hurt, kicked around, criticized, made fun of, and when those things happened to us, we shut down, we retreated, we hid, we found a place to live that was safe, but in doing that we cut ourselves off from experiencing new things, from hearing new voices, and living life. For me, when I stayed in my comfort zone I didn’t grow, or learn, and I started listening to the voices in my head that told me to stay there, and that I belonged there, and the longer I lived in my comfort zone the more the fear grew inside me and the harder it was to step out of it, that fear became so big and so loud that it keeps kept me there, like a prisoner, only, I held the key to get out.

It goes back to saying yes. We all know in our hearts what we should be doing, we make excuses for not doing them, or trying them, but we know staying tucked away in our comfort zone is not living life to it’s fullest, and not utilizing who we are and what we’re capable of. The fear of stepping out isn’t real, it is us reliving situations from our past and dragging them into our present, but if we’re choosing to surround ourselves with the right people, living as our authentic selves, asking for what we want, and letting others know what our intentions are, finding out the facts, we are safe, we are safe to try new things, with new people, and we are free from the shackles we have placed on ourselves.

For me, getting out of my comfort zone, trusting the people around me who had walked this path before me, and learning to trust myself and my instincts, saved my life, it also gave me a new one, a life full of new friends, new experiences, new tools to use, and a lot of healing and love. It also taught me about humility, and that it was OK to not get things right the first time, most people don’t get things right the first time they try them, that’s part of the fun of trying something new, or part of the journey to SLAYDOM, the point is just to try, to put yourself out there and fly. Your comfort zone will still be there to sneak back to for a break, but the more you step out of it, the more you realize that it’s really a prison of your own making, it will become less and less comfortable as you grow, heal, and sore like you never have before.

Think about all the things you want for yourself, and ask yourself if you can achieve those things in our comfort zone, SLAYER, my guess is you probably can’t, I know I couldn’t. Take the leap, or maybe slide a toe over, walk on the wild side, and leave your comfort zone behind, there are exciting things waiting for you out there, far beyond your imagination, trust me, I’m writing this from far beyond mine.

SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you tend to stay within your comfort zone and not try new things? Why do you think you do that? What do you think will happen if you do venture out of your comfort zone? Are you basing your fears on your past? Do you want to live your life for today or stay stuck in the past? What can you do today to make a positive step to get out of our comfort zone? Challenge yourself SLAYER to try 5 new things this week, and write down how you feel after you’ve done them. I’m right out there with you SLAYER, and there are others, you are not alone, take that step towards us.

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

Slayer Say

Good morning SLAYER! Be courageous, ask for what you want, you may not get everything you ask for, but nothing will change if you stay the same. Speak up, make your voice heard and get to work.

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

State Of Slay Ask