I Failed in 4 Days

And just like that the first week of 2018 is over and we begin a new one.

If you are anything like me, AKA human, the first week didn’t go as planned. I had all these great plans and goals and an atmosphere that I wanted to set for this year… but somewhere in the middle of the week, I failed. I failed so bad.

And it sucks.

I worked out one day. I read my bible 3 out of 6 days.

My room is a mess, like an earthquake named Leslie happened.

I hurt a really dear friend.

Like is it possible to mess everything up in a matter of 4 days?! Because I did.

But I learned something.

What happens when it’s a new beginning, but you are still the same person you were in the last chapter? With the same habits, the same past, the same fears, the same same same!?

YOU FREAKIN FIGHT ANYWAYS.

I will admit that I was discouraged for a bit. I felt like the rest of the year was going to suck. And I’m dramatic so then I wanted it to be December 31st, 2018 so I could be in 2019 LOL I thought my world was crushed and that I had really done it this time.

but then I was reminded of God and His mercies. And let me tell you, I am so so thankful that they are new every morning. I don’t ever want to be someone who abuses the grace that God so freely showers us with, but because I am so dramatic and such an over thinker, and grew up with an overly strict step dad, I have to remind myself that I AM HUMAN AND I WILL NOT ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT. So I showered, got dolled up, and kept going and working towards my dreams.

I caught up in my daily bible reading, starting cleaning (started because seriously don’t know how I made that much of a mess LOL)

We will never advance if we stop moving forward every time we make a mistake or trip up a little. It is bound to happen because we are human and can only do so much ya know? But what matters is how you continue in the process. The small steps that you take make all the difference.

I was so afraid to make a list of goals I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t wanna dream big for DYL and fail. I didn’t want to say that I would read daily and then miss a few days and feel horrible and lost.

But in order to enter a new season, YOU have to actually enter it.

You, being, the messy, confused, loud, shy, scared, annoying, sensitive you. And while you walk out your new season, you can turn back and see the progress you have made.

So if your week was anything like mine, I want to encourage you: KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!

Take a deep breath, relax, remind yourself that you are human and you are doing the best you can. Refocus, rewrite your goals, and start again. We don’t need a whole new year to start all over. Everyday is a fresh opportunity to make better choices and to take tiny little steps towards your destiny.

KEEP MOVING. KEEP FIGHTING. KEEP STRIVING. KEEP DREAMING.

The best is yet to come and even though we screwed up, we still have 51 weeks to go and it’s not over yet!

I believe in you, I believe in His plans for you.

Lets get it!

Dancing In His Love,

Leslie Tatiana

2018: Restoration

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you celebrated in the way that you desired! Whether it was in PJ’s, in sparkles, a suit, or dancing the night away.

I spent the night with my family and close friends and it was everything I hoped it could be. Anytime I can dress up, dance, and be with loved ones- I’m game!

I have been reflecting on 2017 all day and continuing to ponder on my vision for 2018.

And in all honesty, I was a bit overwhelmed today.

My heart has been processing all the loss that I had in the previous year and I began to miss people, miss moments, miss things. And you know, I don’t think this is a bad thing. So often we are taught to refocus when you think of the past, that friendship, or that ex. But I think we would be mentally stronger, more honest, and better off if we allowed ourselves to process the meaning of these feelings and thoughts when they happen.

I am not saying to dwell on it, and to listen to Adele… or to go look at pictures or stalk them on social media LOL but really…. Ask yourself, why am I thinking about this? Why am I missing them? What caused this today?

And here is what I discovered when I answered these questions today.

I am at peace with all the decisions I have made this year, at peace with all the things I have walked away from.

But 2018 terrifies me.

I am so afraid to screw it all up, to have a “lowest of lows” year, to stray off the path the Lord has set before me. And because of that, I began to think about this past year.

It’s so easy to miss the ~~old~~ because there is no surprise in it. You know the in’s and out’s of that environment, of that relationship, even of those habits you hate. It’s like you can almost bet on what will happen next and how it will happen, you can probably go all in and win.

And right now, everything is SO new to me that I am unsure of what comes next.

And for a control freak like me?!? Yeah, no.

But there are a few things I know for sure.

The Lord… His plans are so good, and I don’t need to worry about what is to come because I am 100% sure it will be good.

Also…. Fear will not and cannot stop me from living this year. Although I am scared, I will do it afraid. I will continue to live my life without my past, knowing that it will be a good year, even if it’s not how I imagined it to be. Because on December 31st, 2018 I will still be standing, with my hands in the air, declaring that the Lord IS truly good!

I would like to share my word for this year with you.

I am not going to lie and tell you I fasted and prayed for weeks before the year was over to hear from God what He was speaking over 2018 lol not quite

That is just not how I do things (at least not right now because I am not that disciplined, yet LOL) But I do hear from God and I had a word that was resonating in my spirit over the last few days of the year and I am sharing it to remind myself and you the power of God.

RESTORATION.

: an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: such as
a : a bringing back to a former position or condition : reinstatement the restoration of peace
b : restitution
c : a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition

I have lost (and gained) so much in previous years and especially in the last one. Some of that loss was mostly because of my own choices, which I will ALWAYS take full responsibility for… but it was also due to seasons, people, world events, LIFE.

For example, I lost a little faith in God. SO much happened in nature, in world news, in my own personal life, in my loved one’s lives… that there were many many many times I wanted to scream at God and ask Him, “what the heck man?!”

I also lost my vision for my life. I lost sight of what I am called to do.

And over the last few weeks, I have been dreaming and planning and receiving life into my heart.

But I truly believe this year, everything I have lost and everything I deliberately threw away will be restored. I know this one thing, and that is that God is faithful. The most faithful that I have ever known. Even when we aren’t.

And He takes every little thing possible and uses it in the GOOD plans that He has for us. I believe that He is the God who restores, and anything can be restored in Him.

Your faith, your hope, your health, your purity, your dreams, your relationships, your heart.

Nothing is wasted in Him and restoration is always possible.

Pray and ask the Lord to speak to you over your year. Your word or season may differ, but His hand is still over your life, just like it is in mine.

I can’t wait to write about the victories and losses this year and share them with you so you can be encouraged once again. I love reminding you that you are not alone, that we are more alike than you know. I will always be transparent and open when I can in order to bless you and bring you closer to the Lord and to your own dreams and visions.

Follow along as I testify of His goodness and His restoring Hand.

Here’s to dancing in His love another year,

XX,

Leslie

Entering A New Season

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Happy November!! I have been so busy enjoying my life these past three weeks that I haven’t had the time to sit and write, which I’m so excited about because

The #~~writersblock~~ is finally gone and
I am truly enjoying my life.

The first of the month always marks a significance for me. It’s a do over, a fresh start, a new season, a new time in God. And honestly… it is exactly where I am right now. I’m sure I could tell you a million stories and make this blog endless with all the things that I could tell you from these last few months, but I won’t. I’ll keep it straight to the point and maybe on another blog, I’ll break those stories down. But here’s the deal….

About 3 years ago, I was part of a church plant and God stirred up a fire in me and a vision and for the season, it was all I could think about and all I wanted to do.

A few months ago, I start feeling a nudge, a push from God to move away from my comfort zone and to take a leap of faith. I tend to be very impulsive but leaps of faith are not always my forte.

But I was not moving forward where I was at and I felt like the Lord wanted to do a new thing in me so I made the decision to venture out away from my church plant and follow where He was leading me.

My decision was based on many different things that I prefer not to share at the moment because I am still processing and God is still moving in my heart, (so maybe for another time) but the biggest thing that led me to make the decision was God and I am 100% confident that the work He began, He will walk with me and see me through it. Leaving a place of familiarity is always scary, but what’s ahead is always better than staying somewhere God is no longer calling you to be.

It’s a new season.

My heart has been eager for this season for over a year now and I finally made decisions to take care of myself.

You see, I am someone who selflessly puts others before myself and I am not ashamed to say that. I don’t mean it in a prideful way, it’s just truth. And because I am also someone who is an extremist, I usually don’t find middle ground in anything.

But it was time for me to put my needs before anyone else’s…. and I did that.

I needed to be honest with myself and realize that the bitterness, the anger, the confusion, the brokenness I had in my heart wasn’t going to be removed in the same environment where I picked these things up. It was time to take care of Leslie…. to remember what it meant to dance in God’s love… not in shame, condemnation, lack of faith, fear, or anything else hindering my dance with my favorite being, Jesus.

And as I’m being honest with myself, I will be honest with you. I have not been happy for 2 years. And I don’t think that’s how life should be lived. What an insult to myself and to my God to be unhappy for two years, wasting my potential and my breath…. but I’m finally free to say that out loud because I found the light at the end of that dark road.

Don’t get me wrong, I have had some great memories these past two years, but I can’t remember the last time I really enjoyed my seasons, my life. You can see the brokenness in my blog posts, which again, I am thankful for because my brokenness has blessed some of you because of the words I have been able to string together to explain not only the pain, but also the promise at the end of it.

I can truly tell you that this past month, I have been full of joy, full of life, full of hope.

And finally catching my breath.

I don’t feel the anxiety for the future….

the heaviness of my chest when that relationship ended.

The short breaths when I would stay awake trying to find a way from under the rubble that was holding me hostage between who I wanted to be and my current state in life.

The drenched sweats I would wake up to because my nightmares were constant.

And this is the reality of what the last 7 months have been for me.

This is the truth of what was going on inside. God was tugging at my heart and trying to move me from a season I had overstayed.

And as soon as I made the decision to free myself from it and look to God, my entire life changed.

I want to share with you what I did to step into a new season, very briefly and maybe there will be a part 2 with more details.

First,

You have to come first. You have to take care of you at all costs. Because when you take care of you and put yourself first, it may seem selfish, but it’s not.

When you are at your best, the world gets to enjoy that and have the best version of you.

For example, I was constantly putting others needs before my own by guarding, protecting, showing up to every event even when I was exhausted, staying quiet instead of speaking up, and who did that bless? Really no one because inside I was tired, bitter, angry, confused, annoyed, etc. And that’s what everyone around me received.

Second,

Do not take anything that is hindering you into your new season.

I let go of relationships & people who weren’t blessing my journey.

I let go of my old mindset that life was never going to get better, that the waves would always come ashore and crash the life I was building.

I let go of bitterness, realizing I am in control of my life. I make my choices. I decide how I want to live and the life I want to create and enjoy.

Third,

be humble enough to take advice from the right people.

I have surrounded myself with leaders, pastors, sisters in Christ who are going to challenge me, correct me, and guide me to be the best me I can be. These people walk with me despite my attitude that day, despite any unwise decision I made, and they encourage me with love and most importantly, truth.

Stepping into a new season after you have been bound for years is intimidating but I can tell you firsthand that the sound of freedom is real. A burden is lifted and your vision will be cleared.

You will hear the chains falling, new doors will be opened, and He shall be faithful to complete the work He began in you. And enjoying your life and taking control of it is worth losing a few things along the way, in my opinion.

“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.” Psalms 62:1

Dancing in His love once again,

Leslie Tatiana ❤

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(P.S. Enjoy the new dress that launched on Mari Sabe. The cute sweater dress is true to size and so comfy!! Really enjoyed shooting this and being able to share it with all the ladies! You can shop for it directly here )

Good Shoes take you good places

If you haven’t noticed by all my OOTD’s on insta (@leslietatianap) I am a LOVER of shoes. A pair of cute shoes can turn my entire LIFE around. I am more of a heel type of girl but I will not fight any type of cute shoe! Especially in the summer and on #StreetStyle type days. This is officially my first ever fashion only post but that’s a little impossible for me so I’m combining my love for fashion and a little encouragement today.

Between my sweet mom and I, we have over 60 pairs of shoes and some of them, are over 10 years old because my mom is just that hip and amazing and takes care of things, unlike me. I am so excited to share with you my favorite Summer shoes. It was a really tough decision but I chose all the bright colors and comfy ones I love.
The Yellow Sandals are a new addition from JustFab and the perfect color for all things sun. I paired these with a white dress on Easter but I can’t wait to mix with other prints and colors this Summer. The chunky block heel makes it an easy choice because they are comfy enough to walk in and the open toe is perfect for hot days. $40 if you are a member. Sign Up Here!

These Teal Wedges are so dang CUTE!!! I tried looking for them to link them and I can’t find them anymore. But I love this bright, yet soft teal color. Don’t be afraid to try on a pair of shoes that look different because you might actually like them on. These are from Qupid. Take a look at their wedges. They are super cute and Summer ready!

When has Steve Madden ever failed you!?!? The correct answer is never! This is a pair we’ve had for at least 8 years now and they come in handy when I least expect! The heel is short enough to wear for long hours and check out that bow! This deep Teal is perfect to combine with other blues and greens.

Again, Steve Madden! These are the perfect pop of color to add to any outfit! Especially anything white. These again are over 7 years old but guess what!? I was able to find them on Poshmark & someone is selling them for $30. Size 7 & Size 6.5

You can never go wrong with a simple pair of brown wedges! I love these though because the straps are so unique and braided. Also, I would never have bought these because they have “too” much going but when I put them on, I fell for them lol These are super comfy, I can wear these all day! I bought them at Payless but found them for $10 on Poshmark! Size 8

Those are my favorite types of heels for the summer! Bright, comfy, and different! Be a little bold and choose the shoes you would never wear, you might actually love them. ❤

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” -Isaiah 52:7

I LOVE this bible verse. It literally is telling you that the steps, the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful. This verse challenges me to be someone who not only carries good news daily, but someone who is constantly sharing peace and the truth of salvation- that Jesus died for our sins to save us and give us a new tomorrow. I choose to be a woman who is made up of this good news about Jesus, not just a 20 something year old with a fashion sense but nothing more to offer. Not only should you have cute shoes, but you should also walk in those shoes with such a purpose and such an authority that your entire atmosphere around you changes. Do you know the power you carry within you?! Be someone who carries good news, who changes the atmosphere in your group of friends, who walks in faith and not only in cute shoes, but in peace and salvation! Don’t you feel more powerful, more confident, more prepared when you have a cute set of shoes on your feet!? Well imagine that + carrying good news so that others can find the same joy!

Good shoes take you good places!

Forever Dancing in His Love.

with cute heels + good news,

Leslie Tatiana

Hi 2017

Hi 2017, I can’t lie and I say that I am not scared that you are here. I show the world that I am ready, excited, determined and though these things are half true…. I am more afraid, more paralyzed than anything. I don’t want you to be like previous years.

I don’t want to sass my way through the year, control freak it, continue in my same cycles of running away from God, coming back a prodigal daughter and then doing it all over again until….. Happy 2018! I don’t want to disobey, cause my heart more ache than God intended, walk away angry, and then come back humbled and on my knees in repentance when I realize it was all me and I can’t fix it alone.

It is true to me that a new year symbolizes a spiritual shift. New beginnings often do that.But what matters most is the weeks, months, seasons that follow that new beginning. Will I choose to hide His word in my heart for the dark seasons? Will I follow wisdom’s instruction, hold my tongue, look for guidance, and seek peace in every decision? Or will I be tossed to and fro by the waves? Will I choose to be a victim to life?

I want to believe that I will strengthen and develop a better character. That I will be consistent and show up when I am needed. That I will love without expecting a return and that I will focus on the kingdom and not on the things that satisfy my flesh.

There are many questions, many habits to break, much to do, but I will choose to set my eyes on Jesus. The beautiful thing is that I don’t have to do this alone. I decide to go to the one who knows my heart and then He responds by guiding me and keeping my world together.

I have many goals to accomplish and much I’d like to change, but my best bet is sticking with Jesus, learning from Him, and becoming more like Him.

A week late because I am human and I am working on my habits (lol)

but happy new year ❤

If you are like me, planning, freaking out, controlling life, but so desperate for His presence and to please Him, then keep your eyes on Him.

He molds, he changes, He knows.

And there is nothing that brings me more peace than having someone 100% on my team and 100% with His love for me.

I am so excited for this year and I pray that you are too. It’s a process and there is nothing better than dancing in His love as we figure it out.
Get to know me a little better this year by subscribing to my youtube channel! My first video is officially up as promised and it’s a whole lot of facts about me and random dancing because HELLO, dancing in His love is what I do 😉

First VLOG! About me | Dancing In His Love

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