Quality prep work in the kitchen is a necessity before you run off to the fair expecting first-place for your pie.
Just like working on yourself, you have to do the prep work within before you can expect to show up strong and stand-out among the rest.
So what is good work in your own personal kitchen?
1. Take Care of your Ingredients
i) Create time for yourself, ii) Form habits that will preserve you.
When you take time for you, and truly honour yourself it results in good energy flow and a sense of accomplishment and rejuvenation. When you take care of you, you are taking weight off your mind, or you are simply lean into something that feels good. This gives you good energy within which positively impacts your performance, your pitch, your presence, your baking .. whatever .. and goodness will flow out of you. This will also help to attract what you’re after. Think of the opposite and how it doesn't serve: how well do you show up when you haven't taken time for you, or your mind is racing with distractions, or feelings of overwhelm? Your aura and energy is a mess, you're not at your best, and your output therefore suffers.
Flush out any guilt that you may feel for taking time for you because this guilt does not serve. Guilt isn’t real as long as you have it designed with your counterpart(s) that this is what you need to thrive. Provide them also with the opportunity to do the same. Green light means go!
You get to decide what time for you looks like. Ask yourself:
- What is taking care of myself?
- What do I need in order to thrive and feel strong?
Is it a babysitter for my kids, even on weekends, to give me space to do what I need, space to get organized, space to work on a project, or is it a special appointment? This is something specific to you that’s going to make you feel rejuvenated and strong.
ii) The second part of taking care is to choose habits that will preserve your ingredients (you) so you remain quality and fresh. This doesn’t have to be a mile-long list of habits. Choose a couple to start. Ex. wake-up before my family, stretch daily, read a chapter each night, chop veggies weekly, 2 hrs of uninterrupted quiet time weekly. Again, you get to decide what habits will serve you.
2. Set Out Your Ingredients & Don’t Forget to Measure
First off, what ingredients are required? Clarify what is needed in your life and what you want to accomplish. Drop the stuff that doesn’t matter. You can’t do it all. And that's ok.
Next, measure your ingredients; measure your time and resources. Get intentional. Put the work into buckets that need to be executed upon. Even though balance is an illusion, this is a way to balance your time and balance you. It will bring harmony.
How much time will I actually commit to x, y, z this week?
When will I?
Bonus – who can help me?
Then, most importantly, go and execute. Stay committed. You will likely fall off track or slip. We all do. Self-correct. Get yourself back up.
3. Don’t Forget to Take Care of the Tools
Sharpening your knives is like sharpening your unique edge – your personal secret ingredient or weapon.
Finesse your craft. Get really good at your special skill. WARNING! This doesn’t mean it has to be perfect before you get out of the kitchen and share. Trying hard to be perfect leads to no-man’s land - “perfection paralysis” - a negative block to releasing what’s important to you (= negative energy = no one's having fun!). Keep practicing and putting good energy into what makes you unique.
A simple practice, but vitally important, give yourself some kind acknowledgements along the way. “I am kick-ass at 'selling’, ‘motivating people’, ‘inventing’, ‘executing’, ‘creating’, ‘cultivating’. This plants seeds of confidence and self-love within. These seeds are super-attractors.
As a coach it’s a core value of mine to continue to serve powerfully. In order to do this I take part in continuing ed, listen to podcasts, and read relevant books. These things make me a better Certified Coach. There will be something new I stumble upon that will help build my value as a coach, but for now this is what I can fit in and what I enjoy.
4. Tidy Up
Clean up your kitchen. Wash the dishes. Put them away. This means clean up your workspace where you do your good work. When your environment is tidy, your mind and spirit can be clear and free from distraction too. Enjoy looking over and seeing that your zone is ready to be used again, ready to create your next masterpiece.
If there is one thing that you take away from this post it's to ensure you take care of you. It will create a quality you. You will send the right message for what you want to accomplish, it will positively influence others, and that first bite of pie will taste so, so good.
My best,
Katie
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