Strawberry showdown

“It’s just a small sacrifice.”

I’ve found a lot of itsy-bitsy places over the years where I’ve denied myself.

A little pleasure here, a little pleasure there.

Case in point - eating a strawberry.

It’s not an uncommon fruit here in the U.S., but it WAS highly uncommon for me to taste that sweet, juicy, drool-worthy fruit in our home. Why??! Because my kids love them too. And I felt like a “good” mom when I gave them Every. Last. One.

But here’s the truth.

Sacrifice happens, but If you’re denying yourself even the smallest pleasures (like your favorite fruit) on a daily basis, there’s probably a lot more where that came from.

You’re not unhappy because of what you’re doing. You’re unhappy because of what you are thinking. The thoughts that make you feel like you can only feel good if you’ve given something up is exactly how you end up at the bottom of the priority list.

Exhausted. Depleted. Guilty. Yearning for something more.

Hit the pause button. Dip your toe in new waters.

Don’t jump to judgment! Look back with some curiosity. Where do I hear myself asking for something? (Boy, that strawberry looks tasty.) How can I inch my towards a ‘yes’? (I will give myself 2 of the 18 strawberries.)

These small decisions are changing big beliefs within us. My clients have seen sustained success because my framework is based on a staircase model - not a high-jump where we either fail or succeed (and let’s be honest, we fail more than we succeed with this set up).

I invite you this week to get more clarity (my first ‘C’) and get aware. What would you like to say ‘yes’ to?? And then….yep…take control (my second ‘C’). What’s a ‘yes’ you can offer yourself?