Showing Up... For The Food, Of Course.

My girl Rue inspired this one; she basically ignores me unless food is involved. It's what motivates her to finally get out of bed in the morning... and it got me thinking about the things that motivate us, as people, to show up in life. More importantly, what gets us to show up for ourselves. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

How many times do we stay engaged in situations that don't serve us just because we're afraid to face the uncomfortable truth about what we really need? What's up? What's up, my friend? Welcome back to Donations. I'm your host, donovan, and I can't tell you how grateful I am to have you here with me today, because it's a lot. It's a lot, a lot of gratefulness for you being here.

Speaker 1: 0:50

I am surprised that we're already stepping into a new month. This past month flew by and it's true what they say Time flies when you're having fun, and I've had quite the amount of fun and busyness this past month. But that's neither here nor there. But what is here is something I want to talk to you about. I want to talk to you about juicing, and I'm talking about the fruits and veggies kind of juicing, and I want to tell you about my experience with it, because I'm sure you've heard of it before. Growing up in the late 90s, early 2000s, was when I first heard about it and you were the epitome of health and wellness if you had a blender and all the fruits and veggies and vitamins and supplements and a daily juicing routine, and somewhere along the way it kind of faded out, at least from my point of view, it faded out of style, but every now and then I'll come across a video of someone who still juices or still talks about the benefits of it. So I know it's still a known and practiced thing. Especially lately in my morning routine, my good friend Yaniri shout out, who has been featured on the show before, and if you've heard the episode on self-discovery and healing with Amy, myself and Yaniri, then you're familiar with her story. But another big part of her story is that she runs her own juicing business and I'm so happy to see just how much she's thriving and hustling and it's just inspiring to see. And she has a full menu of options and for the past three weeks almost a month now I've been ordering some of her juice shot options to have throughout my week and I'll get the appleberry shot and the spicy mommy shot and the big draw for me in both of those is the inclusion of elderberry and cayenne pepper. And if you're not familiar with the benefits of both of those things, my friend, let me enlighten you Anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immune-supporting, circulation-improving, power-packed little puppies.

Speaker 1: 3:18

Okay, they've got me feeling so damn good, I'm not even kidding. They've got me feeling so damn good, I'm not even kidding, and one of my biggest goals this year is to fuel myself as best as I can, starting on the inside so that it radiates on the outside. And I feel like I'm definitely on the right track with these. It's no joke about how good I feel, and I'm really not stacking them with a whole lot of other things like maybe just apple cider, vinegar, gummies, a little bit of ashwagandha and some green tea. So I know they're working, I can feel it, and I get so excited to wake up in the morning because I get to drink them.

Speaker 1: 4:02

And what, my friends, is the secret of life if not giving ourselves things to be excited about. But you know what doesn't always excite me? My girl Rue, playing too many games. As you know, or maybe don't know, rue is my chocolate lab and we've been together for going on nine years now. We've had nine beautiful years together and she is the sweetest thing. She's spoiled, rotten, but sweet, and she'll win your heart over the second you walk through the door, and she'll win your heart over the second you walk through the door. But the game that she likes to play is waking me up way before my alarm is set to go off making me think that she needs to go outside, to only run back to her bed and curl up to go back to sleep the second that I force myself out of bed to let her out and I've mentioned this before and how much it drives me crazy. And I'll stand there trying to convince her to get up and follow me down the hallway to go, because she woke me up for a reason and I know she has to go, but she won't. She'll just stare at me and wag her tail and stay in bed and I don't think it's lost on her at all. Like she's really smart and she's showing me still that she's learning new things every day. So I know she knows what she's doing. But it's hard to stay mad at her for long and as much as it's not fun being woken up before my alarm, I'm really trying to focus on winning the morning so that I win the day.

Speaker 1: 5:46

So when I'm up, I'm up and I'll head to the kitchen to kickstart my routine and get my juice shots that I'm so excited about and press play on my latest audiobook or the latest podcast that I'm listening to, so I can crush the day. And just as I'm smack dab in the middle of my routine, literally zoned in on what I'm listening to, with eggs frying in the pan as we speak, this little girl wants to come running down the hallway like I'm up now, what are you doing? And take me out and feed me and give me fresh water. And it frustrates the heck out of me because it's like great timing. I was literally just begging you to get out of bed but you didn't want to come, and now you're ready, and so I have to stop what I'm doing and tend to her.

Speaker 1: 6:42

And I'm pretty certain actually I'm very certain it's the smell and sound of eggs in the pan or the sound of the English muffin bag rustling that signals food to her. And she thinks it's for her because you know, spoiled, rotten. And she does that with lunch too. When I'm making my daily salad, it's like she's already memorized the sound of me getting the spring mix or the broccoli out of the fridge. And there she comes, click, clacking her nails down the hall from wherever she was hiding to eat, as if I'm making it for her. And I know it's the food that she's after because even when I'm not making breakfast or lunch, I'll call her just to come to me so I can love on her or sing to her or talk to her or just give her a couple of kisses and nope, she's busy napping. She can't be bothered, she's too cozy and doesn't want to get up. I mean, sometimes she does get overly excited to come in for some loving and some scratches, but it literally is like pulling teeth sometimes. But if it's for food, oh, she's there before you can even think to call on her. She's motivated by food. And I've said this multiple times and I'll say it till I'm blue in the face get you a dog or a cat or any kind of pet as soon as possible if you don't have one, because they will teach you more about life than you ever thought they could.

Speaker 1: 8:21

Because with this realization about what Rue is motivated by and shows up for, I realized that we all do that. We all show up for the things that motivate us, and I think I could even rephrase that to we only show up for what motivates us, and that looks different for everyone, right? Some of us only show up for the family function if there's beer or food. I know that's right. Some of us show up for the gym right, but is that for our own health or for external validation, like praise or approval from others. Some of us show up for others, like our close friends, to help them with their drama or their struggles, but is that in the pursuit of nourishing our connections or to put our own drama and struggles aside? And some of us show up only when the benefits of what we're showing up for tip the scale in our direction. Like I said, it's different for everyone and I'm sure there are countless other examples that both carry a positive or negative connotation that I could have used here.

Speaker 1: 9:35

But the main question really that I want to present is what's motivating us to show up for ourselves? What's motivating us to show up for ourselves? How many times do we skip the tough stuff, like healing from trauma or healing from hurt, or forgiving ourselves, because it doesn't give us an instant reward? How many times do we self-sabotage and risk everything we've built because of the discomfort in facing our own bad habits or behaviors? How many times do we stay engaged in situations that don't serve us just because we're afraid to face the uncomfortable truth about what we really need? And how many times do we settle for temporary satisfaction instead of showing up for the long-term work of our own personal growth? All super tough questions to ask yourself and dive into, and I know that because it was hard asking myself those things.

Speaker 1: 10:43

I know how easy it is to show up for things that distract us or deflect us from the struggles we've had to overcome to really show up for ourselves. But any amount of validation or healing or appreciation that you're seeking cannot be shown to you by anyone in this world unless you're showing it to yourself first. You set the standard for how someone or something shows up for you by how you show up for yourself. You know, I think we all have a vision of what a fulfilled life would look like for us, and taking that vision and harnessing it as the motivation behind how you show up for yourself is the secret to not only living that life but living that life in a way that serves your inner child and heals your hurt and that serves the relationships and friendships and experiences that you navigate along the way. And when you align your daily actions with that vision, you start to see things shift, not just within yourself but in the people and experiences you attract.

Speaker 1: 12:04

So this is all just to invite you to take a look at where you're putting your energy. Ask yourself are you showing up for the things that truly matter to you? Are you showing up for your own growth, mental health and healing? Are you showing up in consideration of yourself and others, or are you waiting for external validation to feel like you matter? And when you think about your relationships, whether it's family, friends or a partner take a moment to reflect on that too. Are you showing up in a way that benefits each of you? Are they showing up for you in ways that are meaningful, or are they showing up when it benefits them? Remember, the energy you give to others should never be more than the energy you give to yourself. No matter how much you love or care for someone, the moment you start showing up for yourself, that's when everything begins to change for the better. Trust that the right people will meet you where you are, but it all starts with you, so show up.

Speaker 1: 13:31

Thank you for tuning in. I hope this episode gave you something to think about. Don't forget to take a moment this week to reflect on where you're putting your energy and whether it's moving you closer to the person you want to become or not. And don't forget to check out Donations Plus, there is a free trial now exclusively on Apple Podcasts. And check the links in this episode's description to support the show, or send me a text and be sure to include your name so I can shout you out. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to share it with someone who could use this reminder and until the next one, keep showing up and be careful. Thank you.