Stop overeating at the buffet
Here’s a suggestion:
Stop overeating at the buffet.
…
So much suffering for my clients (and myself, at times) comes from the belief that if an opportunity is there — any opportunity, any benefit — we must seize it.
At times, this can be wise. “Make hay while the sun shines” is an aphorism for a reason, after all.
But I recently, I offered a client the metaphor of a buffet:
There’s a season in life when you may just want to eat everything at the buffet, simply because it’s there and you *can.*
But there’s also a season in life where you need to *not* do that. Where “overeating at the buffet” can have too many negative effects.
This particular client was definitely experiencing the negative effects of chronically “overeating at the buffet”:
She was chronically exhausted
Her motivation was way down
She had lost touch with her true “appetite” — her sense of what she actually wanted in life. Because she was so used to eating whenever “food” (e.g., “good opportunities”) were available, she’d lost her natural discernment about what truly mattered to her. Instead, she’d started making decisions based on what other people seemed to value or suggest, or what was “impressive.”
…
What’s the alternative to “overeating at the buffet”? Cultivating the belief that if you really want it, you’ll find a way to eat it later.
Of course, it’s so freaking easy to eat the brownie-sundae-jello-supreme when it’s there at the buffet.
If you want it later, it might take more work!
Not every restaurant might have it!
You might have to wait a few days — or weeks — or months — until you find it again.
And yet.
And yet, it is almost always far more satisfying (and healthier) to eat something when you have an appetite, and when you actually want that thing.
Just because something brings you some benefit, doesn’t necessarily make it the Right Decision.
Shall I say that one again? Just because something brings you some benefit, doesn’t necessarily make it the Right Decision.
Or: Stop overeating at the buffet.
As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.
Katie
p.s. I specialize in working with people who are already pretty “together” in their lives — paying their bills, meeting their commitments. But just because your life looks pretty good on paper, doesn’t necessarily mean that it feels right to you, from the inside out.
My next opening for a new client to start is in November. If you're interested, learn more here.
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