Want to try this exercise with me? In this book by teacher and coach Cheryl Richardson, she describes a phase in her life where she wasn’t able to connect with what she really wanted. She was advised to make a list, so she put a large bulletin board in her living room. And whenever she walked past that board, she would populate it with things that she desired, big or small.
Why I’m drawn to this exercise is because I tend to push so many of my wants to the back of my mind, filing them under ‘one day’ or ‘when I can afford it/make time for it’ categories. And then I forget until something makes me remember that I never paid attention to them. In effect, I’ve almost invalidated or dismissed my wishes.
And that’s why I believe it’s powerful to really see this list on your wall, preferably put down on the biggest sheet of paper you can find or patch-up. Keep it for a week and add whatever you truly want to it, no matter how mundane. Even if you feel you’re far away from being able to fulfill them.
When you tell yourself that your wants matter, you tell yourself that you matter. Is that not an important reminder, chef, when you spend so much of your day serving other people?