Taking Your Daily Vitamins

Karen Kenney: 00:00:02

Hey, welcome to the Karen Kenny show, I hope your day is off to a super duper stat or whenever you're listening to this, it might be at night I don't know might be, might be during the week might be on the weekend. But whenever you hear the sound, my voice, may it find you in a place that feels good, that feels good and soothing. And just thank you so much for spending a little time with me today. I'm gonna dive right in this sucker is going to be short. And to the point it was an inspired podcast. And sometimes that happens. Sometimes I'll have a few ideas of what I think I might talk about. And then life, something I'm doing in life, streaks across my conscious or subconscious mind. And it's like, oh, I want to do a show about this. So I'll tell you a little bit about how today's podcast got inspired in a moment. But just thank you so much for being here for choosing to spend a little time together. It's always super duper fun. And you guys, I have so many fun things that are happening in 2024. I just have to say off the bat. If you are not on my email list, please just head on over to Karen kenny.com/sign. Up and and get yourself on that sucker so you can find out what kind of shenanigans are afoot? Okay. So when I work with clients, and whether that's my spiritual mentoring clients when, you know, I mean, I do this also with my friends. But I also do this exercise when I have mentoring clients and whether it's been in a group program, whether it's been one to one work, you know, through all the different ways that I work with people. I inevitably will ask them this question. I will say to them, okay, describe, I will either ask a question, I'll say like this. Tell me about your perfect day. And they'll say, What do you mean? I say, okay, so you wake up you have all the time in the world. Nobody needs anything from you. You've got the resources, you got the space, you've got the energy, whatever. What do you do? Describe your describe your perfect day, tell me, what time do you wake up? What do you do? Where do you go? Who do you spend the day with? What kind of things do you do? Right? And remember, the key word here is perfect. And there's a reason for that. And I'll get to that in a second. And I would often have them describe to me, I'm like, what are some of the things that you would see do experience eat? Like, who are you with? What's happening? What time you go into bed? Like from the time your ass weeks? To the time that you crawl into bed? Where have you gone? What have you done? What have you said, what's happening, okay? And the reason why I asked them to describe to me, their quote, unquote, perfect, I'm doing little quotes, perfect day, is because most people are not going to put in their perfect day shit that they don't like, people that they don't want to see things that they don't want to do. I mean, like, they'll break it down. And it occurred to me at one point, when I was asking this, I said, Oh, what they're describing to me, is, what they love, who they love, how they love to do things, how they love to experience life, like everything down to like, do you wake up with an alarm clock? Or do you just wake up naturally? What's the first thing that you do? What's that? What's your morning routine? What are the habits that you do? Right? What what How is your day unfolding in a quote unquote, perfect world in a perfect way. And I love the insight that this gives me not only for myself, and being their their mentor and their coach, and it really gives me some insight into how they think and what matters to them and all that stuff. But it also creates clarity for the person as to what matters to them and what they love. And these are the things when they get talked about. Like I said, nobody's putting on that list shit that they really don't want to do, right? So if they don't like to lift weights or go for a run, it's not going to be on that list. But they might say I love to take walks with my dog. I love to get out in nature. I like to spend some quiet time in the morning meditating. I love to make sure that I drink plenty of water. I like to feel like I'm not rushed. I like to have quiet time for thinking. I like to move my body somehow I like to spend time reading. I like to have a DSP a daily spiritual practice. I like to eat dinner by the This time, I like to spend time with my kids like whatever it is, okay? Again, they are describing these things that they love. But these are also the things that fill them with joy, which is wicked important, that light them up, right? We can important. And it also is the things that they would do the things that they would do to be their best self. These are the things that when people do them, they show up as their best self. And the reason why I'm talking about this is it got inspired by so and I've mentioned him before on other podcast, but Jesse, it's love if you don't know who Jesse is, look him up, just was talking about something very similar to this. And he calls this practice that I had been doing with my clients, right, I always say seems he's different. But he says it in a really interesting way. He calls those things that he loves to do. This is his word for for his but it applies here. He says he calls those little things his daily vitamins. And he said when he was a little kid, you know, his mom would always say to him, make sure to take your vitamins, you know, you gotta pop a pill or two or your little kitty little flip back in the day, right back in the day. If your parents could even afford vitamins mine couldn't. But if parents did you always see those Flintstones chewables. Remember those things? I mean, they are just chock full of like sugar and like, you know, like red dye. Shit what they used to be not saying they're actually good for you. But he's talking about how back then his mother would say take your daily vitamins. And now as an adult, it has occurred to him that my version of like, what's your perfect day? Like? What are these things that bring you joy that light you up that you love, right that make you be the best you that you can be? He calls that taking your daily vitamins. And he used an example that I really loved. And you may not know that you know, Jessie, but his wife, Sarah is the creator of something called Spanx. She recently sold her company for a shit ton shit ton of money, like billions of dollars.

Karen Kenney: 00:07:23

But anyhow, he was he was sharing about how, you know, when he gets up in the morning, he likes to get stuff done. And check it off his list. First thing in the morning, he makes a list the night before I also do that practice, but he makes a list the night before. So when he gets up in the morning, he can just like hit his day hit the ground, like with intention with purpose. And he knows what he knows what the plan is, he knows what matters to him, right? And he gets it done. And he was saying how when he takes at least one or two of his quote unquote, again, daily vitamins each day, then anything that his partner or his kids, right, want him to do afterwards is fine, because he already took his vitamins, he already did at least one thing, at least one thing, but maybe he got two or three and that really mattered to him. And I want to share this concept with you because if your days are not if your days do not include at least one of your quote unquote, daily vitamins, if you're not doing something for yourself at least one thing each day that lights you up that matters to you, that fills you with joy, something that you love something that makes you show up as the best version of you. Then slowly over time, not only do we become we can become miserable, but we can become resentful we can become I think all kinds of things can spur from this anxiety depression, whatever because you're not actually leading or living a life that you care about that you love that matters to you. And I get it you know, there's a thing that happens is adult is you know, I think we have this, this idea that when we're children when we're younger, when we're teenagers when we're whatever thing a lot of things are get twos, right like I get to have well we didn't have play dates. My age, we didn't have playdates you just went over to some kids house and you knocked on the front door and you're like, Can Timmy come out? You know, we didn't have playdates. But you know, there was a lot of get twos. It seemed like I mean, my childhood was filled with a lot of have twos. But there are people right who have a lot of get twos, and then when we become adults, and it feels like everything gets really serious and we don't get we don't create enough time for fun and for play and for joy and for things that we do. You know, I'm not gonna I say just for shits and giggles These are often things that make us better humans make us the most best versions of ourselves. But it can be a slippery slope. If everything in our life feels like I have to and not get to. Man, can it just feel so not soothing? I can just suck the joy like why why would you want to wake up each day and have to go do all these things that none of them feel good to you or make you happy. And I think that this is also wicked important for creatives. For people who may be in an in some cases, entrepreneurs or people who want to become entrepreneurs, you might not yet be in a place where you can actually do what you would love to do for a living. So I've often said, you know, I know a shit ton of artists, creatives, writers, musicians, painters, whatever, who funded their dreams by having a day job, right? But they did the thing maybe they didn't love to do so that they could go do the thing that they loved. You know what I'm saying? So I think that this is a great opportunity. I mean, we're still pretty much at the beginning of 2024. Not everybody is big on you know, picking a word and choosing a theme and doing resolutions and New Year New you bla bla bla bla bla, right, some people, right, I mean, I'm actually a fan of kind of sitting down, I talked about this on another episode like sitting down and planning, like, what kind of a year I want to have, what are some of the goals? What are some of the habits I want to create? What are some of the people who who do I want to see, right, you can see back there, I have, you know, the big ass calendar, that is also a creation of Jesse Itzler in his company. And you can see, I'm slowly filling it up with different colored sticky notes. Because I like to plan out my life because here's what I know. Here's what I know. I don't like to be incredibly rigid. But I do like to be rigorous, right? Like I like to I like having a certain amount of discipline because to me discipline. I always say I've been saying this for a gazillion years discipline leads to freedom, discipline leads to freedom. So here's some questions I want you to ask yourself, so that you can feel like you are playing a proactive role in creating nevermind just 2024 but co creating your life, the kind of life that you want to have. So if we were going to break it down into your perfect day, you can do that exercise. Right, do that exercise, I think it's incredibly valuable to sit down and just say okay, in a perfect world. Where would I wake up? Where would I be living? Right? Like, look at the whole thing. Right? What I wouldn't I will tell you this in a perfect world. My perfect day, I would wake up someplace warm. I would not be waking up in cold ass New Hampshire. I wouldn't be waking up someplace warm. And maybe Fingers crossed. Maybe if I get lucky, right? That will be true. Once again. I lived in California for like eight years. I got spoiled. I loved it. And maybe maybe there's some warm weather living at some point for me again, because I like to be able to be outside year round. Right. And yeah, I know. I can go outside, but it's like it's gray. It's like today, okay, like weather. He has New England weather. We got a shit ton of snow. Okay, so yesterday it snowed and it rained. And today, it's 50 degrees out. It's like, welcome to New England. Okay, and we're back. I was a little sorry, I took a little detour and we're back. Okay, here's what I want you to do. If this interests you, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do but if this is helpful and interesting to you, sit down and ask yourself, right, what is my perfect day? And literally think about all the different details. What time am I waking up and my waking up naturally? am I waking up with an alarm clock? am I waking up? And I'm immediately like so like some of the things that for me are my daily vitamins, right? Daily DSP, right, a daily spiritual practice. That has been happening for 30 years. I don't even have to think about it anymore. It's like it's ingrained but it's what makes me the best me that I can be on any given day. So my perfect day involves a DSP. Okay, my perfect day involves spending time with my furry kids okay, getting to play with them see them you know sit on the couch, have them pet them give them kisses all of that. Okay. I getting to spend a little time with my sweetie Chris Lester. My husband moving my body. Totally important. Oh my God, look at this. Look at this big I'm holding up my big one. One of my many big water mugs staying hydrated. Oh my god, I hate being thirsty.

Karen Kenney: 00:15:02

Food Food I'm a little less like some people are total foodies like food. I'm like, Yeah, I don't really have to eat that much. Just my constitution is the way that I am. But if I'm thirsty, like, Oh, I hate that feeling. Thirsty right now I'm gonna chug that day when I'm done doing this. On and on, I like to write, I like to read I like to read every single day, if I don't get to read every single day, I get a little cranky. Like, it's one of the treats that I give myself before bed, right? Doing some sort of hypnosis or some sort of, you know, relaxation process. Oh, so good. Having having space to just fucking think Do you know what I mean? Like, building time into my day, where nobody needs anything. And I'm not saying this has to be an hour I get it lives, people, people have a lot going on and lives are busy. And I'm talking about me my perfect day. So my perfect day would involve being on a beach somewhere. There'd be some outside sun and sand and sea that is for sure. There would be books involved, there would be animals involved, right? There would be like probably a yummy fruit smoothie of the protein shake of some kind, there be some movements of yoga, right? So a little little sweat, I get a little sweaty or something, it would involve seeing my like talking to my friends if I couldn't see them, like seeing or interacting with my favorite people, you know what I'm saying? So that's like a sip, sip, a little sip, sip as long as I would say of my day. So ask yourself from the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed, what Who are you seeing? What are you doing? What are you feeling, right? This gives you insight to yourself, and then take a look at your life. And see how much of those things, the people the places the experiences, that the timing, the temperatures, all that stuff that you're actually experiencing day to day in your current life. And if you're not getting at least one of your daily vitamins, if not more, if you're lucky, you can get two or three, right four, or you may it doesn't have to be luck, I shouldn't say like that, I take that back. If you're intentional, perhaps you can build them into your life. And that's what I'm saying like proactively co creating with the divine with the universe with your highest self, it's the part of you that's not insane, whatever you want to call it. God source love universe, right? Higher Power, highest self, Holy Spirit, I don't care what word you use. But that you're that you're intentionally though, looking at your life, and taking your life seriously. Because no time is guaranteed. And right and saying like, Okay, which of these things fill me with joy, which of these things these habits these things that I could be doing these experiences that I could be having helped me to be the best me the best version of myself so that I can show up fully from a resource state from a regulated state. So I can go out into the world. And, you know, leave, leave the people in the place and all that better than how I found it. So that my being around and being in the world and doing these things, ends up being a blessing. Right? I always say there's a difference between going out into the world in the morning, from a place of inspiration from being inspired versus going out and inflicting yourself on people because you're unhappy, or you're miserable, or you're sick or you're whatever, because you haven't been able. And look we all get sick for different reasons. As always remember, when you listen to my podcast, there are exceptions to every rule. Right? So don't get weird. I'm just saying right that if we don't feed ourselves if we don't nurture and nourish ourselves beyond the body, if we don't nurture and nourish our minds, our spirit our soul, if we're not interacting with people in in plate with places and in ways that light us up. What do you think the opposite of being lit up is right more more. So hopefully, hopefully this will help you. And I understand that while this idea is simple, it is simple in theory and I always say like all spiritual things. spiritual concepts are not complicated. spiritual concepts are wicked spiritual principles are wicked simple. What can be hard though is putting them into action is the application I always call it the application of the theory problem. We have a lot of people that like to read the books and get the information, but then they're not willing to get intimate with the information and take action so that they have lived experience so that they have evidence, right? It's easy to sit around and talk about shit. It's a little bit harder to actually get get some skin in the game and do it. So I understand this can feel like oh, we're Am I gonna find another hour like I have kids, I have a job I have this I look, I can't say I quote unquote, get it. I do not have human children. But I understand is the word I want to say I understand. And I would invite you at least one thing, at least one thing, one vitamin quote unquote vitamin so that you feel nurtured and nourished and taken care of, and I'm telling you, it will make a difference. It will make a difference if you're filling yourself up in some way first, and whether that's by getting up and doing your DSP prayer, meditation, contemplation, reading spiritual texts, breathwork, like everybody does different stuff, right? Getting getting your ass to yoga, getting out in nature, connecting with your heart, whatever you do, right? Whatever you're doing, spending a little time with God with source with your highest self, your higher power, going to an AAA meeting, go, whatever it is, going to the gym, going to the library. So excited about libraries, right? Just what whatever. Give yourself, fill yourself up. So that you can then go out and be in service to and give to others so that you don't feel like that you are depleted. Okay, I think I'm complete with that. I hope this was helpful in some way. It is always my heart's desire to spread more love in the world to talk about things and to share to tell a little tell some stories. And here's the other thing, too. This is one of the things sometimes I will find, right, I'll personalize it a little bit, that if I feel like I am being asked to constantly just take care of everybody else and do all the things for everybody else, and if I'm not getting and I'm not saying I need other people to take care of me, but if I'm not taking care of me, if I'm the one who's not scheduling shit, that works for me, if I'm the one who's not taking care of myself physically, mentally, emotionally, I mean spiritually I'm almost I do my DSP every single day I have for over 30 years. Right so in that area, but if I'm not getting enough rest if I'm not getting enough alone time if I'm not getting enough time where I don't feel like there's pressure being put on me if I don't have time to just sit and think if I don't have time to to you know do to move my body or to stretch and strengthen all the all the things right I can find myself getting a little cranky pants I can find myself getting a little patient a little impatient, and a little resentful, right a little bit fucking whiny who here definitely man hands when you find yourself getting a little bit whiny. Just like stop use when you find yourself like a bit cynic plain and poor, right? Like everything's just like yeah, but like you don't know. Right when I start to hear myself, sound that way sounds super whiny. I just stop. I just stop. Right? And it's like, what do you need right now? Right? What uh, what might have been one vitamin? Do you need to dig right now you know what I'm saying? And you gotta be able to laugh at yourself. Because this being human man, we are not perfect right, definitely enhance that we are always a work in progress. But if we pay attention, if we pay attention, if we're slowed down enough, and we can pay attention, we will notice the quality of our thoughts, we will notice the quality of our words, we will notice the quality of how we speak to ourselves how we speak to others, we will notice the quality of our compassion, our kindness, our patients, our tolerance. When I find that I feel triggered, or quote unquote, had a button do little airport button pushed or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I asked myself a series of questions. It's another time for another day. But I have to be present enough to notice Oh, I am not coming from my I'm not coming from love right now. I'm coming from fear and what's going on? And what do I need? Okay? But if you take a look at your life, and you set it up so that you are getting those one or two or three, right, maybe even four, I mean, my life is set up that I pretty much get to do the things that that helped me so that I can help others help myself first. So I can show up as a good fairy mom as a good wife as a good mentor, a good coach, a good yoga teacher, right? So they can write my book so I can do the things I can do this podcast. I gotta have energy in the tank to do this suck a week after week after week after week after week for five years. It's no joke, right to show up to show up in front of right the mic or what we would say bye Hi, I'm

Karen Kenney: 00:25:00

Michael, you know what I'm saying to show up and stand in front and have a room and lead, to be able to lead clients or to share with clients to help people blah, blah, blah, to be able to do all that, if I wasn't taking good care of myself, I would not show up as my best self. And people are paying money people are taking, right sometimes they're very hard earned cash, right to do this work. So it behooves me to take care of myself, so I can help others as well. Because if I'm not taking care of me, who's going to be able to step up, right, and run this business and, you know, be able to, you know, speak up for, you know, the animals who have no voice and all the things that matter to me and the things that I try to do in the world. Okay, and seems ease for you, seems ease for you. So make your list, what's your perfect day. And then look at that list and pick at least I would say pick at least five, five to 10, right of vitamins that you could take, and then try to get at least one or two or three of those a day. And then let me know how it goes. Let me know how it goes. And thanks again to Jesse, it's love for the inspiration of this podcast today. Because I was thinking about it. And I was like, Oh my God, that's like the perfect day exercise. So I love you guys, I appreciate you for being here. Thank you so much. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day. keep tuning in, I hope you're finding the show valuable and look if this is helpful to you in some way. And I always say if it's valuable to you and you benefit from it in some way, it's going to benefit somebody else you love as well. It will be helpful to those you love as well. So one of the best things you can do to help me to spread the good word and to spread the love is to share the podcast with those you love. And I really appreciate it when you do. Again, remember, if you want to get on my email list to find out what's going on Karen kenney.com/sign up. I would love to have you join us and just take extra good care of yourself. It's a little weird out there on the way up there. So be kind to yourself, be kind to others. Take it easy, take it slow and know that you are loved. Okay, wherever you go, may you leave yourself, the people the place the animals the environment better than how you found it. Wherever you go. May you be a blessing. Bye