 Good morning. Welcome to Sunday Morning Coffee with Bridget. Hey, I'm on my second cup of coffee this morning. But to be fair, my first cup was mushroom-based coffee, which is very mellow, if you have any yourself. Now I'm actually having my Nespresso coffee. Okay, okay. Oh, it's a beautiful morning here in the summertime, sharing some sunshine with you and some peace on the back deck, as I record this Sunday Morning Coffee podcast. So the topic today was inspired by a chocolate chip cookie. Now let me describe to you this chocolate chip cookie because it is amazingly fantastic. It is transcendent truly. It is a very soft cookie filled with chunks of chocolate that kind of stick out like little mountains on top. But it is so soft and squishy, but thick, that you can kind of pull it apart gently and see the chocolate kind of string across from one side to the other. And then you can eat it, and it is fantastic. Chocolate chip cookie is so good, and they're large, okay? So they were on the counter this morning, right next to my coffee machine. So of course I had one. Now this has been a little bit of a pattern. I noticed when my husband and my youngest son go into town and they go for an evening walk sometimes from time to time, then they stop at the grocery store and the little grocery store and they pick up these cookies. And then in the morning, when I get up, they're next to the coffee maker. So I am like, hmm, what a perfect combination, cookies and coffee, right? So this is inspiring this topic today of temptation because then I had this conversation with a friend of mine about how much I enjoy the cookie for breakfast, but at the same time it's this instant gratification or this quick, satisfying experience that turns out to be guilt-provoking and even after a while, if I have more than one of them, maybe shame inducing. It leads into body conscious and body awareness issues for me. It leads into health and wellness and choices I've made for my life to be healthier and to live a certain way to provide the best possible energy for my body and that includes what I put into it and how I treat it. And I haven't been so good about that lately. And the cookie itself represents temptation. So I want to talk to you about this concept of temptation and when we use this metaphor of this cookie scenario, it really does pull out all the things related to temptation, whatever temptation is to you. And I've been doing a lot of journaling and inner personal work around desire and in working with my business coach and my feelings coach and things, I really have been aware of this, the word specifically, desire. And when temptation came up this morning in a conversation I was having with my friend, I thought, wow, that's perfect. That's interesting because we have heard the word temptation. Words have so much power. Let's just say that you know that if you've worked with me before, if you follow Ferry Grasshopper, you know how powerful words are, their vibration, their frequency. If we've worked in private session, we do a lot around language that we use because we hear it. So it's not just a thought we think, but when we say it out loud, we also receive it, not only express it, but we receive it, we get both sides of that stick. And it's important to understand that. So temptation sounds like this, like very old school romance novel word or this biblical term that has to do with evil and being taken over and manipulated by something that is not good for you and in my cookie scenario, of course. Do I think the cookie has so much power over me that it is so enticing and intoxicating and magically casting a spell on me that I have to eat it? No, I don't think that. But what is it about being tempted that we feel like we must resist? And then in the temptation or the desiring of something, we experience the opposite of it, which is resistance, which we must have both the light and the shadow, the shadow and the light, the good and the bad, the yin and the yang, the balance, right? The balance of things, the plus, the minus, etc. So in temptation and resistance, which is the plus and which is the minus? Like, which is the, is it just all a bad thing? Because temptation creates more resistance. But why are we resistant to temptation? And what is temptation really? Maybe we are tempted to do something because we recognize in that moment we are holding ourselves back. Maybe we are empowered and inspired with a conscious choice in the tempting of something, the feeling of an energy pulled toward something or the feeling of an invitation to belong or to be part of or to have an experience, whether it's an indulgent experience or it's a productive experience, an amazing experience. It's probably how people feel when they have been offered stocks, investments and stocks and knew they should have invested, had this gut feeling intuition they should have invested but they didn't and then all of a sudden their best friend's a millionaire because they invested it and you didn't, even a little bit, you were tempted but you didn't and there's all these ranges between temptation and resistance and the energy that the dust, that the idea of the thoughts that come with the temptation is more of the problem than the actual temptation and the doing of the thing itself or the experiencing of the thing itself. Let's just be clear. The stirring up of the dust of the thoughts that come around the temptation it's far worse damage to us. So it's not in the doing of or the taking action of because of the temptation the saying yes or the saying no it's all the emotions the feelings the thoughts the heart and the mind coming in and being part of the process of the dust of the mud of the muck of temptation. So temptation isn't the problem let's consider this the cookie is not my problem the chocolate chip cookie is just living its best life it is not my problem but what does it represent? What does it represent? Like I mentioned guilt shame awareness of my power of choice so temptation is an empowering option like it's an empowering moment where we're tempted by something because we're incredibly aware in that moment of our power of our choice and that's kind of scary wow I have so much power I could do this or I could do that oh my gosh that is powerful and by the way not doing something is a response it is a choice but the guilt energy the shame energy the awareness and recognition within myself that I've made a commitment to myself my body my physical body to maintain it in a way that doesn't over-sugify it okay I love sugar let me just be clear I don't have a problem with sugar I think it's wonderful everything almost everything can be managed food-wise moderation right it's all about the balancing of the balancing out the balancing out of things the yin and the yang so you can have the sugar when you also then have the broccoli and the kale and the smoothies and the healthy fat and the healthy eat you see what I'm saying it's a balancing right so it's not that I can't have the cooking I have to deprive myself and hold myself back because I just have to have 50 cookies it's not that it's the symbol that I represent and how it stirs up in the muck and the mud the actual true feelings in myself and then thoughts that jump on board with what's going on internally with my feelings so I do feel a bit guilty like oh a cookie and a coffee wow that sounds good I feel a bit guilty because I know that not even a half hour later my stomach will hurt because of my past patterns and experience with too much sugar and also with gluten in this case I know what my body needs and I know how it reacts in response to what I put into it I know the pattern the pattern beautiful people it's the pattern recognizing the pattern do you see how everything is connected here so it's not the temptation in the moment of oh I'm so weak I have to I take this I have to say no it's not really about that it's not about that that has been dramatized by self-help self-development even the spiritual community has dramatized that and marketing okay businesses have sold those products based on that oh just given it's okay it's okay and even religion has taught us about that with this apple and the evilness of Eve and so we know we know when we look at the pattern when we see the pattern we know what happened I know I feel guilty when I eat the cookie with my coffee because I know my tummy's gonna hurt later and that means no yoga for about two hours that means if I had plans to do other things like yoga or like a nice brisk walk it's gonna be painful and uncomfortable and I might be crabby it might now affect my mood because I'm annoyed because I can't do my schedule that I wanted to do or it impacts other things it's a pattern that I know I'm aware of this I know that this happens so I can make choices then to be with the energy of the cookie and the pairing it's the pairing man isn't it you guys come on it's the pairing the cookie with the coffee it's perfect it's like sheer perfection bliss for the time that you savor the cookie and savor the coffee and it's just this beautiful sweet partnership isn't it they just belong together there's such a perfect couple and I can enjoy that and then I can recognize that then after to care for my body instead of feeling guilty or bad or shame and add that on to my what I perceive would be a sore stomach because you know guilt and shame really fit with the whole energy patterning of a stomach ache don't they when you get anxious when you get worried when you get upset when you feel bad when you feel guilty it affects your stomach right or your heart or the heartburn or do you know what I'm saying you know you know you know it's the emotions maybe more so that is coupling with or piling on to the feeling of the pattern that expects and anticipates the sore stomach so I then will choose now through empowered choice to disrupt the pattern and to say oh I'm going to shift my thinking about the relationship between my coffee and my cookie and I am going to acknowledge that my body really can feel the pleasure of the tastes of both of them as I'm sitting in an environment that's beautiful and peaceful on my back deck where I can breathe healthy air feel the sun on my skin and encompass myself with an energetic experience that isn't 50 cookies it's enhancing my current life adding to my experience in process and I'm making the choice to reframe the relationship with that particular experience I'm disrupting the pattern and I'm creating a new way by the way allows me to have one cookie or maybe two cookies and then when I'm done with this experience on the back deck with the birds and the sun and the coffee and I'm ready to go in the house and transition to the next thing to move into the next part of the day then this part is completed the experience is done then it becomes part of the past so this energy framing of recognizing the temptation isn't the problem it gives me the opportunity for empowerment of choice it gives me a great awareness of patterns and cycles to disrupt the pattern and then to stay on with the commitment that I've made to my body and honoring it and then when I go back in the house then I have lots of water I maybe do meditation I have a healthy some healthy veggies for a mid morning snack instead of something else I intentionally have some fresh greens or something fresh and something that I know that my body appreciates or I take my vitamins now you know that kind of a thing nice balance we cohabitate we co-create our experiences and therefore we can change the old patterns the old thoughts and the emotions give us the information because the emotion comes up to give you data it gives you the information in my heart about these feelings of guilt or shame or oh Bridget, no no don't eat 50 more like I didn't even think of eating 50 more I thought of just having a cookie with my coffee and all of a sudden I'm jumping into this oh my god clearly you're going to lose control and you're going to eat so many there's so much resistance here and you've done so well and you love your body it's like what I've done so well my whole life taking care of my body where's this where's this voice coming from like what kind of societal expectations or Instagram people have I been watching that are like perfect bodies perfect health, perfect fitness see we have choice in these moments and we have then power and then we can recognize our patterns and feel awareness and make different choices and collaborate work with the mind the thought pattern and bring in a new experience that is positive that is blissful life isn't about constantly sacrificing everything that you could possibly desire or want only to have what you need or to overthink things so much so that your risks are so calculated that you can't constantly discover and be a sacred explorer and enjoy life that's not the intent it never was the intent but it does also not the intent to hold back hold back hold back hold back which is what we do in temptation we hold back oh I shouldn't I shouldn't I shouldn't until and somebody goes ok fine and then we do everything instead of a little bit we do every we do all it's like all or nothing it's not even about control it's about the pattern the cycle the recognition of the choice and the honoring of desire, giving yourself permission to have pleasure, to have blissful moments, and to incorporate sensory experiences like food into them. And that's okay. When we hold back, hold back, hold back, we enhance the resistance space. And then we never feel fully fulfilled or full in physical body, in our bellies, or in life. So we hold back, hold back until we can't hold back anymore, and then all this in the dam breaks, and boom, we're out there and doing all sorts of crazy stuff. And maybe that's what midlife crises are. I don't know. I hope I don't have one. Maybe I am right now, and I don't even know it. I don't know. But the point is, the point is choice. The point is awareness of your patterns. The point is not to hold yourself back, but to consistently live and show up, and include the desires that you have on a day to day basis, so that you don't have to have some massive life over hauling or to feel better about yourself. Temptation doesn't have to be bad or negative. It can be simply an invitation to be more of yourself. Self care is a huge buzzword right now. This is exactly what self cares about. Understanding that in those moments of temptation, that temptation isn't a bad thing or an evil thing or a trick. It's a choice point. It's an opportunity to choose new relationship with yourself and all parts of your being body, mind, heart, and soul. That feels good to me. It does. Hello, Sunday morning coffee people. I hope you've enjoyed this podcast episode. I can't wait to listen back myself. I'm like, oh, I wonder how this sounds. I wonder how this is really coming out. Did I really just say that thing about religion? Yes, I did. Oh, you guys, I'm not super strong opinionated in regards to many things. I just like to be a little snarky and sassy in some of my words. Because I know that when I get some zingers in there, it kind of ruffles some feathers, which I like, which I like. Because if it upsets your apple cart, that's a good thing. Because maybe you need to eat some more oranges instead of apples. You know what I'm saying? We have to be open to energy and not take life quite so seriously and intense like that word temptation. Oh, it's tempting. Oh, it's tempting, which when I say something like, oh, that's tempting. I usually means I'm not going to do it. I see that I might want to do it. But I feel like it's not a good idea to do it because, you know, I need to hold myself back a little bit, which may or may not be true or helpful in any given situation. So perhaps this word temptation for you, you can journal about it. But what I really want you to understand is this, this choice point and the awareness of including and kind of balancing out, spreading out your desire and letting yourself have some pleasure and some bliss in your day to day life. Like if a cookie and coffee is going to do it for me, oh my gosh, I am a cheap date, right? Isn't that great? All right, friends, thanks so much for being here. I appreciate you listening to the Sunday morning coffee episode with Bridget. And I hope that I have inspired your spirit today. I know I've got you thinking a bit. I might have ruffled your feathers a little. That's okay. I think giving you some hope and encourage you to live your life because no matter what I say or anybody else says to you, this is your life. That's what it boils down to. It's your life. And you've got to live it. You get to live it. It's your choice. So live it. Just live it. Thanks for listening.