The Sweet Reward in Showing You Care

Coming off the Thanksgiving holiday I had my global leaders coming to join me for a week of strategic planning. My mind was racing with all of the things I wanted to accomplish with the group as taking people away from their families and day to day is a lot to ask.

As I was putting my son to bed the night before my meeting was to start my son says to me, “Mom, I would like a holiday themed cake for my birthday party, not an ice cream cake.” For reference, an ice cream cake takes about a quarter of the time and creativity, so I was less than excited about this.

With my mind racing I was up earlier than usual trying to finalize the day and scroll through Amazon for holiday themed cake toppers. Thank goodness for Prime! I over ordered and off I went to kick off my meeting.

The week with my team was fantastic, better than I could have hoped. That of course left me exhausted going into the weekend. With three weeks left to the end of the year there is no time to rest. The weekend was filled with holidays parties, sports games and the annual trip to cut down our Christmas tree.

More tired than normal, I got up Sunday morning at 5:00 AM to make the cake. I had a strong start. Three different cakes made and cooling; all my decorating materials laid out. Kids were still sleeping, and I had a plan for the best cake ever.

Quickly, I realized I didn’t grease the bottom of the pans so I couldn’t get the cakes out easily. It was a bit downhill from there. I had to cut the cake a bit to get the cake out. This meant the edges were not smooth which made frosting super challenging. My son had woken up and wanted to help as I was tightly trying to control the situation. I had a vision I was working toward.

So why am I telling you this? What relevancy does cake decorating have? Here are a few great reminders I took from this experience:

Remember the why.

I started making my kids cake many years ago. As a working parent I am often filled with guilt. Making a cake was a way for me to share my creativity with my kids and show them a little extra effort. Every year I get annoyed by the process as I put crazy expectations on myself to make “the perfect cake.” Interesting enough, regardless of the look of the cake I am rewarded with their huge smiles and hugs. You see, the cake is perfect to them because they picked the theme and I made it. (And let’s be honest, its cake and my kids love cake!)

Whatever you are working towards, think about why you are doing it.

When you are doing something for someone else it is often the effort or the thought that matters even more than the outcome. People (kids and adults) want to feel cared about, invested in. I chose to make cakes to show I care. You get to choose how you care about your team or the people around you. Just remember to keep the person, the why, as the focal point not the task.

Don’t back down from going to the extra mile to show you care.

 I could have made the ice cream cake. (In fact, I did, for his actual birthday the next day.) I could have bought a cake from the store, it would have cost half the price and taken no time. But the outcome would not have been the same. Think about the people you care about. What have you done to let them know they matter to you?

When was the last time you went out of your way to show how you feel?

Making a cake it something small, but the impact goes a long way. Nick loved showing his friends the cake at his party and he repeatedly smiled at me as people said, “cool cake.” Your “cake” could be a call, a note, a lunch date. Whatever you chose, just do it. The cake made Nick feel happy, and I in turn had a full heart seeing his smile. 

Slow down, and enjoy the process.

I had 100 things I needed to do Sunday morning, so I rushed through the making the cake. I didn’t read the directions and I made mistakes. Learn from my mistakes.

When you commit to doing something be “all in” on the experience.

Half the time it’s in the journey where you find the fun and real value. Don’t miss out on that because you are rushing. I was pretty cranky and preoccupied when my kids first woke up on Sunday morning. Had I not changed my mood; I would have missed out on a special moment with my son. That could have changed the whole cake experience. Moments matter, they create memorable experiences that you remember. Don’t ruin them by rushing. 

The path to your vision is better when you share it with others.

As I was struggling with the frosting, Nick asked to help. I told him I really wanted the cake to be perfect. He said, “Mom, I’d rather do the cake with you than have it be perfect.” That was all I needed to hear. It changed my whole perspective on the cake. As I started to listen to his ideas and let him help, I couldn’t contain his excitement. The more ideas I incorporated the more that came and the better they were.

Think about that as you work with others and lead teams. You may think you have the most perfect plan and path to success. 

Chances are when you bring in others and share in the journey the results will be even better. 

There is magic in collaboration and building from multiple ideas. Who knows what your masterpiece could look like?

Sunday night I was exhausted. Nick’s party was over and I was onto thinking about my work trip this week. As I tucked Nick into bed he said, “Mom, I love you. Thank you SO much for making my birthday awesome. I had the best day.” Smiling, he then gave me a huge hug. It was all I needed. It was the sweetest reward just for showing him how much I care about him. 

You have three weeks left in the year. Yes, you are busy and the to do list feel endless. Regardless, take the time to show someone you care. I promise it will be worth it, maybe even sweet!