When I was teenager, I entered into this cooking competition through our local 4-H program. I worked so hard at creating this meal, it was one of those breakfast casseroles that you pop in the fridge the night before and let it do its magic and then put in the oven when you are ready to cook it. So, the night before the competition I got everything ready and on the morning of the competition, I put it in the oven as I got dressed in my whites and did my hair for the event. Right before we were supposed to leave the house I pulled the casserole out of the oven, burnt my hand and dropped the glass dish on floor. You guessed it, the dish broke, the food was everywhere and I all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry.

A Pivotal Moment

My mom saw the tears starting to well up and told me I had a choice. I could either cry about it and admit defeat or I could hold it in make a quick replacement dish (similar but very different from the original) and try to make this work, and cry afterwards if I still wanted to. I thought she was nuts, but I held it together and she helped me throw together a replacement casserole from random ingredients we still had on hand. We threw it in the oven and ran out the door, my dad was going to follow with the cooked dish later. To make a long story short, I ended up winning my section and Best of Show in the competition. Afterwards my mom asked me if I still felt like crying, I of course did not.

This moment. This competition. That decision I had to make has impacted me throughout the course of my life in so many ways.

Lessons Learned

One of the main lessons I learned right there was my mindset was a choice and that what I chose changed everything. This impacted how I am as employee and as a supervisor. How I responded to being a single mom, and how I approach my marriage. This impacted how I handled any obstacle, challenge and experience I have had since then.

I may freak out inside initially, but pretty quickly I remember that I have a choice on if I am going to react or act. If I am going to be positive or negative. I have an option to succeed or admitting defeat. This is a lesson/skill that I have tried to pass on to others throughout my life, especially my daughter and my husband. It is amazing when the light bulb clicks and someone gets it, you can see the shift in their thoughts, the words the use, and their behavior. Mindset can affect your relationships, your finances and your health, it is extremely powerful.

Mindset Regarding Health

Most recently we have been dealing with this in our health. Two years ago, my husband was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. We were devasted, scared and did not like the idea of him being dependent on a medication. I went to his doctor’s appointment with him, and his doctor explained that with his sugars in the 300’s and his A1C in the 10’s. He also said that since this was a new diagnosis that he highly suggested starting the medication along with lifestyle change and that there was hope of reversing it.

We asked a million questions of course. Can he get off this medication? How do we get him off it? We stressed that we were willing to do whatever it was that was needed. I say we because I do 90% of the cooking, and have a lot of input into what he eats. He of course had to make the decision to make the changes. That was a decision that would be made at every meal. At every event, and a battle that would have to be won inside.

What We Learned

We switched so much out and made so many mistakes during this process. We learned much more about what makes him tick and about his relationship with food. One thing we learned was that if the food had really good flavor, he would feel satisfied and eat less. However, if the food was bland his mind would keep craving food until it was satisfied. He had no full button. We learned to communicate in different ways. To have patience, but mainly we both learned the mindset of I can do this. We learned the mindset of thankfulness throughout the journey. We learned that the mindset of self-pity and feeling left out did not help with anything.

Fast forward to February 2023. My husband redid his blood work and in 1 year he has dropped his sugars back into the normal range. He is not even prediabetic, NORMAL! His A1C was in the low 5’s and his sugars bounce between 80-120 on the daily. He has been removed off of the insulin and will hopefully be off of the medication that helps his body process the sugars better soon. His doctor was so excited and said that this rare and something he should be extremely proud of.

From Victim to Warrior

At the same time, I was being told that due to my blood pressure I have to watch my sodium and start medicine. I immediately started the freakout and self-pity mode. We literally just kicked diabetes butt and now this. Then I stopped and pulled myself together. I told my doctor, that I would do a medication as long as it is something I can get off of. I also said that I would do what it takes to beat this. Which is the journey we are on now.

What I realized is that there will always be something that we have to adjust mindset on or face. There is always going to be something that we need to strive to improve at and work towards. I also realized that I could do this, because of what my husband has done. That I am extremely thankful that I am going into my journey with the ability to cook from scratch. I have the knowledge of how to build a special meal plan while not robbing the rest of the house. I have learned how to read labels and to enjoy whole foods more than processed. My mindset switched pretty quickly from the victim mentality to the warrior mentality. That made all the difference in the world.

Mindset And Business

Another area that I really struggled with my mindset in was business. I was so worried that no one would read this blog and that it would be a waste of time. Fear and the imposter syndrome were almost enough to stop me from starting The Padilla Family Homestead LLC. Self-criticism was almost the downfall of my YouTube channel. All of the fears, the feelings, the criticism had value in my mind.

My husband was amazing. He reminds me of why I am sharing. What if I impact one person, just one? If I didn’t do all the things I am doing how would that change their life? He focuses me on the truths. I am not an imposter. I am not perfect by far and I do not have it all figured out. However, this journey we have been on, this life we have lived and the struggles we have overcome are real. The knowledge gained going through it all is real. If I don’t share isn’t it kind of selfish?

With that mindset I come to the computer and type and share. That is how I approach my videos. I refocus on why I started all of this in the first place. Because somewhere out there, there is someone who is where I was 10 years ago. Someone who needs encouragement, hope and maybe a few recipes.

Take Control Of Your Mindset

I encourage you, wherever you are, whatever journey you are on, to take control of your mindset. Speak truth through fear. Don’t be afraid of a little hard work. Focus on what you have to be thankful for. Deep dive into your heart and figure out why this thing you are facing feels like it is too much for you. There is hope and I believe that you can do it if you set your mind to it.

If this topic interests you I have a whole series on YouTube and Rumble where I go over living with intention. This really is a mindset shift in all areas of your life. The series is called Tea Time With Jen.