I seem to have a cake theme going here lately and we’re just gonna ride it out a bit longer. As I reflected on my last layer cake post, I was reminded of one of my favorite unfavorite sayings, and that is, of course ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’.
So I did a little research and the phrase has gotten a bit twisted over time (meaning we can twist it again, right…more on that in a bit). OK, so the original intent alluded to the fact that you could not have your cake and still have it after eating it.
Weird I know…but they were a bit strange back in the day;-), so the original saying would have been closer to “you can’t eat your cake and have it too”. More like an absurdity than something a phrase representing scarcity.
Over time, the phrase switched the verbs and became the phrase we know today. Class dismissed…history lesson over!
OK, hang on a sec…before you run out for recess, I’d just like to finish up (cuz there is a point to this post after all!) and that is that you can have your cake and you can eat it too.
Umm….helloooo?
Isn’t that the whole point of having cake? So you can eat it too? What kind of mindset is that anyway?
To me, having your cake and eating it too means doing what you love and profiting from it. It means living in an abundance mindset, not a scarcity one.
It means living a life of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. It means enjoying all aspects of your life, and not feeling like you are just getting through each day to get to the weekend.
It’s about respecting who you are, your dreams, your goals and the realization that you absolutely can have your cake and eat it too. You just need to figure out what your flavor is 🙂
Are you having your cake and eating it too?
First I have to say I really like the picture! She is just lovin’ that bite…
It’s funny how I hear a saying like that for so long that it becomes truth without question. It definitely is from a scarcity/zero sum mindset and affects my whole outlook – without being consciously aware of it. Scary.
So thanks for challenging me to chew on this and to think about what else may be keeping me from a fuller life. Keep up the good work! – J
LOL…I know J, I saw this picture and I was thinking “that’s it perfectly!” It’s one of those sayings that I hear being said all the time (heck, I’ve said it in the past myself!). One of my goals is to be so much more aware of things I may say or think w/o considering the real meaning behind it.
Glad it was something you could ‘chew on’ 🙂
I agree with J – she is loving that cake in the picture!
Danielle, this is very good post! I have always loved your writing style and it really shines in this post!
Of course after the part about “we can twist it again” I am now thinking of Chubby Checker and the Twist! Okay, I am giving away too much of my age with that comment!
My take away from this is the abundance mindset! We all should have this; and to remember it, we should just look around us and see how blessed we are!
Love the post Danielle….now I want cake…again!
awww, thank you John. Well see, I’m trying to help you out…you can have some cake and then work it off in a fun way! 😉 Thank you for your consistent presence here. I love how you have give your take an a post and what your take away was from it.
So, I say go ahead and have some cake 😉 life is meant to be savored!
Danielle,
This post reminds me to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Sometimes I work so hard — seemingly never having any time to breathe, relax and enjoy all of life’s rewards.
I know I want my cake and want to enjoy every morsel of goodness that I deserve because it worked so hard to create it.
Thanks for being the unique voice of reminding us to treasure every slice of deliciousness that life puts on our plate!
Hi Ted~
Thank you so much for stopping by. 🙂 I love how you have equated the saying with enjoying the fruits of your labor…(I mean I really love that!). And you are so right…we all have worked hard to create the cake (life) and to not enjoy it seems so counterintuitive! Love how you have taken the cake phrase and taken it to a new level!
You are terrific Danielle. What day booster this post turned out to be. We get so stuck in deprivation (for no reason) some times, we don’t allow ourselves the pleasure of the simple things that make life joy-filled … like delicious, yummy, heavenly cake! Okay, you can tell I’m still off sugar 🙂
Great piece D.
Hang in there doll:-) you are just having your cake in a different way right? Right now your focus is on feeling and looking your best for your wedding, so that’s like your ‘cake’. It’s something you have worked hard for and now are going to be able to enjoy, as Ted said, the fruits of your labor 🙂 You are going to be enjoying some lovely wedding cake very soon;-)
Wow! You are good Danielle –I can see why you’re a highly coveted coach. You have such a way with helping us see the best in every situation. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that wedding encouragement; it’s a really exciting time (with two weeks to go), but it’s also a time that brings with it a lot of stress.
Your response really helped put things in perspective for me today. I thank you for that D, and am truly blessed to call you a friend. Hugs, hugs, high five and another hug.
I am so excited for you dear friend:-) I remember meeting you last year and you had just gotten engaged; you were bubbling over in your joy and excitement! I feel honored to watch from afar as you take this life changing and defining moment in your life and share it.
“Be” as much as you can in these moments so you can look back on them as treasured moments in this momentous time:-)
Hugs and love 🙂
” LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!!” (This sentence represents the entire sum of my knowledge of the French Revolution, and pitifully, I graduated near the top of my high school class! )
Danielle, I love the way you challenge an oft-repeated phrase and make me want to also be more careful about everything that I say simply because I heard someone else say it. I’ve been pondering all day, “you can’t eat your cake and have it too.” How interesting.
What an absolute joyous realization when we finally acknowledge that we can INDEED be ourselves in the marketplace, follow our greatest passion and be financially rewarded for doing so.
I love it!
haha Gina…yep that’s about the extent of what I know too:-) but I love that saying; maybe we should adopt that instead!
On the serious side, isn’t it interesting how some of these sayings we just say without even thinking about it. I still catch myself saying to my kids “Money doesn’t grow on trees”…ack! I don’t think I ever realized how pervasive the ‘lack’ phrases are.
Thank you for taking it to another level my dear!
I LOVE the cake reference you’ve got going on. I have a sweet tooth (and 14 cavities don’t lie!), and can relate more than your average bear =)
Whoever says, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” doesn’t know how to think outside the box, and create win/win solutions. There are so many people doing it – and if you aren’t getting the results you want, keep trying until you know it for sure doesn’t work, and then try it a different way; there’s more ways to get where you’re going.
I love how your pleasant sense of humor and personality shine through this post; this is what attracts your biggest fans. Keep at it!