For those of you who have been readers for any length of time, you know that my beloved Stevie Wonderdog passed away in May. After giving ourselves time to grieve, we welcomed ten-year-old Stella into our lives in October.
Though they look alike, they could not be more different in temperament. Stevie was spicy, Stella is calm. Stevie was the boss of everyone, Stella is a pretty princess who wouldn’t deign to enter the fray.
The most remarkable difference: Stevie was food-obsessed and Stella needs coaxing to eat.
What’s the difference here?
Stevie was found as a stray on the streets of Miami. Though we don’t know much about him, he ate every meal like it was his last. I have the scars from when I tried to pry a rotting chicken wing out of his mouth on the streets of Brooklyn.
Stella, on the other hand, was raised as a pampered princess in a McMansion in suburban New Jersey. She’s never known a minute of scarcity. To her, delicious meals come as regular as clockwork and barely worth thinking about.
I’m rounding the corner on a point about fundraising…
Stevie spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about food, protecting his food, begging for food all because of his deep belief that food is scarce and every meal might be his last. While I adored this dog, his food obsession brought out some aggression in him.
Stella, on the other hand, has never known lack in her life. She is confident and blase about food appearing. As a result, her focus is on other things like getting belly rubs and going on long walks.
As fundraisers, we should strive to be more like Stella than Stevie.
When we operate in a scarcity mindset, we get into survival mode, we start to get desperate and transactional with our relationships (I do a cute trick, you give me a treat).
When we operate with a deep belief in the abundance of the universe to supply meals and treats, we relax and operate with a more calm and joy.
The stories that we tell ourselves about the world changes our thoughts, our feelings, our actions and ultimately our results.
What would it mean for you to operate like a Stella, secure in the knowledge that the universe has your back and will provide?
