The Appetite Principle: You Got What You Expected

I had an appetite for fried chicken last night, but if I am honest, I walked in already bracing myself. I remembered the last time I ordered that same combo and came home without the biscuit I paid for. So, before I even got to the window, I had already visualized how the whole thing was going to go and it did just that. The sauce was missing. The biscuit was missing. The young woman behind the register looked like she would rather be anywhere else, and I found myself being more patient with her than she was being with herself.

I sat with that for a while afterward, because I recalled the experience I had a few weeks earlier where I had walked into a completely different kind of room with a completely different kind of energy.

It was a networking event and I arrived expecting something good to happen. I came with an appetite, not just to be there, but to receive, to apply, to walk out fuller than I walked in and that is exactly what happened. Everything spoken in that room found me, fed me, and gave me enough to go back for seconds.

Two rooms. Two appetites. Two very different outcomes.

I looked up the difference between appetite and hunger, because I wanted to understand why one experience filled me and the other left me frustrated. Hunger is your body telling your brain it needs fuel. Appetite is a desire, something you can shape before your body ever asks for it. That distinction matters more than I expected. It means the energy I carry into a room, a conversation, or a Monday morning is not something that just happens to me. It is something I bring.

I am not saying every outcome is guaranteed by attitude alone. That restaurant still owes some accountability for its customer service and I still think we have to talk honestly about how we train and support the people serving us. I cannot deny what I noticed. When I expected disappointment, I found it waiting for me. When I expected to be fed, I was.

Here is what I am asking of myself this week and what I want to ask you, too. What are you hungry for right now? What rooms are you walking into and with what expectation? Are you claiming your day before it claims you or are you letting routine, stress, or one bad experience decide your appetite for everything that follows?

While none of us have this fully figured out, I am learning it in real time. The appetite comes first. Set it before you walk in.

If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to have these conversations with those around you, try Questions and Perspectives today at qandpcards.com. Instantly play for free online just by entering your name and email. 

Ask each other one real question. You might be surprised what you learn about what someone's actually carrying.

To listen to the full episode, tune in to the KimUnity Soulutions Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Truly, 

Kim the SME