Recently, a vibrant,active and full of life friend, suffered a devastating illness, that came so sudden we were all caught unprepared. Most of us when faced with the same life changing event, ask why? Indeed. How do we prepare for something like this? Lets talk about it.
The Silent Killer among us, what? Crazy thoughts, one might think, but I have seen this happens time and time again, the Cake Community is not immune to this, in fact, almost all of us, are affected by this, this killer works in a stealthy manner,creepy! but true. It starts small like, rushing to get orders done by deadline, hustling for cake prices, the customer last minute changes on their cake detail. Then WHAM! overtime, it got you. So what is it? Blood pressure sky high, and eventually a stoke. How to prevent this from happening? Now it's your turn, let me hear from you, and calling all of you who is in the medical field to help OUR cake community.
ASimple, just don't accept more orders than you can handle, and make a contract that doesn't allow last minute changes. If you consistently have to turn away orders, increase your prices until demand from customers matches what you can supply.
it's a high stress business on the easiest day
which is why we are constantly getting burned out and baling
say you plan everything to perfection and have time to kill with two perfectly timed deliveries in the car
and hit a traffic jam hemmed into a parking lot that used to be the freeway bounded on all sides by semis
and you can't get signal on your phone and eventually you gotta go and one of the cake boxes is now in the sun...
i betcha everybodys' collective bp went up a few notches just reading that
we've passed our bp reader thing around so much we don't even know where it is anymore
so i'm not feeling that the plan thing is plan a for fending off the silent killer--just moi
y'know --this got me thinking
when we do all this planning for months
and the closer we get to thee date ever the more concentrated work hours we put in
it all boils down to a very narrow window of opportunity to get this all done
and 99.9% of the time or more all goes well
but so many things do come up
this biz is not for the timid
and that's the reason why we get the big ( ) bucks
taking that risk everytime and pressing our expertise into action over and over
adrenaline buzz anyone?
As I am at the beginning of my caking career the only thing I can compare it to is the industry that pays my bills. And it all drives me nut. People and their need of hand holding. Why oh Why can't we be adults and solve our own problems? Why do we have to push them off on other people and make their lives more difficult? And why and this one bothers me the most of all do we all forget that we share this wonderful creative and beautiful world with other and choose to live in the "World of Me".
Practice random acts of kindness and that right there can save someones day or maybe their life.
You are right, all of you. You know a certain wise man asked me why am I behaving so 'constipated' one day, so I went on ranting on these and that, etc. he listened without interruption, then after such a long silence, he said." You are right" that I have every reason to justify my behavior, then he said, but why waste such energy into something so upsetting? Yes, we have goals set for the day as soon as we get up, but if it cannot be met due to something beyond your control, change your goal, simple, can one really do that? Ok your turn
Here's what I ask myself when a crisis arises - - -
1. What is the basic problem?
2. What can I do about it (how much control do I have over it)?
3. What's the worst that can happen?
4. What would I do if the worst happened?
5. Would it really be the end of my little world?
Amazing how many times the answer to #5 is "No."
it is the silent killer because we don't know we have it of course
so next time you get a chance--get yours checked--
in the u.s. anyway we have free bp monitoring stations in some stores
you can def be all cool & calm on the outside & have dangerous bp on the inside
The crazy reality about caking is, you could have the order planned out for 25 years but like K8memphis said, there's still a time window during which things get pretty busy. The more I cake, the more I realize this is back-breaking work that takes a toll on the body. It's not unusual in those last few days to be on the feet 6-8 hours in a row. I had 2 cakes this past weekend and didn't realize I hadn't eaten all day until evening, can't even remember if I drank any water. So not cool. I'm trying to rememeber to take care of myself during crunch time. I steadily turn away last minute orders now, totally not worth the stress. And I'm learning to be firmer with my pricing.
Organisation is the key, I have an illness that means I cannot handle stress ( my body actually doesn't produce the hormone that deals with stress) . I also have to take a three hour nap every afternoon ( non negotiable )
I never take on more work than I can safely handle,
I rarely do last minute orders unless I can complete them comfortably .
I value myself and my work , and charge accordingly. ( It is stressful to be working your guts out for not enough money) this also means I don't have to do as many cakes to make a good profit.
I plan at least two down days for unforseen circumstances in large projects.
I joined the local cake decorating association , so if something really dire happens , I have back up to call on and no client is let down. ( I have had help from this network and well as been the help on several occasions ).
Elements that can be done in advance and stored are.
Use time wisely , if you are watching TV at night you can make stamens , rose cones , cut and hook wires , make centres for lilies, orchids etc.
If you teach , structure lessons if you can around whatever projects you may have coming up.
These are all tools that I use to make sure that I enjoy caking and that completing a cake doesn't land me in hospital .
i just had my 30 th birthday checkup and found out i have high bp. huge surpiseas i has always bee ormal.so now im trying to destress... funny thingbis i dont feel stressed. **shrugs shoulders**
Hi kvand, all of us at one point, donot know we have elevated blood pressures, especially someone young like you, but I urge you to take care,I don't think it's too late for you, change of eating habits, and lifestyle usually helps a lot. " don't feel stressed" I've heard and handled and seen so many times and it is always devastating, not only to the person affected but also to loved ones. Take care of yourself, because the only one that can do better, is you.
Hello k8 Memphis, wow I wish I can say the same thing,but I have seen, heard and taken cared of people who " did not feel anything" until it hits them. Events like these, are life changing and can overwhelm anyone. We cannot plan on this, but we certainly can help ourselves before it happens. Know everything you need to know about the disease process, and see if it can be prevented.
Hello k8 Memphis, wow I wish I can say the same thing,but I have seen, heard and taken cared of people who " did not feel anything" until it hits them. Events like these, are life changing and can overwhelm anyone. We cannot plan on this, but we certainly can help ourselves before it happens. Know everything you need to know about the disease process, and see if it can be prevented.
what did i say?
well, post #4 imo agrees with you about high bp and it being silent
high bp is really really bad and careful planning is great but stress is virtually everywhere especially in this business
so yes i agree we need to take our bp regularly and take meds if necessary and alter our lifestyle as much as possible
i still don't know what you mean where we differ but that's ok--no worries
Here's what I ask myself when a crisis arises - - -
1. What is the basic problem?
2. What can I do about it (how much control do I have over it)?
3. What's the worst that can happen?
4. What would I do if the worst happened?
5. Would it really be the end of my little world?
Amazing how many times the answer to #5 is "No."
This is my goal this year. I had a BANG up business year in 2012, so much so that I hardly slept and gained a ton of weight. TOOO many wedding cakes for one person, and each was so intricate and time consuming as I had been pushing myself to see what I can truly handle. Now I know what my limit is, and my goal for the year is to STOP STRESSING about every little thing. So far, it's been an uphill battle. I still get hives when I know I have a ton of work to do. But if I can train myself to make cakes, I can certainly train myself to stop stressing over the making of them,
Right???
Hello Jenmat, of course you can, you be surprised, how resilient one can get when faced with deadlines, bridezellas, grumpy customers, I know you are coping bec otherwise you won't be writing this. Wish you all the best for this year
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