What kind of founder do you want to become? Someone who builds from a place of abundance, with the freedom to share what they've created, or someone who is constantly looking for external validation and accepting opportunities that come with conditions attached?
There is a story called the Magical Kitchen, found in The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel, that offers an interesting way to think about abundance, independence and the founder's journey.
The story of the magical kitchen
Imagine having a kitchen that contains every food from every country and every cuisine. Anything you could possibly want is always available, perfectly fresh and in abundance.
One morning, you might want a yoghurt bowl with berries, honey and cacao nibs. The next morning, perhaps it's eggs Benedict with crispy bacon and avocado. For dinner, it could be a beautiful beef Wellington with crispy potatoes and a Caesar salad.
Whatever you feel like having, it's always there. You can enjoy it yourself, or invite friends over and share everything with them. There are no conditions attached. The kitchen simply provides, day after day, and there is always enough to go around.
Now imagine the opposite. Your kitchen is completely empty. Not even a crumb or a slice of cheese. You're hungry, and someone knocks on the door offering you a pizza. But there's a condition: if you accept the pizza, you have to do everything they tell you.
When you're standing in an empty kitchen, you might accept. You need the food, and you don't have anything else to sustain you.
But when you already have your magical kitchen, the offer looks very different.
Why would you accept a single slice of pizza with conditions attached when you already have everything you need? Instead, you can invite that person in for dinner. They can share in the abundance without needing to put any conditions on it.
This is the difference between building from a place of scarcity and building from a place of abundance.
Don't build your business from an empty cup
The magical kitchen is a useful analogy for your own love story, but it is equally important when thinking about the founder's journey.
Building your own magical kitchen takes time. It requires patience, investment and the willingness to say no to things that might not serve the bigger picture.
In the early stages, it can feel lonely. There will be opportunities, offers and people who want to influence the direction of what you're building. Some might look appealing in the moment, particularly when the foundations are still being established.
But there is a reason to protect that early stage. The priority is to pour your own magic into building something that can eventually sustain itself. Something that doesn't rely on constantly seeking external validation or accepting opportunities that pull it away from its original purpose.
It's important to close the door on some of those pizza deliveries while you're building the kitchen itself. Allow yourself the time and space to develop something that can provide for you, rather than constantly looking outside for someone else to provide it.
This doesn't mean shutting the world out forever. It means recognising that there is a time to build the kitchen before inviting everyone over for dinner. Once the foundations are there, the abundance can be shared freely.
Be intentional about what you allow into your cup
Building your own abundance also means becoming more conscious of what you're allowing into your life. Think about the people around you, the routines you have, the content you're consuming and the things you already know aren't quite right for you.
Not everything that enters your life is necessarily nourishing. Sometimes it's easy to make excuses for people, situations or habits that no longer fit. But there is value in recognising when something isn't right and having the discernment to let it go.
It's not about deciding that other people are bad or that something is inherently wrong. It's about understanding that not everything is compatible with where you're heading.
Just as you wouldn't give a dog chocolate because you know it would make them sick, there are things you shouldn't continue consuming simply because they're available. Pour into your own cup first. Find the people, experiences and environments that genuinely nourish you and align with the person you're becoming.
And remember, the magical kitchen isn't supposed to consume your entire life either. It's the foundation that allows you to go out into the world and enjoy everything else. Whether that's writing, performing, skateboarding or exploring something entirely different, there should be room for other experiences beyond the thing you're building.
The kitchen is there to sustain you, not become your entire existence.
Who deserves to be in your story?
During periods of change, it's particularly important to understand who you are, what you stand for and what you want from your life.
As society evolves, established structures are being questioned and many things are coming to the surface. It's easy to get caught up in the crossfire of situations that have very little to do with you.
Take a moment to consider what is actually being poured into your cup. Are you allowing people, opportunities or external influences to pull you away from what you know you should be doing? Are you holding onto things simply because they're familiar, even though they no longer align with where you're heading?
Sometimes the things that keep us stuck are the very things we already know we need to let go of.
Learning to listen to your own discernment and intuition is an important part of building something sustainable. It means being able to recognise what nourishes you, what supports your direction and what no longer belongs in your story.
Build something that allows you to give freely
The magical kitchen isn't just about having enough for yourself. It's about having enough to share. When your foundations are strong, you can invite others in without feeling that something is being taken away from you. You can create opportunities, share what you've built and allow others to experience something new.
This is the kind of abundance worth working towards. Rather than building something that constantly requires you to seek out the next opportunity or accept whatever is offered, take the time to create something that can sustain itself.
It might take a while. There will be moments when saying no feels difficult, and moments when the process of building feels lonely. But there is value in allowing yourself the space to develop something on your own terms.
Build your magical kitchen. Say no to the pizza deliveries for now. Start learning to make your own.
One day, that kitchen will be full of everything you could ever want, and there will be enough to nourish you, sustain you and invite others in to share the abundance.
We explore more in this podcast episode: