entering the final stretch of the year, i’ve been fighting between two energies: the ambitious fire that wants to do it all, and the quieter voice that asks if i’ve already done enough. when i catch myself asking, “should i be doing more?”—the answer almost always feels like yes. but what i’m learning is that it’s less about doing more and more about doing with intention.
i saw a video recently that shifted me. the message was simple: focus less on the effort, and more on the reward. i realized i’ve been holding myself back by overthinking the process it’ll take instead of just leaning into the effort knowing that the payout will always be greater than the cost. whether it’s writing, speaking, or sharing my journey of building an accessible culinary studio, the less i focus on effort, the freer i feel to actually show up.
reflecting on the first three quarters of this year, i can say i’ve stretched myself in ways that matter. i hosted the very first installation of my yaya’s crib dinner series and began shaping the foundation for what i hope becomes a long legacy. i opened my heart to exploration and love, which showed me more about who i am and what i need. and i’ve learned that when i show up—scared, uncomfortable, imperfect—i always discover that i have so much more to give, both to myself and to others.
yaya’s crib: volume 2 reserve your seat✨
october 18 + 19 at provecho! coffee
i started yaya’s crib as a route to take me from where i am to where i’m going, a way to build community and deepen my connection with food and storytelling. each dinner feels like i’m getting closer to the bigger vision i carry. and while i’m excited, i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t scared af. the questions creep in: am i prepared enough? am i on track? am i moving in the right direction toward my dreams?
but this dinner is special. provecho! was the first place i pictured myself hosting in san diego, and now, a year to the day since moving here, i get to bring that vision to life. this dinner is not just another event—it’s part of my q4 practice of stepping fully into myself, even when it feels terrifying.
q4 mindset: consume less, create more
when i consume too much of other people’s work, i lose touch with my own rhythm. i compare, i hesitate, i delay. but when i focus on creating—whether that’s writing, cooking, filming, or connecting—i feel aligned with the bigger vision: deepening relationships, sharing stories, and building the world i dream about.
my top 3 priorities:
rest + unplugging with intention
limiting my phone time and giving myself one day a week to fully unplug.consistent storytelling through content
creating a strategy to show up consistently, even when it feels uncomfortable, and detaching my worth from how each piece performs.health + wellness
building a steady gym routine and planning my meals weekly so i’m fueling myself well.
to hold myself accountable, i’ll track my progress through daily checklists, bring back my sunday reflections here, and set creative milestones that push me forward.
something i keep circling back to is this: showing up rarely looks like perfection. i used to wait for the perfect mood, the perfect space, or the perfect plan before i took action. but the truth is, growth comes when i do it anyway—messy, nervous, or unsure.
so as we move through the final quarter of the year, i want to leave you with two questions:
what theme do you want to guide you in closing out 2025?
what’s one thing you’re leaning into even if it feels both scary and exciting?
for me, q4 is about leaning into courage, choosing to focus less on the amount of work i have to put in but more on the amount of clarity i’ll gain from it, and remembering that every step—no matter how shaky—brings me closer to the bigger vision.
i’m grateful you’re here with me on this journey, reminding me that i’m not alone in it. together, we get to show up, even scared, even imperfect, and keep moving forward.
here’s to closing the year with intention, honesty, a little bit of fire and a lot more flow.
#feedyousoon,
lay alston