The Next Iron Chef: You

I have always been amazed by cooks, chefs and anyone who enjoys cooking. These people are incredible! They take a set of ingredients and by using different amounts of different ingredients they are able to make the most delicious foods! You could give two chefs the same ingredients and ask them to create their own dish from those ingredients and they would be able to come up with two completely different dishes!

Have you ever watched Iron Chef? It’s a perfect example of what I am talking about. Both chefs are given the same ‘secret’ ingredient and they have to come up with a bunch of dishes using that ingredient and both sides always come up with entirely different menus.

Much like the chefs on TV, we all have our own set of personal ingredients. We all have talents, skills, interests, abilities and likes and dislikes. These things (and a bunch of others) make up our personal ingredients. Just because you have the same ‘ingredients’ as someone else, it doesn’t mean that you will end up doing the same things, going the same places and being the same person as the person who shares your interests, abilities, skills etc.

Like cooking, sometimes you find that the recipe you want to use requires ingredients you don’t have. Does that mean that you can’t make it? Absolutely not! It means that you need to get off your butt and go and get those ingredients or create a whole new recipe.

I was able to create a new recipe for myself when I moved to Japan without speaking Japanese or knowing anything about Japan before I moved. I wanted to get away and try something new, so I did it. I didn't care that I was missing the ingredients of the “typical” person moving to Japan. I made my own recipe from scratch!

I hear from too many students who say things like; “I want to go to university but I don’t think I can get the marks to get accepted” or “I want to backpack through Europe but I think it will be too hard because I don’t speak the languages”. These people are trying to use someone else’s recipe. They haven't considered creating something brand new using the ingredients they already have or ones they actually want to get.

Is this making any sense?

What are your personal ingredients? What recipes are you able to create using those ingredients? Are there things you want to do, things you want to have, places you want to go or a person you want to become? What ingredients do you need to add to your personal ‘cupboard’ before you can have those things, go those places and be that person? Can you create a new recipe without those ingredients?

Become the Iron Chef of your life. Use your personal ‘secret ingredients’ to create the most incredible recipes!

Bon appétit!