In the spirit of preparation for my course at culinary art school in Cebu city there are a few things I have been doing to stay motivated and to keep the fear and anxiety at bay. For those of you who know me personally, you'll know that I have a bit of an odd personality, some may lovingly describe me as awkward, a little out there etc. I don't think any of these are completely incorrect or inaccurate coming from loved ones and welcome the observations and opinions in a way that doesn't bother me at all. Anyway that said I don't think that people who know me well will find any of the stuff that I have been doing to stay motivated for culinary school as a shocker or weird in any way, because it's me.
So without ado, here is my list of awesome motivational @cheft type actions:
1. I wake up as early as I possible can. This one was hard at first because I have a very flexible schedule so technically
there is no serious need to wake up extra early unless I am hitting the local market for fresh produce (gota do this really
early in the day for the best prices and produce.) But for activities such as produce sourcing, getting ready for a full day
at a restaurant or resort or cruise ship, a breakfast shift etc. getting into the habit of waking up very early no matter
WHAT I got up to the night before is vital and keeps me excited about the future and whatever job I will have and so on.
2. I have been talking to myself waaaaay more than usual. Now this is specifically when I cook and technically it's not a
new thing for me but I have become way more conscious of why I do it. As a child I started pretending to be a pro-TV
chef when I cooked. At that time my inspiration was Nigella Lawson, I loved everything about her and would mimic her
when I was in the kitchen. I am not really sure why I started doing it back then. So fast forward a bunch of years and
here I am as an adult doing something pretty similar. My reasons though a clear as crystal. You see I am not just trying
to be a chef, I want to be the best so practicing for that role now is very important for me. I am also quite realistic about
my ambitions and understand that at 30 years old, it's not going to be an easy road. Most of you will only recognize my
name maybe in the next 3o years or after I die, I'm ok with that, but the journey towards greatness is very important to
me as I am building a legacy for myself, my daughter, those close to me, my community, and people around the world
who find any kind of inspiration in my story.
Ok so I talk to myself, and I do it often. Sometimes I will pretend to be 2 characters in my head. Both the characters are
me mind you: So Sous chefT and meat chefT (rotisseur) and if lets say I have prepared something which I am not too
impressed with in the meat department, I have a conversation with myself, so 'Sous Cheft' would handle the situation
and basically reprimand meat chefT. I do this with the good and the bad, I talk through all the food preparation incase I
find myself on a cooking show one day etc etc. Why does this motivate and inspire me? Well think it helps me always
remember what I want in the end. Helps me remember that it's not just about the cooking but the relationships I will
have and the skills I will have to acquire to be able to fit what ever culinary position I will have.
To those of you wondering, I only speak to myself outlaid when I am cooking alone.
3. Next and probably the silliest is that I refuse to change my terrible knife 'only have 1' that I use at home and it's not a
great knife, by that I mean it's nothing professional or fancy and Ive lost one of the screws in the handle so this baby
wobbles. Reason for I choose to use it is pretty simple to me. My course materials include a full professional knife set
which is such a big deal for me. Ive never even seen a professional knife set so I want to have the clear memory of where
I started out. Kinda like how Drake says "STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HERE." Keeps me excited and will help
me stay humble and appreciative of the new set.
4. The last one I will be sharing is about my health and fitness. I have made it a rule to rev up my health and fitness
lifestyle. My body is fit, I workout at least six times a week and I try really hard to prepare good healthy meals. This one
is a discipline thing for me. I generally love working out and eating well but I have become much more aware of my
reasons and my decisions. I make a point of not cutting corners, and I believe that if I stick to this it will cross over into
all parts of my life and will help me stay disciplined in my profession.
Right so that is how I am dealing with the issue of staying motivated and not allowing myself to feel too much anxiety or fear about this part of my future.
I hope this shares some light on the kind of person I am and my journey towards becoming a great chef.
Main Photo by Michael Browning on Unsplash
Second Photo my Me @cheft
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