You don’t have to be in first place to win.
I have been a fan of Masterchef for many years. Most recently the Australian version, starting at the beginning of the series, which aired back in 2009. I play it in the background if I'm drawing, working out, or finishing a task that doesn’t require focused attention. What’s evident about the show is the amount of pressure those amateur home cooks go through. From creating meals made up of some of the most obscure ingredients to running a full service at Michelin starred restaurants; the pressure of the competition never really settles. What is undeniable through all of this chaos is their passion for food.
Throughout the series, you notice how contestants who make it to the end (around Top 10) improve their plating skills and balancing of flavors to create some absolutely stunning dishes that you wish you could taste through the television screen. However, I am certain that this culinary growth would not have been possible had they not been placed under immense pressure to do the hard work.
We can do hard things.
After each season ends, I search my favorite contestants on social media to see how they’ve progressed throughout the years. Many of them have gone on to open their own restaurants and become leaders in the culinary world in their own respective styles of cooking. What’s more gratifying is that those who have succeeded weren’t always the winners of the competition. Dan Churchill, Reynold Poernomo, Emelia Jackson, Marion Grasby, Callum Hann, Loki Madireddi- neither of these contestants won the Masterchef competition, but if you search their names on Instagram, you will witness what the results of hard work, coupled with intentionality and passion can do.
We can do hard things.
You don’t have to always be in first place to win. You win when you recognize and accept that you can do hard things. This mindset allows you to focus on the process of achieving and not the product itself.
So many people want immediate gratification. So many want results now. Life doesn’t work that way. You won’t receive the promise in your life without going through the process first. You can’t open a successful restaurant if you don’t know how to season your food.
Life requires us to endure the hard stuff. It asks us to focus on what we can do right now. Focus on what’s in front of you.
It’s 2025. We’ve made our New Year’s resolutions. The results of those resolutions won’t happen overnight, but if it’s something you truly want to achieve; accept the process and practice bit by bit.
If there wasn’t enough salt in the dish today, add a bit more tomorrow.
We can all do hard things.
