Today is my birthday! And to celebrate it, I want to share a story with you that I hope will inspire you to live your passion!
Over the winter my husband and I got into this Netflix series called The Chef’s Table.
This series is incredibly inspiring, as it gets into the head and heart of pure genius, the small number of chefs who have received three Michelin Stars.
These are the Mozart’s of cooking. One might think these chefs mad, as they are driven by their soul’s passion for food and the all-encompassing pursuit of perfection. They live and breathe their art, spending all their time sourcing the best ingredients and working tirelessly to create new cooking methods or dishes in the kitchen.
I find their passion inspiringly intoxicating. One episode that actually made me giddy was one about Grant Achatz, and his restaurant, Alinea in Chicago.
His story is nothing short of inspiring and his food, what I would call, multi- sensory art.
After Grant was diagnosed with a chef’s worst nightmare, cancer of the mouth, he was told by the first doctor that he would need to remove his tongue. He was ready to die. That is like telling a prima ballerina that she needs to give up a leg or like clipping the wings of an eagle. Food is Grant’s first love and his life; he didn’t want to live if he couldn’t taste.
He was blessed when the next doctor he saw knew his cooking and understood what was at stake. He designed a treatment program that would fight the cancer with radiation, so Grant had a shot at keeping his most precious sense.
Despite the fatigue created by his aggressive treatments, he worked every day in the restaurant because he was energized and fueled by his work. Today he is cancer free, a testament to the energetic power of doing what you love;)
And oh how I loved watching not only the creation of each dish but the performance of each course. It left me, as I said, giddy. Alinea is like no other food experience I have ever had. Each course plays with all your senses. Each is visually stunning with flavors, temperatures, and textures artfully combined to amaze your palate, while your sense of smell is excited by smoke or steam that takes the experience to an entirely other level.
It’s food performance at it’s finest.
I love food, but I also think the reason I am so turned on by these chefs is that I am driven by something similar.
My secret obsession and I admit, addiction, is helping you find the, “Ah ha!” behind your pain or upset. It inspires me to no end when you light up after we discover what your body or emotions are trying to tell you.
My “high” comes when you leave me feeling elated and inspired by your own resiliency, desires, and belief in yourself!
I love my job so much, like Grant, I could work non-stop. And, I actually did that, until I felt like I was missing out on other aspects of life because my sweet husband was telling me he missed me:(
So this year, my Vision Board title was, “This is the year I give myself everything I love.”
So, for my birthday, I saved up and treated myself to a trip to Chicago to eat at the famous Alinea.
And, I giggled the entire meal and again when looking at the pictures afterward, because it pleased and inspired me so much.
This experience was an investment in my future happiness because it was a celebration of the practice of giving myself things I love.
Since then, I have been able to stick to my workout schedule, because it’s something I love and am committed to doing as such.
I’ve cleaned up my diet because I feel better when I eat better.
This experience has helped me recommit to taking care of and to pleasing myself.
So this holiday weekend, what can you do to honor you?
What can you give yourself that truly makes you happy?
And, it doesn’t have to be expensive.
In fact, do the cheapest thing that fills your heart with joy first!!!!
Like attracts like, so give yourself what you love, and more of it will come to you!
Go on!!!!
Try it!!!!!
I can’t wait to hear about what you manifest next!
So much love and joy!
Lara
