It’s a beautiful evening in Austin, TX. I’ve joined a colleague for dinner at a trendy new French restaurant. As I read the menu, I paused at the Green Bean Nicoise Salad with a soft poached egg, pickled red onion and potato confit. Would this be tasty, odd, or a mess? Based on the menu description, it was intriguing. On my tongue it was incredible - beautifully balanced flavors and textures creating a memorable eating experience.
Individually, these ingredients are basic, even plain - green beans, an egg, some olives, onion, and generic potatoes. Yet in the chef’s hands, they work together to create magic on the palate.
In my imagination, the disparate ingredients in this delicious salad are much like our various talents, values, skills and experiences. On their own they are basic, but when we allow each element to harmonize in a unique way, they can be magic – just like that nicoise salad.
And, like the nicoise salad, our raw ingredients - those talents that develop early in our lives, our values which grow with us, our skills that we hone throughout our lives, and the experiences that shape us - need guidance, a recipe to lovingly combine them into our best version of ourselves.
If you want to create your best self, you must first recognize that all your individual ingredients belong to you. Take an honest inventory of what you have to work with. Some elements may appear more appealing than others, but each one has a purpose.
Through self-acceptance, you can acknowledge your talents, cultivate them into strengths and learn how to use them most effectively. As you honor your values, you will find clarity and guidance for your everyday decisions. All your skills and experiences support the growth of your best self.
In cooking, the French have a term, Mise en place, that means everything in its place. These talents, values, skills and experiences are the Mise en place of our lives. They are the ingredients waiting to become the irresistible feast that is your life. When you delve into each of these areas with intent, you understand more clearly what makes you who you are.
How can you make the most of your Mise en place to create your unique dish? Begin by determining what you are particularly good at.
When do you feel most successful, most in your element?
What do you get the most praise for at work or in your personal life?
The answer to these questions may be indicative of your innate talents. By combining knowledge and experience with these talents, you can develop them into full–blown strengths. These strengths make a significant contribution to your creation.
To identify your values, you may ask some of the same questions since quite often your talents and your values are intertwined. You might also ask: What drives you crazy? You probably value the opposite. Values are the core ingredient to your recipe, since values by their very nature are felt at the deepest level.
Skills are the next ingredient. Skills are really our talents made into tangible action. As you own your skills and use them, you gain satisfaction and benefit others.
Finally we come to the seasoning in your recipe – your experiences. Whether you encounter pleasure or pain, revelations or resistance, all your experience can be transformed into knowledge. This knowledge helps you define what is essential to you. Ultimately, you have the power to express this knowledge in ways that bring meaning to yourself and others.
A delicious meal can delight your senses and satisfy beyond the mere eating of it. By combining your talents, values, skills and experiences you create the ever-evolving recipe that is your best self.
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