February 21, 2016 –
the challenge of perfection.
I just finished watching the BURNT, a movie about a chef and his JOURNEY / battle with perfection.
I have seen a glimpse of the competitive nature of chefs, through my travels. There is this odd competition and cockiness that chefs carry. Honestly I do not feel uber competitive these days. I did in the days of sports but right now this season of life I feel like my biggest competitor is myself. I desire to grow in my art and creativity, but I am not really directly up against anyone. I think my art currently sucks most of the time, but in the season the goal is to be creating. It is more about the process than the product.
I see a movie about creativity and the idea of perfection and it stirs me to be better. It stirs me toward staying up late to write or to paint… the act of creating leads us toward perfection.
Maybe the tension for me is that I have come to be OK in my own skin. I do not need to be competitive to be ok. Yet there is a tension where I want to be competitive again, I want to be constantly growing.
BURNT – “never underestimate a man with everything to loose”
Creativity is an inner battle. We see Bradley Cooper, the main character in the movie, face his biggest demons, hit his lowest of lows and see if he will rise again. Typical movie plot, but one I am drawn to each and every time. In creativity it is an inner struggle that must be faced in order to rise above.
Most of us give up when someone tells us we are not good enough. Wether it was when we were young or when we face new challenges today. We are quick to give up and avoid pain, or confrontation on all costs.
What if you were on the verge of success and you quit just two steps before the breakthrough. Or turned around when the next check point was just around the bend. You cannot see the full course in front of you. Usually you only see what is right in front of you. Keep going. Do not be quick to give up or give in.
I am not much of a quitter. I can not think of anything that I quit. There may have been a few things I tried that just were not a good fit, but I have never quit. Why do people quit?
“Choose the hard path.”
A friend of mine wrote something in a card when I left to travel the world back in 2005, it said something along the lines of: “choose the hard path.” The phase/idea stuck with me. Over the years there were many ups and downs, I usually learned more through the tough spots. One time someone asked me about quitting, and the idea had not even crossed into my thoughts at all. I was committed to this certain thing for a certain time period, there was nothing in the world that would cause me to quit that thing.
I feel I am in a new season of ploughing ahead. Of building and exploring new territories. The trajectory is taking more and more shape each year. My focus is locked in and I will keep moving forward. Keep perusing excellence. Moving towards perfection.
*travel day – I often find myself writing these blogs late in the day, I think I just really like the night… it’s killing my sleep though.
**workout update – not much happening on this travel day… just a few calf raises on the long flight across the country.
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