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Welcome back to my fourth blog post of my MasterClass blog series. I took Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking and am excited to share with you everything I learned about life and mental health during this course.
Failing Does Not Mean Defeated
Before Gordon Ramsay became a famous chef, he was training to be a professional soccer player until he got injured and was told he couldn’t play anymore. But that shattered dream led to new opportunities. He started working in the catering industry as a waiter, and it turns out he was horrible at it. So he was put in a kitchen and the rest is history. He took this opportunity and developed it into a passion and career. That shattered dream is what led to him finding purpose. If he hadn’t gotten injured or was a decent waiter and stayed in either of those positions, it would not have allowed for Chef Gordon Ramsay to exist in the universe and share his incredible gifts with others. When Gordon was a soccer player, he had no idea that he’d become a chef one day. He didn’t know he had this gift until after his failures, so wherever you are in this moment, if you feel like you’ve failed or are currently in the process of failing, your story isn’t over. There are more opportunities ahead that you don’t even know about.
Life will always throw challenges at you, but remember that failure isn’t the end all be all. MasterClass gives you the opportunity to try and explore new things you’ve never even thought about doing before. If you’re the CEO of a multi-million dollar company or just getting on your feet trying to figure out what’s next, exploration is important. You don’t know what you don’t know.
In my introductory blog post on the MasterClass series, I got into detail about how valuable exploration can be. Read more about that here: https://a-gtherapy.com/masterclass-mental-health/. Check out all of the different courses you can take through MasterClass.
Creating Something Meaningful
Now that I’ve taken a few MasterClasses, I knew this wouldn’t just be about making elevated scrambled eggs. While there is a lot of emphasis on the recipes and actual cooking lesson, Gordon Ramsay also teaches you about what it means to take pride in what you eat, what you create, and how you live your life.
The first step to taking pride in what you do is taking the time to acknowledge what you are doing. When you dedicate attention to whatever medium you choose, you’ll see a difference in what you produce. You can do photography, paint, cook, dance – but if you want to do something amazing, you can do it in any form by paying more attention to it. Whatever you do becomes an art piece. Slow down, focus on precision and with time and practice, the speed (with accuracy) will come.
In addition to paying attention to what you are doing, pay attention to what you put into your art. Use the resources at your disposal wisely and thoroughly. For example, if you’re cooking salmon, you don’t want to waste any of it because it’s expensive. You want to savor and appreciate all of it, so you have to be precise when preparing and portioning food. Is there anything in your life that you throw away, waste, or take for granted? Are there things that you normally view as invaluable, but can shift your perspective and view as having value and meaning?
Gordon Ramsay attaches divinity to food preparation. He creates food that is a form of art he can share with friends, family, and the world to appreciate. The care you put into something is the care that comes out of it. Whether it is making breakfast, decorating your home, relationships, or connecting with your teens, you can fake it and just go through the motions, or you can give it attention and care to create something special.
Staying Grounded by Living with Intention
Gordon Ramsay holds two things sacred: his kitchen and his family. He placed an engraved metal plate with his kid’s names in his stove to remind him who he is cooking for. It’s a piece of intention that reminds him of his purpose. He’s a celebrity and has restaurants all over the world – it can be easy to get lost in the accolades and spotlight and forget about what’s most precious to you. Even if you’re not famous, it can be easy to get caught up in daily routines, busy schedules, and work, and forget about what’s most important to you. By inserting a little bit of attention and extra effort into what you do every day, it can help you stay grounded.
If there’s something you’re passionate about or enjoying doing, when you do it with intention and attention, it makes it go beyond the thing itself and makes it a larger part of your world. If you are just going through the motions and moving through life mindlessly without intention, the things you spend most of your time doing won’t matter as much. They’ll give you less joy and meaning. Whether it’s working, doing a hobby, or creating art, what can you do to add meaning to it? Is there someone special you want to think about whenever you do that activity (it doesn’t just have to be children – it can be your partner, pets, or friends)? Is there an important quote that inspires you? Or perhaps it’s something more abstract, like a particular event in your life that changed you. Whatever it is that is sacred to you, how can you use it to bring meaning into other aspects of your life? Inserting attention, intention, and purpose into your daily activities is a practice that can help you stay grounded and remind you of what matters most.
Therapy Helps You Find Purpose
It’s easy to think that Gordon Ramsay was always a natural born chef and it was easy for him to find his purpose. But just like many others, his life trajectory wasn’t a straight path. He experienced failures and crossroads where he had to make difficult decisions. One of his values he holds true to is loyalty, but at one point in his life he was faced with a choice: he stays at his current job that he was loyal to and loved, or take another opportunity that would allow for progression. He had to choose between being stagnant or being disloyal. How do you compromise on your values? When you’re stuck between two values, it can be scary to make that decision. How do you navigate tough decision making?
Therapy helps you look inward to be able to be confident in decision making. It helps you figure out your values and priorities so you don’t feel stuck in life. This is often the case with relationships. You want to be loyal and committed, but you feel like you’re not being true to yourself. Many times people stay committed to their partner to avoid hurting or losing the other person, and keep their true self and their values a secret. It’s not just romantic desires or infidelity that stay hidden, but other wants and needs such as traveling, playing video games, going to concerts, hobbies, etc. Do you feel like you’re stuck between doing these things in private and trying to include your partner? If you don’t give yourself the space and time to reflect on what you want and need, you’ll continue to feel stuck and conflicted.
Therapy gives you the space and time to help you figure out what your values are, what matters to you most, and what your purpose is. Many people are searching for purpose without realizing you can create your purpose. You don’t have to go searching for it in other places or wait until it finds you. You have the ability to decide what has purpose and meaning. You don’t have to wait to be “put in a kitchen” to find your purpose.
Elevating the Therapeutic Experience
Just like Gordon Ramsay elevates scrambled eggs by adding sea urchins, or elevating chicken and waffles by adding truffles, how can I elevate the therapeutic experience for my clients?
I start with the fundamentals of therapy, just like the basics of cooking: pancakes, eggs, bread, etc. Then you add special flavors, seasonings, and spice… care and intention. When I see clients, I give them my full attention. I listen attentively and carefully choose my words. Using sound and lighting I create a physical space that is conducive to having deep conversations and healing. Just like chefs take you on a journey of the senses, I guide you through the process of healing by elevating the therapy session.
How can you elevate your everyday life? When you add that bit of intention, you are creating purpose. The only person who can elevate things in your life the way you want is you. There are so many ways to elevate your life. If you feel like you’re just going through the motions and not fully experiencing life with intention, I offer individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, and therapy for teens. Contact Fernando Campos to get started.
