The Subtle Art of Developing Your Self-Awareness
I grew up working in kitchens and restaurants. The last chef I worked for was in 1983. He was an angry German man named Ian. He had a bum leg and a cane he threatened to use as a weapon.
I’ll never forget what happened in the kitchen when Chef Ian lost his temper. Everyone around him would cringe, hoping to escape his wrath. It was scary.
I’m sure more than one employee quit, but I worked in a management training program in the bowels of a luxury hotel kitchen.
I got a few hefty doses of Chef Ian’s rage but never took a direct hit from his cane. In retrospect, I was probably not a great guy to work in Chef Ian’s kitchen because I pretty much sucked working in kitchens.
Back then, I wondered how people like Chef Ian could get so mad as to lose their minds almost every day at work, and that was his reputation beyond being a great chef working in a luxury hotel.
Back then, I was not aware of how awareness works. The word wasn’t on my radar. I was young, naive, and insatiably curious, and I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even though I had graduated college and knew I would have to pay back all of my debts because…
