It Begins With A Vision
I have found the exact vocational path I want to follow and what an incredible feeling that is.
But more than just a vocation, what I have found has the potential of turning into my passion.
Passion. Oh that buzzword that so many books have been written about. That thing that’s supposed to keep you up at night and drive you to achieve great things.
Yes, I said it…and yes, I am also after it.
And just like anyone searching for it, I’ve asked myself the same questions: What is my passion? Do I even have one? How do I find it? What does it even mean?
I quickly learned that answering these questions is quite the process, and I’ve only begun to scratch the surface.
Being at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, finding your passion is the ultimate first-world problem.
It is valuable privilege.
I’ve been fortunate enough to live in an environment where most of my physical and psychological needs are met. I’ve also had to put in some work to fill in the gaps, but overall I feel pretty satisfied.
Having my most basic needs met, I now feel a strong urge to fulfill my need of self-actualization. Including — but not limited to — finding and pursuing my passion.
Which I’ve learned doesn’t just land on your lap out of nowhere.
It is a process that requires walking the path of introspection and self-discovery…of finding out who you are and what is truly important to you.
Once that is clear, the path to finding your passion also becomes clear.
IT BEGINS WITH A VISION
As a result of my introspective work, what I have finally found is precisely that vision…
…and it is now clearer than ever.
One of the most of important (if not the most important) things I did in the process of figuring out who I was, was identifying my core values; the things that are truly important to me and that I will stand and live by until my last breath.
Having a clear set of values now serves me as a compass that guides me gracefully through life (I will discuss the importance of having a clear set of core values in a future blog post).
I found that, among other important things, I value art, creativity, physical/mental health, protecting our earth, and last but not least, food.
I find food to be incredibly fascinating.
The fact that it can nourish our bodies and bring us joy at the same time just blows my mind. How it just grows out of the earth as a wonderful gift to humanity. One that we can share with each other to create deeply gratifying experiences.
Not to mention its social and cultural impact. We are in fact what we eat, both figuratively and literally.
My fascination with food coupled with my creative and artistic nature is what sparked my lifelong love of cooking…of creating beautiful and delicious food that I can share with the world starting with the ones I love.
I see it as an art and consider it the greatest form of creative expression. In fact, the only one that can be appreciated and enjoyed with all of our senses.
So I always knew that food and cooking would be part of my vision and eventually my passion. But I didn’t know exactly what that would looked like.
Until I discovered that whatever that was had to align with my values. Because they are now at the core of who I am and everything I do.
I had entertained several ideas around cooking and came up with some really cool concepts, some of which I might experiment with in the future.
But none of them really convinced me because they didn’t completely align with my values.
The “WHY” behind those ideas was not strong enough. They were not meaningful enough.
One thing that always turned me off about food and cooking is the way it is done in our current society.
We have an overabundance of food and the vast majority of it is produced and consumed mindlessly, with commercialism as the primary incentive. We are creating food that is destroying us, and are producing and consuming it in a way that is depleting its very source.
Food is no longer what it was intended to be.
I find this very saddening. To the point where I was almost discouraged to do what I love so that I didn’t become part of the problem.
There is an urgent need to revolutionize the way we look at food for our own sake; from the way we produce it to how we consume it.
Since that problem was coherent with my value of protecting our earth, I’ve chosen to see it as an opportunity and to be part of the solution through my own cooking.
I want to show the world that food can be delicious, nutritious, and done responsibly and sustainably.
And of course that it can also be a creative outlet that makes it a more enjoyable experience.
What’s even more exciting for me is that this vision perfectly aligns with my lifestyle and everything I believe in.
And that is how The Meal Prep Chef was born
I created the idea with a simple philosophy in mind. I want to create food that is:
- Good for the earth
- Good for your body
- Good for your palate
And I want to create it for people who share the same philosophy and want to eat delicious, nutritious food but don’t have the time to cook it themselves.
From fitness and health enthusiasts, to busy moms.
I want to have several days’ worth of delicious and nutritious meals delivered to their door. So that cooking and nutrition is completely off their minds.
I want to give them options that satisfy their dietary restrictions and preferences. From paleo, to vegan and vegetarian.
And, of course, I want to use it as my creative outlet while I’m at it.
There are other factors that went into creating this vision, such as low investment costs, not being restrained to a specific schedule, and the fact that I can also cook wholesome, amazing food for myself and my family.
There are also details about my vision that I am very excited about, but that might not be of much value to you.
I won’t share my entire business plan on a blog post, but you get the message:
Take something you love doing and align it with your core values to give it meaning. This will give you a clear vision that you can get behind.
Follow that vision relentlessly and before you know it, you will be doing something you are passionate about.
It does not have to change the world. It simply needs to be meaningful to you.
But that self-discovery phase is definitely essential. Remember that when you are clear on who you are and what is important to you, you gain clarity in all areas of your life.
This is a fact and you can see it for yourselves.
So spend the time getting to know yourself, I promise you won’t regret it.
Could that be the magic formula to find your passion? I guess I’ll find out and report back to you.
Stay tuned…
