Recently I’ve been thinking a lot in terms of recipes. As a kid, I was always helping my mom bake cookies or create a concoction of my own in the kitchen that may or may not have been delicious/edible. It seems like people bake and cook a little bit less these days. Not sure if that is restaurant culture, laziness, pre-prepped meals or all of the above. Regardless, recipes don’t seem to hold the same importance that they used to. Despite the shift in the cooking paradigm, people are usually looking for a short cut or hack to success. So I decided to go in the other direction and put down a recipe for failure. In theory, if you were to play George Costanza and do the opposite, that could avoid failure or lead to success.
- View Other People as Special/Talented – That’s right! The people who are getting the results that you want were just born lucky. They have talents that can’t be taught/learned/trained. God or whatever you believe in has just shined a light on them and completely forgot about you. Don’t bother trying because you haven’t got it!
- Make Up Excuses – There are plenty of reasons that you’re not getting what you want and they’re beyond your control. Every conceivable thing that could go against you keeps showing up. It’s not your fault! It’s the weather, the timing, the market, the coach, the referee, the president, your parents, lady luck, Kevin frickin’ Bacon and the Boogey Man. You can’t do it because _____________________. And whatever you put in that blank is 100% legitimate!
- Put It Off Until Tomorrow – This is a great plan because tomorrow will definitely be better! You’ll be more rested, have a clearer head and more time. That’s a very common thing. More time shows after you’ve decided not to use now. Now is very overwhelming. Tomorrow, next week, next month or next year provide a buffer that is 100% necessary.
- Believe That It’s Not Important – It really didn’t matter that much anyway! Getting that goal, climbing that mountain, defeating that opponent, etc. It wouldn’t have changed who you are. You’re still you. It doesn’t matter what anyone does because eventually we’ll all be gone anyway. So don’t bother because it doesn’t really matter.
- Let Other People Stop You – Their opinions, approval, encouragement, etc. are either forces that you can’t overcome or things you can’t live without. So until you get high level clearance with a marching band, cheerleaders and a 100% approval rating, don’t lift a finger because the backlash, “I told you so’s”, judgment and disdain are going to be too much for you to handle!
At a certain point while writing those, I started to feel ridiculous. For two reasons: 1. the recipe is inherently ridiculous and 2. I’ve done all of these things before. I didn’t voice the thoughts to myself like I did in the examples, I just did the action. This recipe isn’t complete of course. You can add all kinds of garnishes and extras but these are majors.
Any time that you’re considering doing one these things recognize that they ruin a success “recipe” if you add too much. It’s not a judgmental thing. We’ve all done these before and will do them again. The idea is not perfection. It’s getting things done because you can!
Bon Apetit!
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 