Never give in.. never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in - Winston Churchil

We often try our expertise in cooking at our homes, when we become forced to, or just for fun, and we somehow manage to make some items, which we think are edible and tasty, leaving alone what others think about our cooking  It is very necessary for us to know one or two tricks of cooking at the time of emergency, otherwise we have to keep happy with the water and biscuits for breakfast, though we will somehow manage to have our lunch/dinner at Terrazzina, any of the pubs, Il Mercato, or such other arrangements.

When seeing the cooking techniques, the main thing is that you have to know, or have to have the idea or sense, as to what is to be added, how much, and at what time, so that at the end, it becomes a harmonious dish. If it tastes good, a piece of appreciation is what you can give yourself.

I recently watched a cooking contest on TV on one of the stations. The competition was not so difficult – to make a cake. The rules were simple; raw materials + ingredients + heat + presentation. More than 150 contestants participated, and spent hours over the gas to produce the winning item. Despite how simple it seems, only one was selected as the winner. He happily waved his hands to the crowd when he was handed over the trophy and a cheque for $1000.

As I watching this, I started to think (something that I like to do), that this event is really an example of life success (an analogy). What came to my mind is, at the beginning of the competition, each of the 150 competitors had to make a cake. The ingredients were constant. All of the ovens were the same size and quality. The heating agent was the same too, for these 150 competitors. The only thing that was not constant was the competitor’s imagination and creativity with the seasoning and basing methods that they used.

If all the raw materials used in the preparation of the cake were the same, and the ingredients are the same, then how come there is only one winner?
Just as the competitors all started off with the same ingredients, you can make that claim in life. Most of us start off pretty much the same in terms of human potential, credentials, qualifications, and opportunities. Most of us are born with the same ingredients in us, but some of us, like the above chef, apply our potential to become somebody else than us – a Winner – Think about it. What is it the winner had that the other participants didn’t have? Obviously, the application of the mind and presentation of ourselves when the opportunity comes. Now apply to this to your life in Sharm. Look around you? Those who are successful are not successful by luck. They have a brain that innovates ideas. They have the final touches of the chef, ir-regardless what it is they consider themselves to be successful at.

All of us have our own strengths and weaknesses to deal with. If we go through various experiences of the successful and the not so successful, we could discover that successful people are able to take their raw abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and through their own motivating forces, transform their dreams into concrete reality. This is the same as winning in a cooking competition.