~by Natalia Levey~
Is there one household chore you absolutely hate doing?
Laundry? Never found this one hard. As a kid growing up in Russia, we had no washing machine or dryer; all the laundry was done by hand in the bathtub. Needless to say, we were a lot more careful about getting our clothes dirty. Today the machines are smarter than ever – they do all the work for you. Just pre-spot, toss stuff in, transfer to the dryer, fold – done! What used to take hours is now down to 10-15 minutes.
Ironing? Back to my laundry story – Our clothes were hanging to dry in the kitchen and above the bathtub. When things were dry, you wouldn’t want to wear them with a crease line running through the center of everything. So out of necessity, I learned how to iron. When I first sent my daughter to daycare for 4 hours a week, I would stand and iron my sheets. But now I did it to relax, not out of necessity.
Vacuuming? Cleaning? Any other chores you hate?
For me, doing the dishes has been torture for years. I’m a professional chef, and cooking is something I really enjoy. Teaching, or just watching people enjoy my culinary experiments, has always been the most gratifying thing ever. It has become a way to express my artistic abilities, creativity and love. But just before service I would stare at the sink full of dirty dishes ready to cry. There was such a sharp contrast between the beautifully plated entrees and the stained pots.
When I opened my nutritional consulting business, I thought – I’ve got this. I have the education, the knowledge, the skills – my business bank account will be overflowing, my calendar – super busy. I’m going to go on a cooking show with Tyler Florence (whom I met this summer – very cool guy). And… I can’t say that any of this has happened as planned.
What I have realized however is that business is very much like cooking. You do the planning, shopping, prep, chopping, simmering, sautéing, plating… and washing dishes! That’s the part that was missing. I hated doing dishes so much that I didn’t realize that that translated into not wanting to do the grunt work – actual marketing.
I loved reading books, helping people, writing blog posts, creating new programs – but I would always resist the idea of getting in front of people and “selling” myself.
Everything changed in that moment when I made that connection. Those dishes needed to be cleaned, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to create new recipes. Just like that, I started putting myself out there, networking and making new connections. I stopped thinking of selling, and instead, just began sharing my ideas with the world.
That began a snowball effect of people wanting to share my message, reaching out to speak at their groups and events, and so on. New friendships and collaborations have been born.
And guess what? I bought a pair of gloves, and now I always do my dishes after I cook.
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This article is from a piece written by Natalia Levey in her Healthy Intent digital magazine. Permission was granted for publishing on Leadershipgirl.com.
To read more articles like this, sign up for Natalia’s Healthy Intent digital magazine.
Meet the Author: Natalia Levey
Natalia Levey
Natalia Levey is a professional chef, certified health & nutrition coach, and an author of “Cravings Boss.” She is dedicated to educating entrepreneurs about how to have more energy and vitality to run their businesses through personalized coaching programs, private and corporate cooking classes, thus leaving them feeling confident and successful in every area of life. Natalia is the founder of Healthy intent www.healthyintent.com.
In her free time she indulges her secret addiction to graphics through an online magazine – Healthy Intent {seasonal healthy inspirations}.
Natalia received her culinary training at the Art Institute of New York city and is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She also received her certification as a Nutritional Consultant from The American Association of Nutritional Consultants.
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