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Children are do anything they set their mind to. Scouring the internet, we find no shortage of kids with incredible talents. There’s the 11-year-old boy who can rock it with the best of them. There’s the 7-year-old Japanese girl who looks like a Karate master. And let’s not forget 9-year-old Evnika Saadavakass who looks certain to take home an Olympic gold one day.
That’s why when I heard about Gordon Ramsay creating a show called Masterchef Junior a few years ago, I could hardly wait. It’s been on the air for six seasons now and I always look forward to seeing what these pint-sized kids can whip me (and put me to shame in the process).
More recently, I’ve started watching some of his other shows; Hell’s Kitchen, Restaurant Nightmares and Hotel Hell. It’s like night and day.
With kids, Ramsay is a kind, caring chef who helps children believe in themselves and is always eager to lend a helping hand when things go awry in the kitchen. Contrast this to how he deals with adults, it’s intense.
Ramsay has never been one to mince words. That’s what made him famous. People wanted to see him rip people a new one. In this age of political correctness, Ramsay is a blast of the past where teachers ruled their classes with an iron fist, and where coaches didn’t give one iota about their students being tired, cold, or hungry.
Make no mistake about it, there are times when people go too far. It’s a thin line and one parent know too well. As I’ve told my son a thousand times, I hate getting angry, but I do it out of love. I want my son to grow up to be a strong, independent individual capable of making choices on his own. That means standing up for himself, not crumbling under pressure, and having the confidence to do what he thinks is right. That means teaching him right from wrong and holding him to a high standard. In my household, I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect all of us to continually work to be better, myself included.
What I love about Gordon Ramsay is he does the same. He truly wants people to succeed. He loves food and it shows. He wants to give his customers the best. His kitchens are immaculate. Spotless, not a hint of dirt anywhere. His kitchen staff are like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows their job, and there’s no slouching if you work for Ramsay. The results speak for themselves. With 35 restaurants worldwide and a total of seven Michelin stars, Ramsay is synonymous with quality.
Like Ramsay, I aim to give my clients the best. I give my clients 100%, and the days that I fail, I find a way to make it up to them. When mistakes happen at my office, I apologize, even for those, I didn’t make, because as an owner, I am responsible for my staff.
What I find remarkable though from watching Ramsay’s shows is just how much people are in denial. They blame the failure of their restaurants or hotels on any number of issues, save one – them. Accepting that we’ve made mistakes.
People who have met me think I’m stuck-up. I get that. I want the best, as I aim to give people the best. But the best doesn’t come easy. We have to work at it, hard. It takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts in life.
Will Durant once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Ramsay epitomizes this. He put in years of hard work day in and day out, working his way up to reach where he is today.
I invested years of my life learning everything I could about personal development and time management from the likes of Tony Robbins and Brendon Burchard.
Brian Tracy once said, “The harder I worked, the luckier I got.” He’s right. While luck does play a role, hard work is the real secret to success and that’s never going to change. Ramsay is proof that if you put in the time and effort, good things happen. And that’s the real lesson people should take away from his shows.
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