Anybody can learn … or can they? Part 1

I am going to share a secret with you … there is one area I find incredibly difficult and daunting. This may come as surprise given the things I embrace despite their complexities. But this one area has always caused me anguish in all honesty. Before I share it with you I want to remind you that I am a middle aged woman with three young children and I have somehow managed to make it to this point, in spite of my lack of interest and ability in this area … the kitchen.

You may laugh or roll your eyes but I can honestly say this area has been a source of such frustration for several years. But at last I am cracking it. And in this article I want to share with you the difference that made all the difference.

I cannot stress how incapable I am in the kitchen. I think the main reason is it is not an area I am interested in. I try, I know I should be, I am very interested in the outcomes i.e. good health. But whenever somebody explains some of the mechanics of how things work, show me a recipe or dare I say it just say ‘it’s so simple Kelly’ I practically combust. I have always struggled to retain how I made something for the few meals I have been taught over the years and I HATE recipes. Those long lists of ingredients are enough to make me walk away. Talk to me about money, pensions, property and anything in that field and I am hooked and will listen for hours. And perhaps that is the problem, it’s just not an area of interest.

THINGS CHANGE

But as I said at the start, I am now a mother and I have three young children to feed and I remember somebody saying that convenience in the kitchen is all well and good but it leads to disease. And I guess that was my breaking point.

Now before I go any further this article is not about cooking. This article is about areas in life where you don’t know what you don’t know and you have no idea or inclination as to where to start. I know a lot of people who feel about money they way I felt about cooking. But I also know health and wealth are areas to be ignored at your peril.

Here’s the thing though. I recently sat down with my family and we all ate a home cooked meal that I made. Yes, I made it and my children loved it. And it was healthy. I felt as if I had climbed a mountain. And I am going to share how I overcame a hurdle that has held me back for decades.

There are three key steps ….

STEP 1 – DECIDE

As simple as it sounds the first thing you have to do when you want to increase your literacy in a certain area is decide. And then schedule it. I have been nagged for years about my lack of cooking skills. I have been at the end of many jokes in my family about my incompetency and my sister often says she brings her own food to the ‘self-catering windmill’ as she knows I won’t have anything.

So I decided. I have wanted the outcome of good health for many years, I just wanted somebody to do it for me. But I never married a man who can cook so I had to decide. I needed a solution. My children are growing up and my daughter often gets on her bike to mirror my exercise routines and as much as that tells me I am doing something right I know it won’t be long before she mirrors my kitchen habits.

So this year I decided it was something I wanted to get better at. I wanted meal times to be a key part of our family day and traditions and I wanted to be an example for my children.

“One learns from books and example only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.” — Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert

So decision made. Then I scheduled it. We had a holiday to Center Parcs booked (yay) and I know the kitchens are all fully stocked with appliances and utensils, in fact I was more confident they would have any utensils I needed over my own kitchen. And they did. I decided to try Hello Fresh as I’d had a recommendation and it was designed for people like me, beginners. I fully committed as we headed to Center Parcs with only our Hello Fresh box. And I won’t deny it, after our first day exploring when we headed back to the lodge I regretted not having a plan B. But I now needed to do it otherwise we didn’t have a meal that night.

Deciding and committing are great, but then there’s the execution.

In part 2 we’ll look at the shift from theory to practical, a shift many get stuck on. Don’t let it be you. I was determined it wouldn’t be me, not this time.