A Masterchef's lesson on trusting your instincts

If not you, then who? If not now then when?

Ash Lamb

Aug 23, 2023

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Hello there beautiful people! My name is Ash Lamb, and this is The Visual Growth Letter. An illustrated newsletter about life and creativity.

Once upon a time, there was a very talented Argentinian Masterchef contestant who was known, in his hometown, for his unique and innovative culinary creations.

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However, he found himself doubting his abilities when he noticed that, on the first elimination challenge, all of his fellow contestants were sticking to hip gourmet dishes when his personal gift was in cooking amazing yet simple traditional dishes inspired by his hometown.

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In a last-minute moment of insecurity, he decided to subtly tweak his traditional dish to make it fit in with the rest a little bit more.

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When it was time to present his creation, the judges were blown away by how incredibly tasty and well-seasoned his dish was!

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But to his surprise, the only critique he received was…

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to remove the elements he had added to make his creation look more modern or trendy in order to conform with the other cooks.

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This experience taught the Masterchef contestant a very valuable lesson: to trust in his own instincts and not be swayed by the opinions of others, even when the stakes are high. (No pun intended!)

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Just because everyone is betting against you doesn't make them right. That would be a good ol' consensus fallacy. Everyone is cooking modern minimal dishes therefore I should do that too even though deep down that's not what my intuition, expertise, and wisdom are vouching for.

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From that day on, he continued to impress the judges with his excellent true to himself cooking style and went on to become a successful chef in his own right.

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Never stop doing whatever it is that makes you unique. Without it, you would become a dull replaceable robot. Sometimes we abstain from doing what we think we should do out of fear, just to realize years later that someone else did exactly that with great success.

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At some point in time, someone had the idea to start making educational videos on YouTube about their passion, building Lego sets, but they didn't because YouTube was too new and nobody was doing it.

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Fast forward a few years and there are people making a great living doing exactly that. (And starting a channel about Lego is only a very specific example amongst many!)

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Now that person who didn't go for it feels frustrated because of the lack of courage and belief they had in themselves years prior. They didn't even have to do it with the intention of turning it into a full-time gig, sharing your passion with others is often fulfilling enough.

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Don't be that guy or gal. Don't let this happen to you.

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Ask yourself the following question often:

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If not me, then who? If not now then when?

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Because if you don't, someone will sooner or later. Also, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today!

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Sure, your goal can evolve and morph with time, but don't let the fear of being different or cringe stop you from doing something uniquely great! Be the role model you wish you had when you first started.