What I Learned From The Food Network

Actually, this has nothing to do with food.  I rarely watch television, but recently, my daughter asked me if I would watch the Next Food Network Star show.  I must admit, I love good, healthy food prepared by an expert.  Since I have little talent as a chef, I really admire this gift in others.  It truly is an art.

Anyway, this show is a competition that starts with a dozen or so contestants who are given various challenges and after each one, someone is eliminated.  While testing their creative skills they are also timed and their ability to work under pressure is also tested.

The contest was down to the final two participants in the episode I was witnessing.  The challenge they were given was a mock television show and they were cooking for a national audience.  Both were initially nervous and got off to a rough start, but eventually got into the flow.  They both did an excellent job and either one could easily have been the winner.

In my opinion, the most important point was made AFTER the competition was over.  Before the judges deliberated, they asked the finalists if they had anything else to say.  One talked about how he was meant to do this show, he was the ideal person for it, etc. The other talked about how grateful she was for the experience.  She thanked all of the previous contestants, the judges, and her opponent.  She said while she would like to win, she thought the ideal outcome would be to have two winners, but if that wasn’t possible and she lost, she couldn’t think of a better person to lose to. 

Even though I started out thinking the other person might be the best choice to win, I found myself now changing my mind based on the classy way this person handled this final opportunity.  The point is, a grateful attitude is magnetic.  It aligns others (and the universe) on your side.  She did win, but regardless of the outcome, she was a winner and I’m sure would have had another wonderful opportunity come her way from this experience.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.