110 - How to Be Happy in a Stressful Environment

Okay, here we are live. You know, this is so much fun. My name is Nick Brown, I am the founder of cooking physics. And I am striving to basically help professional chefs be happy and successful as they build a culture of growth, development and learning in their lives and to become inspiring leaders. See, I'm building this community of chefs where collaboration is encouraged, where growth and success of others is celebrated. Respect for the person is as great as the food. And chefs are commended as much for their leadership as they are for their menus. Because I really want to feel like every chef has the opportunity to be in an environment that will allow them to grow will allow them to the challenges them. And not just in a challenge as in, here's an impossible situation, sink or swim, figure it out yourself kind of a thing. But a challenge as in here, we are here to support you. But this is going to be your mission, this is going to be your, your goal, your your, your challenge, and we're here to help you. But this is all you man. And you can do this. So that's kind of the culture that I want to help create in professional kitchens. Now, this, this teaching is all about how to be happy, even in stressful situations in stressful environments, because there's no getting rid of the stress. And, and the anxiety that happens in food service during the push of your restaurant. You can't get rid of that. And in fact, if you did get rid of that stress, and that and that anxiety, you know, that's what we thrive on. That's what really gets us and gets us excited to be able to get to that, and push through it, break through it, manage to get all the way through, be successful in it. And we feel good. I mean, we'd love that we thrive off of that. So I'm not trying to get rid of that kind of situation, what I'm trying to do is help you actually be happy during that time, be happy, in spite of what's going on around you. So I've been doing these live teachings for about a couple of months. So the first ones were really not that great technical issues, and just me getting into the groove of things. But I'm going to be starting to post these on my website, at www.cookingphysics.com/blog so that you can have access to them whenever you'd like, I guess you could say this is a podcast, whatever you want to call it, live teaching is what I'm calling it, because that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to help you try and teach you different aspects of the cooking career that will help you become an inspiring leader. See, if you have felt like if you want to feel happy, even though the day and the environment may be stressful, or if you have felt overwhelmed with the stress, possibly to the point of being physically sick from it. This is what I'm going to be talking about today. If you feel like you're have this inability to meet the challenge that is pushing before you and you're like I there's no way I can do this, I'm going to help you through this. If you feel powerless to change anything around you and it's just like, that's just the way things are. I'm going to teach you the steps to overcome that and to be able to have that ability to really get in there and and change your environment. You know, you know that work that you should have that you feel like it should be challenging to you. But all it's doing is just crushing you and grinding you and stepping all over you. I'm going to help you figure out how to overcome those challenges and those stressful environments to where not really get rid of them. But to be able to help you really understand and and overcome them to the point where they energize you and those challenges you're looking forward to because you know that you'll be able to put your best self forward. So I've worked in Many, many kitchens, some have been great. And some have not been even close. In fact, one of the worst places that I worked at, I literally physically got sick from the stress and the pressure that was put on me. And I had no idea how to overcome, I physically got sick, I actually ended up having to leave that place. But through that, I've talked with people and, and I've since found out three areas of focus that you have control over three areas of focus that you can be happy, even in those stressful situations. So what are those three focus areas? The first one is your mason plus, I know you've heard this a lot, you got everything in its place, your mason plus? Well, this meeting plus is not just the prep that you have sitting in front of you. It's not just making sure you've got your pots and your pans. and everything like that this is this is a mason plus of you. And then there's also a mental preparation. How are you doing up here? Because this one, I hear your mental preparation, what you're looking forward to, and how you're preparing yourself mentally can make a huge difference on the outcomes, knowing your limits, and then building on the strengths that you need, and building on the strengths that you have to be able to surpass them. And then the last one is your mission preparation. You know, it's the why you're doing it. Why did you decide to come into this business into this industry? What, what is the reason behind it. And if you can get all three of those things into focus and understood, then that's going to help you be able to overcome any of these stressful situations and be happy and joyous and have fun. So I want you to think, How many times have you woken up and thought that the day was going to be so easy, you know, you you know, we're talking about work, you go into work, and you're like, ah, there's barely any reservations gonna be super simple, No, nothing's gonna happen. And he's just kind of lazily go about your day. And then all of a sudden, you get pummeled. And a lot more people come in, that you were expecting, they're coming out once. And it's just a stressful environment, and you're totally unprepared for it. And it just wipes you out and the end of the day, you are exhausted. You it's like the most difficult, stressful day that you've had. Now, think about some other times that you've gone into the day, and you'd know that it's going to be a busy day. And you kind of get yourself ready and you're going and and all of a sudden, you make it through that day, and you sail through that day. If you really compare the two. On the one hand, when you didn't really get ready. It was actually easier than the day that you got crushed. And it was incredibly busy. So what's the difference? It's all about who you are, and how prepared you are, again, there's that that missing plus that mental preparation and that mission preparation. Okay. So if you are able to master each one of these, you'll be able to overcome any stressful situation, you'll be able to enjoy your job, have fun, you'll be able to learn new skills that you never knew you had. And you'll be able to meet each day as the challenge it is an opportunity for you to grow. So it doesn't, I'm going to be presenting this in certain order, but really you just kind of work on each one of them. There's not one that is going to, you know you have to have this first, you work on each one of these areas. And depending on the situation, you'll be using one more than the other. One one style of preparation more than the other. So what I'm about to tell you is going to help you become a better chef. It's going to help you really understand what it is about who you are. If you decide to not learn these skills and decide to stay where you are, then in every single kitchen, you're going to end up getting stressed regret ARLIS of the style of kitchen, it could be the best kitchen. And if you don't learn the skills, you're not going to have fun there. Because kitchens are stressful, you'll get burnt out, and you'll just want to quit. And if it's not a very good kitchen, you could end up becoming physically sick from the stress. You're going to lose your hopes, your drive your passion, and possibly even your family and friends. How many chefs have you known that have decided to no longer be an executive chef, and they just wanted to get back on the line. It's just like, I don't want to deal with the stress anymore. I just want to focus on cooking, and all the other stuff. Forget the other stuff. Okay? That's because they didn't quite learn these skills. So the first one, let's talk about your mental preparation. Need to prepare yourself beforehand. This is going to be a lot about your physical environment when I'm talking about the Meezan plus, you know, there's this phrase that that I have taken to heart and it's don't leave things on done the night before. If you have time to do it today. Get it done. Never leave for tomorrow. What can be done today? See, there's a story that kind of stuck with me. It's a story about a ranch and and he was looking for work. And there was this rancher that needed a ranch hand. So he went in for the interview and the rancher said, so what is it that sets you apart from all the other ranch hands. And that ranch hen says, Well, I can sleep during the storms. And the ranch was like okay, he could didn't quite understand what he meant by that. But he liked the ranch hander, you know, all the other stuff, he said was really good. And so he went ahead and hired him up. And he was ended up being one of his better ranch hands. And one day, a huge storm started coming through and it kind of caught everybody off guard, they weren't expecting it. And the wind started picking up the thunder and the lightning, start picking up the, you know, the rain and everything like that. And this ranchers started freaking out. And he's like, oh, shoot, he's sort of, so he's like, goes and grabs, tries to grab this ranch hand, he's like, wake up, wake up, and the ranch hand was just like, just went back to sleep. And the ranch was like, Okay, I don't care how good he's not going to help me in the time that I need him most. And so that rancher heads out and he heads out into the stables. And he was his gonna make sure that the doors were locked in the stables and he gets there and everything's locked up. And then he slowly runs over and you know, to the wagons and everything like that. And it turns out that the wagons were all put away and everything was locked up and, and secure. And then he was like, oh shoot, there was that fence that needs to be fixing. So he runs over and tries to fix the fence. Because, you know, if the fence is bad, then the animals can get out and it gets over there and the fence has been fixed. And he's like, and so he goes back inside. And he finally realized what that ranch hand meant. The fact that he can sleep through the storms. In other words, he did everything that needed to be done before he went to bed. He didn't leave anything else. So that's what I'm talking about with with that getting yourself ready. Don't leave things for the next day. In some of my other teachings, I talked about, you know, your prep lists and things like that, where the whole goal of a prep list isn't so that you're ready for today, so that you're ready for tomorrow. So you get everything ready so that when you show up the next day, everything is ready. Number two, when you're thinking about your mason classes, know that the day will be get difficult, but trust that you're prepared for whatever comes. So if you have your mason plus ready, you can have the personal confidence that everything has been done that could have been done. And I always like to put it this way. If one of your cooks, or if you're a cook if you get sick or if you have an accident and you're not able to come to work all of a sudden, Hey, what are the other guys going to have to do to be able to fill in for you? I want you to think about that. If you are not able to come into work today for some reason, doesn't really matter what but you're not able to come in Is everybody else going to be fine? Is everybody else going to be okay? If you're if you're always prepared, then if something happens, everybody else is going to be okay. How many times have you come in to fill in for somebody and you're just pissed off? Because nothing's done, you know, by, by following these steps that I've done on previous trainings, making sure that everything is done the day before. They'll show up and be like, Yeah, I'll take, I'll cover here for him, no problem. Step three. Now, let's put you into the, into the stressful situations, okay? You get into that stressful situation, and you're in it, these next, these next steps help you to overcome that. So, first thing is you take inventory for where you're at, both physically, mentally, emotionally, are you ready? Do you need to get anything else in order? Okay. You stop what you're doing. You take that inventory, you make that plan. And then you go, and this is, when I first began to be the expo, I was in charge of keeping the food pumping on nights where we would do you know, 500 people, with a crew of only six chefs. And one of the first things that the chef told me was, hey, if you start feeling overwhelmed, Stop, just stop what you're doing. Okay? And take a beat. Look at your tickets, see what's there, figure out what needs to happen next. Start, you know, calling out the things and go find out where everybody else is at. So you know, where, where the, the entire crew was at, and then go, he's like, take that minute, take two, take three, it doesn't really matter. Okay? Because if you can gather yourself and put yourself back, yeah, the tickets gonna keep on coming. That's a problem. But if you stop, take your inventory, make that plan and then go from then on out, everything was run smoother. If you try and push through that, if you just lie, like I just got to do it, then every single ticket after that is going to be stressful, it's going to be sloppy, and it's not going to go very well. So take that inventory, make that plan, and then go. So I was in this course I was in this mastermind that I went to, and a guy from the military came up, he trains the military. And he's like, there's this acronym. It's called OODA. So it's observe, orient, act, or decide and act, observe, orient, decide and act. So observe. It's what I was talking about, observe, be present, know your situation, know your surroundings, orient, you get into a position that you can make the next move, you decide and choose the next move, sticking with it, and then act on that decision. And then once you've acted on this decision, you go back and you observe where you're at the Orient, you decide and act again, and you just kind of move that around over and over and over. The Marines that are able to do that faster, are the ones that are able to overcome any situation. So that's what I was telling you. It's like, you stop, you observe, you take your inventory, you then make a decision, and then you go, okay. So those are the steps for your misapplies preparation, let's talk about your mental preparation. Now. That's when you're in the thick of it, you can't get out. Sometimes you can, or sometimes, you know, you finish with one thing and then you move on to the next thing. And that's where this mental preparation is so essential. So the first thing is, is if you started to get stressed, remove yourself from that environment. Okay? Go to someplace else. Take a bathroom break, you know, release the tension. Take some big deep breaths, just take some several deep breaths. And while you're doing this, release that tension Okay. Recognize what you've been able to do up until that point. Be proud of it. Be proud if nothing else, be proud of the fact that you recognize where you're at. And you got out of the situation. then, okay, remove yourself release, recognize. The next thing is to review your mission review what you're what you're trying to do, what is the goal. And finally, reenergize, start bouncing all the balls of your feet, taking some quick breaths, let's go. Come on, come on. I mean, I'll do that I'll do some air pumps. You know, it's just just re energizing yourself. And after this, you'll be able to get back into the thick of things, okay? Go to the bathroom, take two minutes, don't even go to the bathroom. Just say you're gonna go to the bathroom, take two minutes, just go through this pump yourself up, don't back in there, and you'll be energized to move on to something better, and you'll be able to really kind of build yourself up, okay? So it's not your environment, that's giving you the energy, it's you, you are generating that energy, you are the one that's building it in yourself. Okay, now, let's talk about the third one, your mission preparation. Okay. There are in one of my other teachings that talked about what a mission is. And a mission is basically that end goal, okay? That that finite goal, it's the one that's going to be like, we're going to make it through service today. And we're going to serve 500 people, and every single one of them is going to rave about our food. That's our mission today. Okay? Also, you think about your mission as yourself in, in this in the aspect of kind of what is your vision of what you want to become, understand what the end goal is? And the part that you play in the whole scene. Know your why, why are you doing this? What is the reason you're doing what you're doing? Why did you come into the professional kitchen? Why do you want to become a chef? Think about that. Remember, the goal that you set. And the mission that you started out with? Remember what it was that you wanted in the first place. Remember that, think about that, have that close. Having that preparation mentally, of your mission of your goal, and of your future vision of your life. Even the most horrible jobs can become acceptable. You know, you're not going to enjoy every single job, but it's going to become acceptable. Think about it this way, you got to clean out the grease traps. Okay? It's not a fun job. But you got to do it. And if you realize why you kind of do it and understand the entire mission, and where you are in the you know, what part that plays in the entire system. Okay, okay, I understand I don't want to I don't like doing it. But I understand, okay, it's acceptable. Okay. If you know your why Be true to yourself. And let others know where you want to get. Because the more people that know where you want to get to, what your goal is, and what your mission and your vision are, you know, there will start coming out the people that will help you and support you will start coming on board, and you'll be guided to them and they will be guided to you. So letting other people's know what you want, will allow others to help you along your way. Multiple multiple chefs that I've worked as with have helped me in my way because I let them know what it was that I wanted. Like, oh, I can help you with that. Or oh, I know somebody that can help you with that. So remember those these three things. Make sure that you've got your you're me some plus read your environment. Make sure that that is ready to go. Make sure that you're mentally prepared for what's going on. Okay, energize yourself, be excited. Build that energy. Get in there. And, and really have fun, hang be excited about what's coming up. And lastly, remembering that mission, remembering who you are, why you want to do this. So as long as your mission is in line with your future self, you will find the strength beyond what you thought you had. And don't forget, help the other people you know Once you start to understand these things, once you start to put them into your lives, help the other person, help your co workers, teach them, bring them on to this podcast, or this teaching show on this teaching, okay? If you're willing to learn and grow, make sure that you're willing to also offer that help and success towards others. So I really hope that you've taken notes. While I've taught you what I've learned over these many years. And if you didn't rewatch this, take some notes, because it's really good stuff. This is stuff that has taken me several several years to kind of really understand and then to be able to put into a framework that I can teach you. So if you enjoyed this, please check out my website at www.cookingphysics.com where I have other lessons and I have some courses that can help you and help build you and become to become that inspirational leader chef. My Teachings are gonna be in the blogs. I'll have this one in by this Friday. Thanks very much and you guys are great. I hope to see you around.