At the advice from about 10 people who love me and know that I love blogging, I finally took the time to watch the movie “Julie and Julia.” It was a pretty good movie. The film highlighted the parallel lives of famous chef, author and TV personality Julia Childs and Julie Powell, a self-proclaimed failed author turned blogger. Julie Powell committed to cook 524 of Julia Child’s recipes in 365 days and blog her experience. After watching this movie, I didn’t know if I should be cooking or blogging. One thing is certain, though, I gained the following five life lessons from Julia Childs’s story.
Lesson 1: Do What You Love
When Julia Childs went to Paris, she was trying to decide what to do with her life. After she determined she wanted to cook, she went to culinary school and continued to create gourmet dishes in her custom-designed kitchen. Her passion led her to teach classes and write a book.
Doing what you love will open doors of opportunity for you, too. Sometimes they will even be created for you.
Lesson 2: Be Confident About Your Skills
Childs would not let the mistress of the cooking school deter her from becoming a chef no matter how hard she tried. She was better able to show the mistress what she could do better than she could tell her.
Know what you know and don’t let other people tell you otherwise, especially when they don’t know. Show them what you can do instead of telling them. Above all, don’t let them stop you from achieving your goals.
Lesson 3: Do Not Give Up on Your Dreams
With all of the challenges and rejections that came with writing her book, Childs continued to pursue opportunities until her book was eventually published.
Sometimes dreams are delayed by life and other challenges. But if there is something on your heart, don’t give up on it. Just be patient.
Lesson 4: Connect with People You Don’t Know
A connection of a connection unexpectedly published Childs’s book.
You just never know who’s sitting right next to you or who they know. Just because you are not the same race, gender, class, religion or ethnicity does not mean you cannot help each other. And social networking sites make it easy to connect with people you don’t know.
Lesson 5: Challenge Yourself
Childs wanted a challenge and requested to be placed in an all male class at the cooking school, which was not the norm during those days. She wasn’t competing with them, she was challenging herself.
You have to challenge yourself to reach new heights in life. It’s easy to backslide or stay in the same place without self-motivation. Make it a point to constantly challenge yourself.
Above are just a few of the life lessons I learned from Julie and Julia. Although the movie was created for entertainment purposes, I walked away armed with a new level of determination to work my passion and to make my dreams come true just like Julia Childs.