Good morning!

The other evening, I was watching Dessert Games, one of those Food Network competition shows where they run around a grocery store to get ingredients to create some dish fancy pants celebrity chef judges. 

One challenge required the use of pork rinds in an ice cream sandwich. I was disgusted until the judges noted something that I had forgotten: plain old pork rinds have little taste. They're just crunchy and salty.

I am always amazed at how chefs in these shows will incorporate crazy ingredients. One contestant somehow figured out how to use the pork rinds in three different ways. I would never want to have to use pork rinds in a dessert, but if I had to, what would I do? 

Nearly every one of these Food Network shows has a similar twist: Use this crazy ingredient. Cook this dish in under 10 minutes. Beat Bobby Flay. Etc. 

And nearly every time, the contestant will wipe his or her brow in fear and concern, then take a deep breath, and figure it out. They'll take what they get and figure out how to make something amazing.

Gratitude can help do the same thing, especially when you're having to start a new project or begin again after crap circumstances turned your life upside-down. 

If you had to look at what life deals you as a basket of ingredients, taking each item out one by one, and had to create something new, what's the best way to start?

If those chefs spent all of their time fussing and complaining about having to use peanut butter in their steak dish, they'd never finish making their steak dish. At a certain point, there's got to be a sense where you think, "Okay. This is what I got to work with. It kind of sucks. No, it really sucks. But what kind of gourmet surprise can I now concoct?"

I realize that some things we get dealt in life go way beyond a cute cooking metaphor. As always, metaphors and illustrations somewhat breakdown. 

But even in the wake of tragedy, after you've gone through the normal emotional response, what else can you do? 

You look at what you have. Thank God as best as you can that you have some resources to start with, and you get going.

Gratitude infuses power into those resources. If you're thankful for them vs. focusing on what isn't in your basket, then you can start moving forward. 

If you focus only on what you don't have, then nothing new gets created.

If you have a challenge, right now, and don't know where to start. Imagine a basket of ingredients. Consider the resources you have: a friend, some time, money in the account, a job, energy, a pair of running shoes and a bottle of water, breath. 

Pick them up, be thankful for them, pray if need be, and get after it. Chances are, you'll end up creating something beautiful.

Simply,

Brett

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