Friday was the 20th anniversary of the day I opened a café in Sausalito and began my culinary career.
It wasn’t the wisest thing to do, or the most financially savvy. But it’s what I was inspired to do. And so I did.
There was a lot of time between deciding to do it and actually doing it—time to educate myself, find a space, fix it up, etc—and during that time, I almost got derailed more than once.
What almost derailed me wasn’t fear. Or worry. Or self-doubt. It was simply not wanting to do things that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable.
Isn’t that usually the case? We say we’re afraid or lack confidence, but really it’s a lot less dramatic. We’re just unwilling to be uncomfortable.
At times, my head was screaming. “Go back to advertising!” it said. “That was fine.” But resisting those thoughts brought great things.
Like incredible confidence. Because after you slay discouraging thoughts about a zillion times, you know you can do anything.
Like my beyond-wonderful husband, who fell for me during those early café days. Because who can resist a woman who’s being unstoppable?
And last but definitely not least, twenty years of making great things to eat and getting paid for it. Like the world’s best chocolate chip cookies, one of the café’s most popular items.
I should probably be pondering what’s next, where I might be choosing comfortable over satisfied nowadays.
But for at least a little while, I’m celebrating.
