Page 24 - JULY 2021 Digital Issue

Six Steps for...whatever.
I have 100’s of books on my shelves promising to be The Book of Secrets (sorry Harry Potter fans) for success. They’re promising me the best insider tricks to use my Facebook to enhance my Twitter by using my Instagram in order to market my brand. Each striving to remove the cloak of invisibility (again, my apologies to the HP fans reading this) to reveal ways to grow my business. Books telling me to do Yoga while eating yogurt and exercising so I can unite mind, body and soul in order to reach my goals all while fish- ing. Some are extremely lengthy, some daunting and one even has duct tape, all crying out to give me the steps I need for success.
So when I come across something short and sweet I pay a little more attention to it, especially when it comes from someone I re- spect. Such is the case with these 6 steps from pitmaster Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q. Chris was asked what tips he could give for being successful in competition BBQ. The more I read them the more I began to see these 6 steps could be applied to anywhere you’d like to succeed. Are you an executive chef or a stock boy? Are you a blogger or a janitor? As we explore this list you’ll begin to see what I noticed, you can apply these anywhere, to anything you endeavor to accomplish.
Stay Humble
Nothing like starting off with perhaps the hardest step of the six. As an entertainer one of the old adages you hear over and over is, “Don’t believe your own press.” This is just another way of saying, stay humble. In telling folks about my family growing up in Eastern Kentucky, part of that is explaining to them that my dad was born in an actual log cabin and my mom was potty trained in a real out- house, which is all true. From this youth, my parents set out to pro- vide for me and my brother a better life growing up than they had. We were never rich, sometimes we weren’t even middle class, but it’s still a reminder of where I’m from. One of the biggest comple- ments given to a celebrity who reached great success is simply, “He/she hasn’t forgotten where they came from.” Remaining hum-
ble in the midst of your growing success may be the hardest to ac- complish but it is certainly the most satisfying.
Stay Creative
Do you remember making those clay ashtrays in art class when you were a kid? This is one of those joys the kids of today may never know. I remember being as proud as a peacock taking this ashtray home to my parents who looked at is as if it were some- thing created by Picasso (they did come pretty abstract, I must say). Being a cook isn’t much different than making an astray or even being a writer because of the creativity, which is why, I be- lieve, I’m drawn to the world of cooking. Creating a new recipe is much like writing an article, you take an idea and tweak it until you have the successful result. The creativity inside you pushes aside any fear of vulnerability and you put your creation out there anyway.
Need A Great Team
I really love NASCAR. Of course I’m drawn to its speed, the excite- ment and yes, the wrecks. Some of you reading this are shaking your heads thinking, “All they do is drive in circles.” Yep, but at 200 MPH 6 inches from the other cars. However, have you ever consid- ered it as a team sport? Everyone celebrates the driver but pays little attention to the team who helped that driver to the winner’s circle. Much like a football team protecting its celebrated quarter- back or a kitchen staff and their chef. To use a couple overused proverbs, “no man is an island” or “it takes a village” to be a suc- cess. Although one person may be celebrated, it really does take a supportive team, whether it’s a paid staff or your family (which is the best team of all) to get to the top of the field.
Pay Attention to Every Factor
This rang true for me recently smoking some ribs. Normally they’re on point but not this time. I did everything the same way I’d always done, the rub, the honey and the brown sugar, yet these turned out
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JULY 2021