Be a Sponge, Absorb Everything

When multi-Michelin starred chef Gordon Ramsay was asked about advice for young chefs from the age of 16-30, his reply was “It's 14 years of a sponge, absorb knowledge.” He also told the interviewer that aspiring young chefs should not worry about the money. The money will come when they master their craft. He also stated that they should start working for big chefs to gain the experience.

Why did I mention this? Not all of us want to be like Gordon Ramsey. There is a valuable lesson that we can learn in the culinary world. That is to absorb knowledge. Every chef wants to improve their craft, learn new recipes, and create a specialty. However, for them to achieve those goals, they need to study their dishes, experiment, and learn from other people.

This advice applies to all of us. For us to achieve who we want to be in life, we must absorb the knowledge we can get. We must become a sponge. If we reject the knowledge and ideas, we become stagnant. We get stuck in a pit and don’t know what to do anymore. To become a sponge, we must have the desire to learn. The desire to learn will help us keep moving forward.