Jen Vondenbrink

photo credit:artchild via flickr

Homemade Iron Chefs

My family has a crazy vacation tradition,Iron Chef night with a twist.

My sister and I each pair up with one of my nephews.  They come up with a meal idea based around something they’ll eat rather than a secret ingredient.  We’re the sous chefs/consultants.  We can’t alter the ideas.  Instead we suggest things to  make them work better.

The first year boys were excited and nervous.  They’d ask,“What if this doesn’t work?  What if it tastes gross?  Why don’t we do something easier?’

We encourage the boys to trust their ideas,to trust their brilliance.

Your Brilliance Is Alive

How often do you trust your own brilliance?

At the beginning you may have questions like my nephews’.  Do those stop you?  It’s normal to have doubts,but those doubts hold you back from truly expressing yourself in something amazing.

Mark Zuckerberg didn’t stop inventing new communication software after one try.  It’s a good thing Steve Jobs didn’t ignore his fascination with computer hardware.  George Lucas didn’t settle for average special effects in making Star Wars,either.

Their success was simple.  They had an idea.  They trusted their brilliance.  Then they took action.

How To Begin Trusting Your Brilliance (and quiet the inner critic)

1. Choose a simple problem.  It could be as simple as what to have for dinner.
2. Set aside quiet time.  It doesn’t have to be hours of meditation.  Take a 10 minute walk,turn off the radio in the car,or take a quiet bath.
3. After the first few minutes,start to think about the problem.  The ask,“what are new ways to look at the situation?” Don’t ask for the solution.  (That’s the inner critic looking for an answer.)
4. Notice what comes up.  Do you get the notion to call someone? Does a picture of something appear?  Do you feel excited?

Trust what pops into your brain.  That’s your inner brilliance.  As soon as your quiet time is over,your inner critic may start to judge your idea.  STOP the conversation.  Then go back to thinking about your idea.

When the boys first present their ideas to us during Iron Chef,our natural inner critics want to say,“you really don’t want make that.” Or even,“Yuck!” Instead of saying what we’re thinking,we focus on how we can help their ideas come to life.

This is another great tip you can use when your inner critic pipes up.  Instead of saying,“this won’t work”change the focus to,“how can I make this work.”

The steps on what to do next will become clearer the more you focus on your idea.  Take them.

Iron Chef

We’ve had amazing meals created by my nephew’s brilliance.  Every one of them was a winner.  Now each year instead of doubting their ideas,they can’t wait to get started.  They’ve learned to trust their brilliance.

I can only imagine what you can do in your life,business,family when you trust yours.

What has been the strangest idea you’ve come up with that you followed?  How did it turn out?

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