1. Bakery

heartiness, fulfillment, experience

Take the time to diligently practice and refine your craft. Success will follow as you savor each little victory along the way.

Notice how at home the baker is in her kitchen. She knows when the yeast in the bread has developed based on the feel, something she has spent years getting to know on a deeply intimate level. She can tell how much of an ingredient to add with a quick glance or when her baked goods are done by the smell. No measuring cups for her: a dash of this, a pinch of that - knowledge given to her over years of trial and error. She didn’t walk into this space as the master: her relationship with her craft bloomed and evolved over time.

You have pulled the bakery card as a reminder that practice makes perfect and there is no shortcut to being first in line. Success is not measured in the final destination, but in the little victories experienced over the course of your journey. Just like the baker, you will pick up tips and tricks by being willing to try new things and working at your mistakes until you find the formula that works for you. There will be failures and missteps, upsets and frustrations, all of which will mold you into the expert you are becoming.

Trust that the heartiness of experience is not something you should feel pressured to know at the beginning, or even in the middle. The only way to get where you’re going is to start heading in that direction and, before you know it, weeks, months and years will have passed and you will be just as comfortable in your chosen field as the baker is in hers.