JUST COOK THE CHILI
This post was inspired by a friend of mine who shared a story with our FCA.
Two friends were golfing. One had recently lost his wife. Around hole 2 the other man got a text from his wife. The text said, “Be sure and get home in time to cook chili tonight.” The man responded by complaining about only getting to golf one round of golf. He went on to complain about having to cook and that he would probably have to stop by the grocery store in order to pick up some ingredients for the chili.
As the two friends continued to golf, the man who had complained about cooking chili noticed that his friend was unusually quiet and appeared frustrated. He thought maybe it was because his friend had hit a couple bad shots, but as they approached hole 16, he asked his friend, “Is everything ok?” His response:
“JUST COOK THE CHILI”
Could the things that often seem monotonous and even annoying to us, such as taking out the trash, making the bed, or doing to dishes, be the roots of our joy and ingredients to having a blessed life? Many parents use chores to teach their children the value of work, but am I going to far to say that it is an important ingredient in bringing joy to your life?
Monotonous is defined as dull, tedious, and repetitious, while lacking in variety and interest.
Is it possible that until you are missing an ingredient in your life, you will likely struggle to understand its value. Doing the monotonous day in and day out may not make you happy in the moment, but the joy that comes with that monotony will often bring a life worth living and fighting for.
This principle of doing the little things daily, the monotonous, is not only critical for life full of joy, I have found this principle to be a vital organ in creating a successful team.
Have you ever tasted chili that is missing something? If you are like me and not a cook, you may have no clue what ingredient is missing. I may not be a cook, but I am a connoisseur of good chili. I am also I connoisseur of good basketball. There is nothing that gets under my skin more that watching bad basketball or a team that is missing the ingredients required to become a good team or or to play good basketball.
I asked my team yesterday to give me the ingredients that make a great team or a great teammate. Someone that you would want to go to war with. Here are the results.
Love, Faith, Attitude, Work Ethic, Unselfishness, Never Giving Up, Communication, Discipline, Focus, Toughness, Fire, Passion, Joy, Humility, Sacrifice, Willingness to Serve, Empathy, Integrity, Willing to Follow and Lead,
In brief. If you want a great life or a great team then
“JUST COOK THE CHILI”
Photo by Artiom Vallat on Unsplash