I was exhausted a few weeks ago by the sheer amount of work that I had to do at my job. I was staying late, getting up early, and even waking up in the middle of the night in a state of stress thinking about what needed to be done, and how in the world was I going to get it done!?!?
Though I normally like my job (you know as much as most people like their job), in the past six months it had devolved into a boring menial task position, one that had me doing repetitive production work instead of actual design (I’m a sr. designer at a small branding agency). The problem was (and still is) that I am good at my job. Too good. I’m the one that people turn to to get the project done in time. I can work faster and more efficient than most people, and thus I often times get stuck doing the mundane tasks (make this powerpoint! do these five changes the client asks for! we have a meeting in 5 minutes and I need you to print and bind these four books!) because I can crank it out in time for the deadline. Usually.
But it was getting a bit ridiculous. I was being stressed and unhappy at the state of my situation. I also was going home and was not only exhausted but totally depressed.
And then I was given some advice that seemed totally counterintuitive. Instead of going home and ordering pizza delivery and watching TV (the equivalent to eat cheap candy, comforting in the short run, but ultimately empty calories and unfulfilling) perhaps I should work more. Perhaps I should pick a personal project and do that in my spare time – something that I cared about, something that was just for me. What spare time, I wondered in my head? But then I decided to do ignore that doubt and dive right in. This blog will track my ongoing process with that project.
I call it “Eat the Love” – and I hope you enjoy.
Rita says
What a lovely idea!! And inspiring. Just knowing you are doing this is making me want to take on more, too.
This thing you are doing for yourself is a gift to all of us.
feiwenfoodie says
agreed agreed!! does this mean if i still find my job fulfilling i don't need to take on any more? 😉 can't wait for more from you tho!
petoke says
I think it's fantastic. I never really thought about it before, but I do think you're the next food entertainer phenom. What should the show be called?
IRV
?
I'm not so good at coming up with names. Remember, my improv skills.
I can turn on the show to learn about baking, hipster music, discontinued TV shows, and how to buy 2 of the exact same shirt without knowing it.
Janet Lee says
Hi Irvin!
First off, great blog! You’ve got so many entries and posts, I’m overwhelmed just by looking at them but I’m equally excited to try them out 🙂
So uh, to tell you a little something about myself, I recently got interested – like in a major way – in cooking and food blogs. Before this, I did not even know the “cook” in cooking. It’s because I never cook. I don’t know how and I know even if I try, I’ll bad at it. But then certain events in my life recently changed my entire perspective about cooking and now I’m obsessed with the thought of me actually cooking in the kitchen! Hahaha..
So while browsing lots of food blogs, I stumbled upon Eat the Love and I totally love your blog! And I think the reason why your blog is so great is because you’ve come a long way with it..
I was curious to know how you started this blog in the first place so I went to your archives and I was delighted to see this entry, your very first post.
So I read it and what prompted me to post a comment after reading is that your story is inspirational and I just got more motivated to pursue my new found interest in cooking and try my best to be good at it, thanks to your post. 🙂
So I just wanna say thanks for the inspiration and for taking the courage then to do something as awesome as your blog 🙂
Especially, the counterintuitive approach is something else haha.. 🙂
I definitely gonna try it out as my own stress-relieving method 🙂
So anyway, i’m excited to try your recipes and I hope I can do a great job making those dishes haha..I’m so excited to get started with cooking! 😀
Thanks again, and have a great day!