What Recipe Serves You Best Today?

Think about the enjoyment you experience when eating your favorite food.

If I look up your favorite dish online, I’ll find several alternative recipes for that same dish. All the recipes create the same dish, and yet the ingredients vary. None of them are wrong or bad, they’re just different. If the dish is made with one of the alternative recipes, it might turn out different and not be your favorite. As long as you stick with your favorite, other recipes won’t get in the way of your enjoyment.

Read the former paragraph again, but this time: Replace the word ‘dish’ with ‘habit’, ‘recipes’ with ‘approaches’, and ‘ingredients’ with ‘steps’.

It’s easy to follow someone who has a desirable status. We look for their advice, in hopes we turn out like them. But humans are nuanced, and so are the paths to get where we desire.

Maybe you want to become more calm or tranquil in your life. What’s the best option? Meditation? Mindfulness? Yoga?

Or maybe you want to improve your physical health. What will be the best path to get there? Weight training? Swimming? Walking?

Perhaps you would rather focus on learning a new skill. What’s the next best course of action? Listening to a podcast? Reading a book? Watching videos?

I can’t answer any of these questions for you or tell you what’s the best recipe for your preferences. I can tell you my favorite recipe, but that won’t guarantee you will share the same favorite. It’s all a matter of taste.

Similarly, if we never try other recipes, we will never discover if we have a new favorite. As we get older, our favorites can change too. I didn’t enjoy broccoli as a kid, but I do now.

What recipe serves you best today? Which new ones will you try?