Just Do It

They say, our truths are the things we chose to believe. How we see ourselves are based on what we believe. I am not good at directions, my balance is not good, I suck when it comes to music, dancing is not for me, I don't have a good story-telling skill, and I am not a good cook. These, my friends, are the things I believed. Until I got out of my comfort zone.

When I got out, it was not easy. Trying things I've never tried made me nervous and made me want to run back to that comfort room..err, zone. But I did not. I'm done limiting myself. I'm done with people saying what I can and cannot do, I'm done playing safe, I'm done being stagnant. Aside from the things I've mentioned in my previous article, my past few days were also spent doing something I believed was "not for me". I am learning how to cook! Okay, I know that this is a basic survival skill, but what I used to eat most of the time were instant foods and fried dishes. This is why I don't know how to cook real foods. But this time, it is real. My last few days were spent learning how to make donuts, empanada, siopao, and baked mac.

This started when a friend, Jen, offered us to try making this business and we agreed. Since we do not have an oven, what she can teach us are limited. The donuts and empanadas were fried. Empanadas are baked or fried pastry stuffed with meat, vegetables, and other ingredients. But what we did was pizza empanada. Instead of stuffing it with ground meat and veggies, we put ham, cheese, pineapple tidbits, plus our secret white sauce. Siopao, on the other hand, is a steamed bun with meat fillings.

Jen stayed for a while in one of our friend's house and it has been more than a week since this cooking class started. On our first few days, she let us do the easy parts. Like putting glaze and sprinkles on donuts and putting holes on the dough. We do this manually since we do not have any molder. The next days, Jen taught us to wrap the siopao and empanada. Wait, I'm not sure if wrap is the right term. :| But going back, she also taught us how to make the dough and she wrote the recipe. But she was the one doing the mixing and kneading every time. But, she went home last Monday.

Since Jen is not around, I and @appleskie decided to try and apply what we learned. Yesterday, we tried to make empanada, siopao, and baked mac. The final result of what we did was I think good — the not-bad-for-a-first-timer kind of good. Haha. The dough was a little hard and dry, the potatoes for siopao was half-cooked too, the sauce of baked mac was too little, and the white sauce was too thick. But hey, they were still edible. Haha. I was honestly not satisfied with the result of our first try, but somehow, I am still proud of myself. I just did something I never thought I can, and I enjoyed it!

Today, we have some orders and we were obliged to make them since Jen is not yet back. I and mommy–that's what I call @appleskie – were nervous because this time, what we'll be doing was not just for a trial or practice, but an order of a customer. But we trusted ourselves and just followed the steps and recipe. Mommy showed Jen the dough by sending a picture and Jen said the kneading was not enough. One tiring part of this was we kneaded three times because the dough of donut, siopao, and empanada was different from each other. But all in all, today's order was a success! We were super happy with the outcome and I think these faces can prove it.

I never saw myself as someone who will enjoy in the kitchen because I believed that I cannot cook. That is why I was really amazed at how this experience made me feel. It made me feel that this time, I am doing it right. I can honestly say that the joy I felt while learning and doing this was genuine. Shifting my I can't to I can made a difference. Which brought me back to the idea that whatever we believe in will be our truth. When someone believes that he cannot do something, he's correct. But if he believes that he can do it, he is also correct.

Nothing is impossible if we believe in it. Can't give it a try because you're afraid you might not do it right? Just do it. Because we can't really be one hundred percent prepared for anything, so just do it. Once you started, you're already halfway there. As long as you believe you can do it and do the necessary actions to learn and improve, you can do it. Don't let your fear of other people's opinions stop you from doing something.

And to everyone afraid to try – quit making excuses, thinking you can't, worrying if you can, or waiting until you're older, braver, or all-around better. Believe you can, belief in yourself, make a plan, and just do it.