The Sweet Smell of Success

 This week, I equate the idea of success to running a bakery.  This post is the speech I wrote and delivered as the keynote speaker for my City Year graduation.

The definition of success is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”  We each have our own connotation of success. For some, success is making a lot of money and for others, it’s having your dream career regardless of how much you make. It could be creating a family or starting a business. Success is a very open-ended concept and there really isn’t a right or wrong answer. I decided to relate the idea of success to owning a bakery.

The day you were born, you were given a bakery. Until you were old enough to run the bakery on your own, you had parents, teachers, and mentors to help you  along the way. Eventually, you were given the keys to your bakery and you decided to make some changes. It took a while for you to decide what changes to make.

Let’s say your bakery specialized in red velvet cupcakes. That was the only thing your bakery made since it opened. You made red velvet cupcakes because it’s what you were familiar with and that’s what your customers knew and loved. One day you came to the realization that you really didn’t like red velvet cupcakes; you actually preferred vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting and sprinkles on top for fun. You were only making the red velvet cupcakes because that’s what you were expected to make. That’s all you really knew.

You took it upon yourself to learn how to make vanilla cupcakes. You tried a few different recipes from scratch, and after a few months of trial and error, you finally had a cupcake that you were proud to share with your customers. The only issue was that your customers weren’t too fond of your decision to discontinue your red velvet cupcakes to only sell vanilla cupcakes. You went with it anyway because you knew it was a decision that was best for you.

Most of your once loyal customers eventually stopped showing up and you took a major loss. You started to think that you were going to have to close your bakery. Months went by with little to no customers, but eventually the word got out about how wonderful your vanilla cupcakes were and you found yourself thriving. You love what you are baking and you love your customers. Years pass by and you are still pleased with your decision to make vanilla cupcakes.

In order to reach success, regardless of how you define it, there are three things to remember.

First, you have to be willing to start over from scratch. Starting over can be scary and you won’t always get it right on the first try.  It will take a little time to figure everything out, but eventually you WILL figure out the recipe that works for you.  Once things fall into place, you’ll be satisfied in knowing that you worked hard to achieve what you have and that you didn’t give up. Tenacity is an important ingredient.

Second, on the road to success you are going to lose people. Whether they be coworkers, “friends”, significant others, and even family. Some losses come at a natural juncture, while other departures can be heartbreaking and unexpected. However, in order to grow and progress in your life, some people need to be left behind. On the bright side, there will be room for new people. Those people will come into your life at the right time and help you get to where you want to be. They will believe in you, more than you believe in yourself. They won’t care what you bake and they will be there during all of the burnt batches of cookies you make.

Finally, in life you have to do what you are passionate about. You have to follow your heart. We are all different and we will all bake different desserts. There are going to be times when it seems like everyone is baking apple pie, and you really want to bake chocolate chip cookies. Go ahead and BAKE YOUR chocolate chip cookies. You will thank yourself later when you are full and satisfied. Even if everyone does decide to make apple pie at some point, that’s okay. We all have a few special ingredients that make our apple pies unique. Just make sure you bake what you love and bake it with love. And contrary to popular belief, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.

The world is your oven, what will you bake?

-Kymmie

A Great Life Baker

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe for updates and my how to be “-tastic” email series.

Follow me on Instagram