Finding Myself through The Great British Bake Off

In these times of staying indoors for the good of humanity, I know I'm not the only one who's found myself delving into parts of Netflix that never interested me before. After years of hearing how watch-worthy The Great British Bake Off is (mostly from my mom), I finally fell down the rabbit hole.

I've always enjoyed cooking shows, although I tend to gravitate away from competition-based shows because they stress me out. But, the GBBO has a completely different feeling about it. The challenges are pretty straightforward as far as expectations go - there are no surprise ingredients or last-minute twists in the instructions, like we see in American cooking shows. The bakers are competitive but respectful of each other; you can tell they want each other to succeed. Most of them seem to compete the way non-professional runners do: against themselves and their own limitations.

This show is so wholesome. The contestants offer each other help when they can.

While the judges are honest and blunt in their criticism, they aren't cruel or dramatic. They've also mastered the sandwich-theory of delivering feedback, couching negative or constructive comments between two genuine compliments. As someone who has always feared criticism, watching hours of its delivery and acceptance has started to change something in my brain.

This show has been a relaxing background to my continued isolation, but as I've been watching I realized there's actually something to be learned from the show outside of how to bake the perfect genoise.

Life Lessons I've Learned from The Great British Bake Off

• Have confidence in what you know, and don't be ashamed of what you don't. Be open to learning.
• Be proud of your accomplishments, even if they're not perfect. 
• There's a lot to be said for personal taste - you can't please everyone.
• Try new things; test the limits of your comfort zone.
• Don't be afraid of criticism or take it personally; take it at face value and grow from it.
• Having a bad day or delivering a bad product doesn't make you a bad or unlikeable person.
• Don't be afraid to take risks; put yourself out there.
• Have confidence in what you know, and don't be ashamed of what you don't. Be open to learning.
• Don't hate your competition - forge friendships and learn from each other. You're in this together!
• No matter how dire things look, never throw it all in the bin. Never give up. 

• Don't hate your competition - forge friendships and learn from each other. You're in this together!
• Being a master of one skill will only get you so far; branch out, learn new trades, and keep adding tools to your toolbox.
• Mistakes happen. Pick your battles - sometimes you can let them go, and sometimes you need a redo.
• Don't panic - improvise.
• If you're going to do something, do it. Give it your all.
• No matter how dire things look, never throw it all in the bin. Never give up.

We've all heard these pithy words of wisdom before; they're not revolutionary or anything. But here's what got me: it's rather like the writing advice "show, don't tell". I've now seen example after example of how people actually implement these life lessons to follow their dreams, and it's incredibly motivating!

I've been doing a lot of soul-searching lately, because I'm facing some huge life changes right now, and lots of what I'm reading talks about being unafraid to be your authentic self. I haven't been afraid to be myself in ages (thank goodness we don't stay teenagers forever!), but I'm beginning to realize that I've spent so much time repeating a pattern in daily life that I've lost touch with who I really am. Who is my authentic self these days? Working long hours in an emotionally taxing career completely sapped any motivation for self-reflection.

With a big move on the horizon, now is the perfect time for reinvention.

People who've known me since childhood would describe me as creative...a writer, a dreamer. I feel a bit disconnected from that part of myself, even though it's how I still see myself. It seems silly, but as I've been watching GBBO and seeing these bakers follow a dream and put themselves out there, I've felt that part of myself wake up a little bit.

There's a tedious journey from realization to actualization, but I'm feeling a little more aware of my wants and dreams, and I'm excited about starting fresh. Outside expectations and messaging still cloud my head every day, but it's becoming a little easier to push past it and focus on what I want.

Now that I've seen how it's done, I just need to put it into practice.

ABK