In a past interview with Muhammad Ali, a reporter asked him how many sit ups he could do. His response was 10. “How can The People’s Champion only do 10 sit ups?” the reporter asked again. Ali responded, “I only start counting when it starts hurting, because they’re the only ones that count.”
When I first heard that, it stopped me dead in my tracks (it was shared by Robin Arzón during one of her Peloton rides), so yes, I literally stopped.
The obvious takeaway is about mental toughness and pushing past comfort zones to achieve success. And that’s true. And motivating.
But for me, I keep thinking about the beginning. The reps before the pain. The work we put in long before anyone starts counting. I think those are the hardest. (Did I just challenge the POV of the champion himself? Yes, yes I did…)
This week I attended two incredible events in NYC: the Culinary Institute of America Leadership Awards and the No Kid Hungry NYC Dinner. Both evenings were inspiring, honoring incredible chefs and people while raising important funds to support invaluable programs.
The added bonus? All the industry friends who came to town for these events. There is something really special about getting quality, non-conference time together when I’m not running around like a mad woman. I digress, while also using this moment to share some selfies 😊 IYKYK!
As I listened to the speeches throughout the week, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the work these chefs put in before achieving success.
Like all the nights chef Kwame Onwuachi took an overnight train back to the CIA after working all night at Eleven Madison Park, just to make it back to campus for class the next day.
Like all the nights Missy Robbins must have spent perfecting pasta before opening Lilia.
How many tomatoes were peeled by Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi before finally nailing their famous spicy rigatoni recipe?
How many peas were shelled by Amanda Cohen at Dirt Candy to make a “pea” schnitzel?
And how still today, Billy Shore stays awake at night, 16 years after launching the campaign for No Kid Hungry, questioning what more he can do to help ensure no kid goes hungry.
The restaurant industry is built on uncounted reps.
How many onions have been peeled? How many carrots chopped? How much parsley picked from stems? How many raviolis stuffed? How many glasses polished? How many pieces of silverware rolled? How many containers labeled at 1am? How many dining rooms reset for tomorrow?
Do I think any of the 30+ chefs I met this week know the answer? No. Because those are the reps we don’t count. The ones that quietly get us to the finish line.
I think that’s the difference. Athletes eventually hit a physical breaking point. But in restaurants, the prep work IS the breaking point. The repetition. The pressure. The exhaustion. And somehow, chefs keep going.
And us mere mortals, that’s true for us too.
So what’s my point? Today, and this week, I want to celebrate the wins we don’t count. Waking up before the alarm ready for the day. Early school drop off. Morning brotherly giggles. Accidentally buying cilantro instead of parsley, which inspired tacos for dinner. Smiling at a stranger. The prep work. The planning. The daydreaming. The lightbulb moment.
So keep pushing to make the hard moments count. But also celebrate all the small wins that got you there.
