The Toughest Pill You'll Ever Have To Swallow (and i'm not sorry) 💊

Back in NZ, I drove past the Lone Star on Riccarton Road.

Where I used to wash dishes for my brother.

He was one of the head chefs, I was the kitchenhand (the guy that cleans the dishes).

I'd scrub pots and pans, wash plates, get food for the chefs, mop the floors and wipe benches for about 8-10 hours per day.

I did this while I was at school and studying at Jazz School on my weekends.

I'd cycle in, start my shift at about 2-4pm, finish at about 11pm-1am and then cycle home, wet and smelling like food scraps 😂

I wasn't working for much money but to be honest, I loved the free food, free lemon lime and bitters and being around my brother when he was working.

And looking back at it now, that was probably the most important job I have had to date.

Apart from the one I have now, of course.

It taught me to put my head down and work hard.

It taught me not to be afraid to get dirty and get amongst the "$hitty" jobs that need to be done (like scrubbing the same pot for 30mins because a chef has forgotten about it on the stove top).

It taught me to create systems. Without efficient systems, you'll get left with hundreds of plates stacked to your right hand side and you'll be going home at 2am.

It taught me how to work with people and that it's faster to work as a team as opposed to alone.

It taught me to do everything with a smile, no one likes a complainer. NO ONE.

It also taught me that not everyone has the same skills. I worked with some terrible dishwashers and they didn't last long but would probably thrive in another working environment.

But the biggest thing I'm thankful for is how it developed my work ethic.

One of my favourite quotes is "how you do anything is how you do everything" and even though I'm not washing dishes anymore, I'm still doing what I do now with the same zeal that I washed my first plate with.

So I want to encourage you...

Don't shy away from hard work, embrace it.

Whatever it is, whatever you're doing.

That is how you do everything, whether you like it or not.

If you half-ass a workout, you probably half-ass your career.

If you start a book and don't finish it, you probably don't finish many things in life. You start, get bored and move on.

If you don't make the bed, you're probably messy.

If you don't do your homework/preparation, you're probably unreliable.

Tough pill to swallow when you look at yourself in the mirror and realise you take shortcuts but it's better to improve now, than to live a life where you never reach your potential and achieve what you never though was possible.