When Was The Last Time You Did Something For The First Time?

An image that really puts it into perspective, if you want to achieve great things is the one above. More of the same is not good enough if you want that magical experience. Most people have the desire to be more and do more, and yet few of those people are willing to change what they do, or how they are doing it. It is much more comfortable to do what you know, than take a risk at doing something you have never done before.

We all like to be good at what we do, hence sticking to doing the things you have been doing. Doing something you have not done before comes with the risk of failing. 

A simple example is the story I have told myself about my ability to cook rice. Cooking rice for me is daunting, because I like rice, and I believe that I don't know how to cook rice. Read that sentence again, as not only am I saying I think I would cook terrible rice, my belief was that I can't cook rice.  

I say was, as yesterday I did take on my nemesis. I still don't know how to cook rice, but I can follow instructions, which is what recipes are for. To get to this magical experience of achievement (cook rice that I will rate as good), I had to step out of my comfort zone. I had to do something for the first time. This entailed a process of reading, understanding and following the instructions, which was literally an all day process. 

The plan was to make rice, but not just any rice. I am a strong believer of "if you set yourself a goal, you may as well stretch yourself". 

I went through various recipe books, and ended up sticking to two recipe books to create this treat of a meal for my family. The objective of me making the meal my family and I would enjoy, and preparing dishes I have never made before, was never one I had set before. 

The added challenge is my youngest daughter and my wife are pescatarians, so I had to cater to their dietary requirements, while also meeting the expectations of the meat eaters, myself and my eldest daughter. I grew up in Alexandra, a township that is inland, so there is no familiarity with cooking anything from the sea that comes naturally for me. I guess you could say I am "a fish out of water" when cooking seafood.

The recipe books of choice were, Falling Cloudberrries : A World Of Family Recipes by Tessa Kiros and Reza's Indian Spice by Reza Mahammad. The menu:

• Khichri : Interestingly enough, the British dish kedgeree came from this
• Chicken, Coconut and Cashewnut Curry : My daughter is highly allergic to nuts, so much as she would not be eating the chicken, I did not add the nuts as I figured she would be interested in tasting the sauce
• Fish In Coriander Chutney : For the amount of chillies in this dish, it came out very mild, so the chutney works for the average tongue sensitive to hot and spicy

It was a long day, but the sense of fulfillment at the end of the meal that I had, was off the charts. Everyone, loved the meal. The compliments made the entire exercise worth it and definitely an experience to be expanded on. It is true, where the magic happens is definitely outside of your comfort zone. So if you want more, stretch yourself beyond what you did the last time.

"It always seems impossible until it's done" Nelson Mandela quote. 

So I ask you, when was the last time you did something for the first time?