Summary

The article suggests that a prolific output, akin to a chef's approach to preparing numerous dishes, is key to a successful writing career, emphasizing that occasional mistakes are inevitable and should not hinder progress.

Abstract

The article draws a parallel between a chef's work ethic and a writer's approach to content creation, advocating that producing a large volume of work leads to success despite some pieces being less well-received. It argues that dwelling on past mistakes is unproductive and that continuous production of content allows for learning and improvement. The piece encourages writers to focus on the present task, aiming for quality through quantity and maintaining a consistent work output without striving for perfection, which is presented as an obstacle to success.

Opinions

Mistakes in a few pieces of content are acceptable when producing work in large volumes.
Quality is important, but it can be achieved through the process of producing a significant quantity of work.
Perfectionism can hinder a writer's success and should be avoided in favor of consistent production.
Writers should not be overly concerned with pleasing everyone, as it is impossible to satisfy all readers.
Learning from past mistakes and applying those lessons to future work is more valuable than dwelling on errors.
Visibility and reach can be greatly enhanced by producing a large body of work.
Focusing on the current project and giving it one's best effort is crucial for long-term success in writing.

Think Like a Chef For a Successful Writing Career

Produce tons of contents and success will be yours

A chef in a famous restaurant prepares hundreds of dishes a day. Sometimes he may make a blunder in one or two dishes.

When your work volume is that much, it’s easy to make mistakes in some of them.

But does a chef repent over this one or two dishes when he prepares hundreds of them a day? Would it help?

Repentance won’t get you anything, but working on your next one will

A typical day in the life of a chef revolves around preparing hundreds of dishes a day.

He prepared hundreds of dishes today. He’ll prepare another hundred tomorrow. The same again the day after tomorrow. And repeat.

With so many contents you deliver, people may not like one or two.

No one will like everything you do. But you must try your best to provide quality content. If some people don’t like some of them, that wouldn’t matter much.

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.”

― John Lydgate

People-pleasing trait hurts your performance. Don’t be a people pleaser. It won’t help anyway.

Don’t do anything you hate, for you think people will love it. It won’t sustain in the long run.

Always have the big picture in mind. People respect you for who you are. Even if you’re wrong, they’ll respect you as you stood for something. You believed in something and did accordingly.

A chef always has had long days, for he prepares hundreds of dishes every single day. He had a long day yesterday and tomorrow also, he’ll have the same. He can’t afford to spend his time thinking about the mistakes he’s made in one or two dishes. That’s not worth his time.

He would rather spend his time doing what he must do — prepare the next dish.

If he made a mistake in the previous one, he takes notes and makes sure he doesn’t repeat the same. That’s all he does.

The time you spend in self-hatred can be best spent thinking about what you will do next — how can you make the next one even better.

The secret lies in keep producing more content. If you want to go forward, there’s no stopping in the midway.

No one will remember if one of your articles flopped

A chef doesn’t fret over his one or two dishes that weren’t up to the mark. He knows people only care about what they’re having now. They don’t care about your past. It’s you who’s only thinking about your past.

If you’ve made a blunder, get over it. Move on.

Everyone’s busy with their lives. No one’s thinking about the mistakes you’ve made. No one’s got the time. If anyone’s thinking about your past mistakes, that’s you.

Put all your concentration on your work ahead.

As a writer, think about the topic at hand. Don’t worry about your last article. If your last article wasn’t that good, who cares? Your readers won’t. So why bother?

It doesn’t matter now. Nor would it in the future.

The mistake you make now as a writer will forever remain in the past for your readers.

If your writing lacks quality, let it be. Concentrate on the quantity instead. Produce tons of content.

Producing more will give you more visibility

The secret lies in producing tons of content. When you produce content by the dozens, one or two is sure to go rotten.

Producing tons of content will give you a great leap in your writing career. You will be way ahead of your competitions who only write when inspirations hit them.

Quantity leads to quality. Producing tons of content will make you more visible in front of your audiences.

When you offer an abundance of content, you’ll reach more viewers. People will have more of you.

Churning out articles after articles will leave you with no time to ponder about your mistakes.

Concentrating on the quantity doesn’t mean your writing will lack quality. When you produce by the tons, your writing is bound to improve.

Perfectionism is the enemy of success. Don’t go for perfection with your writing. It’ll hurt your writing, and eventually your career as a writer.

Instead, concentrate on quantity and learn on your way ahead — you’re sure to improve your writing.

In conclusion

A chef’s too busy to think anything else besides his work at hand. He has just one goal in mind: to prepare what’s at hand with the best materials he’s got.

Thinking about the blunder he’s made in the previous dish or how he can improve the next one, when he’s working on something won’t make it any better.

For a successful writing career, put all your concentration on what you’re writing right now. Try to make it the best you can, but don’t go for perfection. Hit publish when you think you’ve given your best.

Prepare to do the hard work. Produce a great volume of works. This will lead you to success, eventually.