What Are Your Weaknesses? The Chef Johnny Hernandez Experience

Sean Burton | February 02, 2017

"If you're always in a comfortable place there's very little room for you to grow and develop. As an individual and as a company."

Chef Johnny Hernandez will look at you directly in the eye and tell how the truth about what you're doing and if it's your passion. Growing up in a kitchen with his family, he grew a fond passion for food, cooking and the expression of love that cooking is. When growing up, he always knew he wanted to be a chef. After leaving school and going up to New York for the Culinary Institute of America, his father soon became seriously ill.

He passed not to long after, and left an amazing love and passion for cooking, helping others and giving back with Johnny and his family. Johnny gives back to us with advice he has learned throughout his journey

Meet the right people

This is obvious, but the real question is how do we do that. Surround yourself by people who are masters at crafts that you want to learn about or improve it, it takes action and a lot of it. You have to put yourself out there and really soak up all that you can. Don't be afraid because all of these people have been where you are now and they were afraid, just like you. Pick their brains and they'll love to tell you how it's done.

Get uncomfortable

This is another phase of putting yourself out there. You must get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You cannot grow as an individual or as a company if you're always playing it safe. Take risks. That's how you learn the best lessons.

Do what you love

This seem to be another obvious statement, but you'd be shocked by how many people who aren't doing what they love to do. To me, it seems meaningless to do anything else otherwise. If it doesn't make you happy, everything suffers. Your work, your life, your relationships, your confidence and the list goes on. You'll continuously feel as if you're beaten down on a daily basis for the sake of paying bills. Don't make this permanent, make this a temporary stop to get where you want to be.

Work on your weaknesses

We all have them and it's natural. However, your weaknesses don't have to be so. Learn how to improve yourself and do it, a little bit at a time, on a daily basis. It all goes back to being uncomfortable. Read, listen, review, experience, and do it all. Dive into it and don't hesitate. I promise you, it'll pay off in the end.

Always give back to the community

One of the best things I was taught was to always give back to those who give to you. It doesn't matter your business or your product. Building communities around your product or business isn't just a marketing ploy, it's gratitude. It shows the customer you really care, as you should. Without the customer, there is no "you"

Take responsibility for you decisions and your risks taken

Things won't always workout and there are no guarantees. You can read and research all you want but, sometimes, it doesn't work to your standard. That's okay, because sometimes it's just not meant to work. The last thing you want to do is blame anything else or anyone else. You assumed the risk, you made the decision. The fault is on you which means you're in control of where to go from that point on.

Everyone and everything happens for a reason

Whether it's a relationship that doesn't work out, a goal not met or a job that you didn't get, everything happens for a specific reason and you must have faith in that. Look for the signs, they're trying to guide you in the right direction. Don't take it as you just have bad luck because that would be an insult to your future destination.

In light of all of this amazing advice, Chef Johnny Hernandez would like to leave on this final thought,

"Do what you appreciate and love. It keeps you alive and well. With love, faith and believe in yourself, there's nothing you cannot accomplish."- Chef Johnny Hernandez