Change the Recipe: Because You Can't Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs

by José Andrés

Don’t let the bad moments bring you down. If you adapt, you can show what you can do.

That’s what it means to change the recipe. When all else fails, or the situation cannot be fixed, you need to adapt. On the go, in real time.

To survive and thrive, to change the world around you, you need the skills to adapt in a crisis, to take a different turn in life.

do believe that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. That’s where you learn and feel the thrill of being alive. That learning moment. It’s the instant you realize that life is sometimes hard, but still so enjoyable—like a bar of chocolate that can taste bitter and sweet at the same time.

You should never let slip the opportunity to tell the world what you want. Nothing will happen if you’re the only one who knows.

When somebody offers you help, don’t be arrogant or egocentric. Help is always welcome.

success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.

“Whatever you do, don’t hesitate with your decisions. Always be truthful to the reality of what it is that you’re trying

Soon enough, you learn that life has created a path for you—or you have created your own path as you walked along the way.

said that it always seems like philanthropy is about the redemption of the giver, when it must be about the liberation of the receiver.

Sometimes all it takes is a little push. A little wind behind the sails is all it takes to move a ship full of people. Sometimes all it takes is you.

Listening will get you far in life, no matter what your calling is. If you’re listening, you’re learning and growing your understanding of the world.

If you’re talking loudly all the time, telling people what to do and how to do it, how will you ever soak up the knowledge and the experience of others—especially in situations that are new and different for you?

The popular sentiment is often not the loudest.

The call to serve something bigger than yourself is a loud one. You’ll know it when it comes. It’s a powerful force, and it will change the way you look at yourself and your life. All you need to do is listen and be ready.

It takes a lifetime to become who you are, and it takes another lifetime to understand the people around you.

there are never right or wrong decisions. The wrong decisions are the ones you never made. So whatever decision you make, go with it. You will always have time to correct yourself, because if you’re on the move, you will have other opportunities.

If you stay in one place, you won’t get that chance.

Saying I don’t know what to do is the most powerful way to recognize that you know what you want to do. You just don’t know it yet.

‘I’ve been working on understanding who I am and how to help myself. If I’m able to help myself, I’m able to help others.’