A Saying I Live By

Some sayings stay with you for a lifetime. This is one of mine: 

"How you do anything is how you do everything."

It is often traced to Zen teaching, and the Zen teacher Cheri Huber made it the title of one of her books. Wherever it came from, it has guided me for years. 

In business, it's called culture. In people, it's called character. In life, it becomes destiny. 

I saw it again and again in my thirty years as a financial planner. The way people handled small decisions with money usually told me how they would handle the big ones. 

Last night, I saw it in an otherwise empty ten-seat neighborhood restaurant in Osaka. My husband and I were the only guests. The chef cooked alone, yet he didn't waver from giving his best. Every plate was made as if the house were full. It is why I return every time I visit the city. 

Cooking also has a way of revealing who we are. That belief shaped how I wrote Inspiration from 9,000 Miles Away, where each of twelve Macanese recipes is paired with a life lesson. How we cook, like how we live, shows our character one small choice at a time.