Where did we leave off?…
Oh right, with me confessing my freakishly insane love for wine. Got it. I know you’re all holding your breath to see what juicy confession I’m about to reveal next. Who could blame you, this stuff is earth shattering, right?! Without further adieu, here we go, I confess…. I am extremely competitive. The problem is, the person I compete with the most is me, myself and I. Truth.
If you read my first blog, you know I achieved my 2019 New Year’s resolution of earning a certification in wine, introductory Sommelier. But no, that wasn’t enough for me. I needed more! I could register and study for the next level of wine certification just as easily as the first. But this leads me to my second confession – I have never worked in the restaurant, wine or service industry. I had never legally poured a glass of wine in a restaurant, nor had I ever waited on a table or a customer at a bar. Oops. With 1/3 of the next course focused on service what the heck was I thinking!?
‘Competitive me’ took on the challenge and found another wine education path, picked up my study habits and launched on the next stage of my wine education journey with reckless abandon.
Here we go again…
Like a kindergartener heading out the door for the first day of school, I was giddy and ready to make my mark on the wine world. Not so fast little missy…. Online was the only option available so the new outfit and cute shoes went back to the closet and my workbook, tablet and library of wine books became my classmates. Trudging along, I took on the challenge, but something was missing. Without the energy and excitement I tackled the first course with, I needed more. More inspiration, more challenge, more something. Anything!
Segway…. Flashback…. When I was in the 2nd grade, my mother got a call from my teacher. It’s relevant to mention my mom also was a teacher and I grew up in a fairly small town. The teachers all knew each other – this was not always a good thing for me. Patiently, my mom listened to my teacher explain how she and my dad needed to lighten up on me, not push me so hard as she was concerned with how my pencil shook in my white knuckled grip and my forehead wrinkled in great distress with every exam and assignment. What overbearing parents I must have had to have put that much pressure on a sweet innocent child! Nope, my parents were not the culprit, I was. Back to the story.
In preparing for the final exam to earn my second level of wine certification I found the holy grail! Not only could I pass the exam and get a certificate to frame in honor of my achievement, I could earn my certificate WITH DISTINCTION! Say no more and let the competition begin! With my renewed enthusiasm I dug deep and I did it! Pop the cork and pour the bubbles! Distinction! While I could apologize for sounding like a big ole braggart, I won’t because I worked my tail off to earn this. Never apologize for your own success!
Mission accomplished, but so what?
I’ve bared my soul and exposed my deep dark secret of being my own biggest competitor. And yes, I know I need to let that go and be proud of my achievements. We all do! But even with my Level 2 (with Distinction I must remind you), I still did not feel worthy of anything more than I had after completing my first certification. Enter the kinder, gentler me…. Taking every opportunity to learn as much as I can about wine and immerse myself in as many wine experiences as I possibly could, I began to realize many of the people I considered “wine experts” who obviously knew more than me and were way more qualified to talk wine, pour wine or act like they know something about wine have the same exact level of wine education as I do! What? Seriously? If they are qualified, doesn’t that mean I, too, am qualified to talk, pour and act like I know something about wine? Why yes it does!
“Stop competing and start living” is my new mantra. I can’t get rid of myself so instead of competing – me against me – I keep reminding myself to bask in the glow of my achievements rather than racing to the next competition. We can all do a little better at giving ourselves grace and I challenge you to bask in your own self worth and achievements. I guarantee if you take a look in the mirror you’ll see an amazing person who learned something new, improved a skill, took on a new challenge or helped someone else do so. You deserve to be celebrated, most importantly you need to celebrate you! I’ll raise a glass and cheer right along with you as your honorary fan club president!
My passion for sharing wine education is just beginning, and this is where my competitive spirit may just come in super handy. It’s live, it’s out there for the entire world to see. And in my own humble opinion, it’s good… come join me. Until next time…
