by Yolanda Matine
Finding and following my passion! For me this is a controversial topic because I believe few people have found theirs from the word GO and are already positively impacting people’s lives. I struggle every day to understand this phenomenon. At times I think only a few were privileged to be guided to their passions, but as for me I had to roam around to arrive at what I believe is my Passion (Cooking and loving the people around me through it). The question is how do we arrive at our passion ‘hustle free’?
First of all, it’s important to highlight that in life there is no such thing as a free meal. So, every step of the way it is crucial to find your passion despite the hurdles. Secondly, what the personal development gurus and books say is true: be in sync with what you enjoy doing (something that gives you pleasure and comes naturally). Your passion is always on your mind and heart. Please allow me to explain further here – all those things you don’t go a day without thinking about it, even when you are sleeping). Your passion will always make you want to stay informed, up to speed with what is happening in that specific field and the latest trends. During this discovery journey, the desire to stay informed is always kicking in and through it I once came across a Podcast (BrunetCast - it’s in Portuguese) where experts of the area defined what is always in your thoughts - something that you want to do so badly with the purpose of changing the world around you is defined as the Permanent Central Idea.
Last but not least, your passion is always linked to the desire of wanting to offer or be of service to others and make their life better. I started searching my passion vigorously a year ago, and I was troubled and inspired by the book TASTE by Stanley Tucci. (I urge you to read it, it’s very inspirational, delicious recipes and it’s not only for food lovers). TASTE gave me a different perspective on heritage. So, I had an “AHA” moment when I started thinking on how I wanted to enrich my two daughters lives, not only with material things, but the way I wanted to be remembered by them. Therefore, I started sowing my seeds, and I tapped into my passion for cooking. How do I know it is my passion? I have trouble sleeping when I think about food and cooking (in a good way) and it’s catching the eyes and attention of people that want to bring change. But most importantly it’s the one thing I don’t mind doing no matter what! If I hear the word food, I am all in because I know there is always an opportunity for me to teach and most importantly to learn. If you haven’t found your passion don’t give up the search, be on the lookout and the people around will always help! I say this because my “young and wild crew” gave me the Taste book on my birthday last year! Grateful!
Yolanda Matine is an Entrepreneur, Food Lover and Enthusiast in Mozambique. She graduated with a BSc Agronomy that she never got to practice, but always landed in jobs that somehow shaped her perspective on how she would like to make her contribution to the world and for coming generations. Her two daughters inspired and drove her towards her real passion, which is cooking, and through cooking and making their lunch boxes every day she is able to show her love for them, nourish their bodies, and touch their souls while they build precious food memories. Yolanda is a strong believer that everything we sow we are going to reap, so she says why not plant the best seed?