I watched the movie Chef during my flight from California to Japan.
The main character, Carl, is a chef working at a famous restaurant.
He is extremely passionate about cooking and takes his work very seriously.
At the same time, however, he becomes so absorbed in his work that he is unable to spend enough time with his family. He goes through a divorce, and his relationship with his son cannot really be described as a good one.
Even while working as an employed chef, Carl has a strong commitment to “the kind of food he truly wants to create.”
However, his employer wants “what sells” and “what is safe.”
This difference in values eventually leads to a major conflict, and Carl ultimately decides to leave the restaurant.
In the latter half of the movie, Carl starts work that he can control himself in the form of a food truck business.
Of course, everything does not go smoothly from the beginning.
Even so, by honestly pursuing what he truly wanted to do,
- his stress gradually decreases,
- his relationship with his son improves,
- supportive people begin to appear around him, and
- eventually, he even meets an investor.
While watching this movie, I found myself thinking about “working in a way that stays true to your passion.”
In this world, there are certainly:
- people who are well suited to being employed, and
- people who can fully demonstrate their abilities within organizations.
On the other hand, there are also people who strongly hold onto:
- the direction they truly want to pursue,
- their own ideas, and
- their own values,
and because of that, may feel uncomfortable within organizational environments.
I myself have also spent many years working as an employee.
There was a period of time when I worked desperately within the environment I was given in order to continue living and working in the United States.
However, looking back, I think I was the type of person who wanted to stand at the front and provide value myself, rather than remaining in a supporting role for someone else.
And after actually starting my own business, I realized that the very structure of being “employed” was probably not a good fit for me.
For me, entrepreneurship was not simply a career choice.
After becoming a parent, I began thinking much more deeply about how I use my time and what my priorities in life truly are.
I believe that this strengthened my desire for “a way of working that I can control myself.”
Looking back now, my child may have been the one who introduced me to entirely new environments and values.
Of course, running your own business also comes with responsibility.
You have to make decisions yourself, and it is not always easy.
Even so, I feel a great sense of happiness in being able to:
- decide my own direction,
- work in alignment with my own values, and
- work with passion.
If you are someone who feels:
“I actually have something I truly want to do,”
“But I cannot seem to find the right position for it,”
or
“I feel uncomfortable in my current environment,”
then perhaps, as an alternative to simply being employed, starting your own business could also be an option worth considering.
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