01/08/2026
I used to cook my career on high heat but now I've learned to let things simmer.
Flame cranked up. Impatient. Wanted everything fast. The promotion, the title, the recognition. I was trying to microwave my professional path when it needed to simmer.
When you cook on high all the time, you burn things. The outside looks done but the inside is raw. That was my career in my younger years. Moving fast but not absorbing anything. Chasing milestones but missing the lessons.
Then I learned something from watching my aunt Marlene in the kitchen. The best meals were never rushed. The flavors that made you close your eyes and savor every bite came from patience. Low heat. Time. Letting everything come together slowly.
Careers work the same way.
When you let things simmer, you actually learn. You develop depth instead of just speed. You build relationships instead of just contacts. You gain wisdom instead of just experience.
The professionals I respect most didn't microwave their way to the top. They let their knowledge develop. They stayed in roles long enough to master them. They chose growth over shortcuts.
I still catch myself wanting to turn up the heat sometimes. Old habits. But now I know better.
The pot that simmers produces a meal worth savoring.
The career that simmers produces a life worth living.
Sometimes you have to let the pot simmer.
