Spectators can never understand what it is to be a player.

This past holiday, I made a beef Wellington for the second time. Last year, I made one for the first time. While it tasted fine, it was one of the most terrible-looking creations ever. If Gordon Ramsay had been in my kitchen, I’d probably still be recovering from his critique.

But 365 days later, I showed up and tried again. Let me tell you—it was incredible. This time, it not only tasted amazing but also looked stunning.

I even pulled off the lattice detail on the pastry.

It’s been about two weeks now, and I’m still staring at the pictures like a proud parent.

It wasn’t perfect—there’s still room for improvement—but I already have new goals for year three. This experience is the perfect example of how much you can achieve when you decide to stop being a spectator and start being a player.

Up until the first time I attempted it, I was just a spectator. I watched videos, read countless recipes, bought all the special tools and ingredients. I had a plan—but I was still on the sidelines.

The moment I stepped into my kitchen and actually started making the Wellington, I became a player.

And let me be honest: I sucked. The fear, the uncertainty, the fumbling—it all resulted in a truly terrible-looking beef Wellington. But it also marked the moment I became a player.

For the entire year that followed, I didn’t touch beef Wellington again. No practice. No elaborate preparations. When the holidays rolled around, I reviewed my recipe, watched two quick videos, and this time, I showed up with the confidence that only comes from having done it before.

That was the game changer: experience. Playing the game. I was different.

I’ve seen this quote twice this week, and it resonates deeply:

“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

You need to become a player. You can keep reading, keep waiting, keep buying all the tools. But the moment you try—and probably fail—that’s when you step into the game.

And once you become a player, everything changes.