The Mind Warping Paradox of a Chef and Realtor

A friend of mine, Eva Jacobs, an amazing pastry chef in Philadelphia, is constantly torturing me by posting her decadent baked goods on Facebook. The other day she posted an article from Bon Appetit that commented on how being a professional chef can warp your relationship with food. I can absolutely see how tasting a million different things all day long could change how a chef feels about eating. The chef who is forced to overindulge daily can definitely have altered feelings about food.

I think that working in the real estate field as a realtor and investor is a lot like being a chef. There is an interesting paradox we share. For example, my day-to-day life is like every drama-filled home reality TV program you've ever seen. Sounds exciting and fun, which it absolutely is, but being on the front lines of so many real estate transactions, like being in a hot kitchen all day, can warp your perception.

For most people, buying a home is an amazing and special experience that happens only a handful of times, at best, in a person's lifetime. On average a person buys a new home every five years or so. For myself, selling homes all day every day and managing my own real estate investments every day is similar to the chef who tastes every yummy cookie, every delicious cake but also must stomach every burnt bun and cupcake mishap even when your belly is full. Both the chef and real estate professional may similarly miss the conventional process that their careers obscure.

I think my friend Eva would agree that we love our careers and wouldn't change them for anything. And "if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." Even if only for a few hours a day. If possible take a vacation or a long weekend for a change of conversation, a shift in scenery to regain balance and perspective. Ironically a friend of mine told me the other day that I might want to try cooking!

-Stephanie Somers

[image via Eva Jacob's Facebook]