What I’ve Learned About Doing Hard Things • The Prairie Homestead

We’re hosting our first steak night at the Soda Fountain this week.

I’m talking three courses, steak and hand rolled pasta, white tablecloths, candlelight, fancy cocktails… the whole nine yards.

Our new manager, George, and I have been scheming this for months.

Neither one of us have done something like this before.

We’re transforming our burger-and-shake vibe into high-class dining for the evening.

(This will be the first of many future events like this.)

It’s unorthodox, unexpected, and just crazy enough that I think it’s going to work.

Last Friday we invited a handful of friends for a practice night so we could test drive our menu and processes.

In the heat of service while we were arranging handmade raviolis on heated plates, searing sous vide steaks, and topping pasta with housemade alfredo and pink shrimp, I paused for a split-second and took it all in…

I have no professional culinary experience.

I’m a just home cook who happened to get a cookbook deal seven years ago.

I’d never even worked in a commercial kitchen until we bought the restaurant three years ago.

And suddenly I find myself researching how to make pasta on a commercial scale, how to efficiently take reservations, and how to coordinate multiple seatings during a formal dinner service.

It’s WILD.

So why exactly are we compelled doing this?

Because it hasn’t been done before in our area.

Because there isn’t a good steak place nearby.

Because we see untapped potential in the soda fountain.

But mostly because it’s a more than a little outlandish.

Is it borderline insanity to think we can turn a small-town soda fountain into an elevated foodie establishment?

Absolutely. And that’s exactly why we’re motivated to do it.

Over the last few weeks while we’ve been figuring out how to coordinate reservations and prep fancy food for the masses, my brain has been so dang happy.

And I’ve been ruminating on my strange addiction to daunting projects a lot.

Here’s What I’ve Learned About Doing Hard Things:

(Even if you’re not prepping for a fancy dinner service this week, these apply to your homestead challenges too…. That’s where it all started for me, of course.)

1. It’s actually NOT about the hard, it’s about the flow.

I can’t fully explain how peaceful I feel when I’m buried in a new project. It feels like my brain is humming and every cell in my body is firing just as it was designed to.

As I was writing Old-Fashioned on Purpose, I learned this state of bliss is actually “flow”– a mental state of intense concentration which is one of the most potent forms of happiness we can experience.

“…the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times,” writes psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

I can attest this true. And I’m not ashamed to admit I’m addicted to it.

2. The more you push yourself, the more your capacity grows.

Your ability to lean into discomfort and push through overwhelm is a muscle– the more you work it, the stronger it gets. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you find yourself craving a new audacious project as soon as you complete your current one.

Once you realize what you’re truly capable of, an entirely new world opens up.

3. Very few people will understand why you do what you do. (And yes, that includes friends and family.)

Even though we’re ALL wired to find bliss in flow states, most folks opt for passive pleasure. It’s not as potent, but also not as uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, this means that you and your audacious projects will cause people to feel uneasy.

When Christian and I first started expanding our capacity, many people tried to discourage us. Then they ignored us for a while. And now they hesitantly support from the sidelines. But it’s all good, because we don’t need external cheerleaders anymore. The internal validation we get from a completed vision is more than enough.

4. It’s hard to find people who’ll run with you. 

So if/when you do find them, treasure them. Some of you have asked why we pivoted from selling the restaurant to keeping it.

There are a number of reasons, but the biggest is that we finally found the right people to run with. I’m pretty good at working alone, but there’s a limit to what I can do solo. Having a visionary partner at the soda fountain has made all the difference. (Thank you, George.)

If you’re currently finding yourself in a season of challenge, I’m rooting for you, my friend. It’ll stretch you, it’ll overwhelm you at times, but it’ll change you like nothing else.

I can’t wait for you to see how capable you really are. 

Chasing the Challenge,

-Jill

P.S. Don’t worry—we’re still serving our normal soda fountain fare during the day. That’s not changing. If you’re interested in joining us for a future steak night, follow along on Facebook or Instagram for future dates!

P.S.S. We no longer have the soda fountain on the market— we’re going to hang onto it for a while. Good things are happening there.