The first time I’d heard of the concept “hustle” was when I started reading the book “Crush It!” by Gary Vaynerchuk.
In very simple words, “hustle” means hard work (when used as a noun), or to work hard (when used as a verb).
Yet while I’d only learned of the word “hustle” recently, I can tell you that I’d grown up with first-row seats witnessing the importance of hustle.
These front-row tickets gave me a direct view and personal experience of how hard work, when executed consistently and tirelessly over a period of time, could translate into results – I simply had to watch how my father lived his life to understand this concept.
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I was still very young when I began to realize that my dad literally worked every waking hour.
I remember him coming home from the office around half-past-eight at night, having a quick dinner, and then burying himself in books. If I recall correctly, my father was studying for his part-time Masters in Business Administration (MBA) back then – my parents had been married for a few years already, and with us young kids to look after and a housing loan to pay off, my dad knew he had to put in every ounce of energy if he wanted to push us up the social ladder.
In my little girl’s mind at that point of time, I’d often wonder why he loved working as hard as he did – I didn’t realize that it probably was more related to strong willpower instead.
All throughout my childhood, my dad would translate this attitude in every aspect of his life, as well as ours.
My dad would tell us how as a teenager he would work as an errand boy at my grandfather‘s grocery store in order to buy textbooks and pay school fees. He’d also instill the value of working hard everytime he could – his favorite advice was the phrase “practice makes perfect” and everytime we did something well, he’d encourage us to do it even better.
As I grew up, my dad’s hard work (together with my mum’s) saw us rise up to the upper middle class. We moved from a small government flat to two-story semi-detached house, with red bricks and tiles, located on Sea Breeze Road. Still, my dad never stopped hustling.
Even after getting his MBA and being promoted to the role of Financial Controller in an oil storage firm, my dad never became complacent. He kept on working hard.
Whenever he had a free moment, he’d be flipping through the newspaper from front-to-back, or be engrossed in a textbook of some kind – he told me once, “you must constantly upgrade your knowledge, so your value keeps increasing.”
Today, my father is still constantly hustling, day in and day out. He never stops, and he’s like a busy bee, always reading something new or maximizing his time.
Thanks to my dad’s persistance and hardworking attitude, I’ve come to appreciate and understand the concept of hustle.
In my previous post, I told you about “Crush It!“, my latest reading companion.
Author Gary Vaynerchuk tells us that in order for us to be living our lives doing what we love best, we need a potent combination of passion, hustle and patience.
Assuming that we’ve already figured out what makes our blood pump and sends adrenaline coursing through our veins, Gary insists on the importance of hustle.
According to him, even if you have less talent than the guy next to you, as long as you have the willingness to put in the hard work and hustle, day after day, and have the patience to wait it out, you will become successful at what you love to do.
In line with the concept of conquering resistance that Steven Pressfield advocates in The War of Art, the secret formula of “passion + hustle + patience” tells us to keep on keeping on, because eventually, the day will come where we’ll be successful doing the things that truly excite us.
Does that make your heart beat, or what? I don’t know about you, but these recent reads are getting me so hyped up and pumped.
It gives me so much hope that one day I’ll reach there, and knowing that is enough to motivate me to hustle.
Today’s recipe is for grain-free cheese crackers, a healthy twist on the parmesan cheese crackers that remind me of my childhood.
In the same way that my father’s consistent hardworking attitude reminds me of my roots, so do these cheese crackers.
These grain-free crackers are so full of flavor and incredibly crispy. They’re quick and easy to make, and best of all, taste so good.
In my opinion, they’re best eaten slathered with cream cheese and topped with freshly-chopped chives.
Enjoy!
PrintGrain-free Cheese Crackers
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 80 crackers 1x
Description
These cheese crackers are so full of flavor and incredibly crispy. They’re quick and easy to make, and best of all, taste so good. In my opinion, they’re best eaten slathered with cream cheese and topped with freshly-chopped chives.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup almond meal/ almond flour
- 3/4 cup tapioca flour/ arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese (you can use Parmesan or Reggianito or any hard cheeses)
- 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 5 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Combine almond meal, tapioca flour, salt, grated cheese in a food processor and pulse until well-combined.
- Add in the butter pieces and pulse some more until you get a coarse meal texture.
- Slowly add in ice water one tablespoon at a time and pulse until the mixture forms a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and place it between two sheets of parchment paper
- Using a rolling pin above the top sheet of parchment paper and roll dough until it is 1/8-inch thick.
- Let dough chill in the refridgerator for an hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit (175 deg Cel).
- Once dough is done chilling, slice the dough into small rectangles, and place each rectangle on a silpat-lined or parchment paper-lined baking sheet (leaving a bit of space between each rectangle).
- Bake for 22 – 25 minutes or until the edges of the crackers are barely browned.
- Let crackers cool completely before serving.
- Serve with a cream cheese and chive dip.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Grain-free
Turtlebear says
Just made these crackers, and they are great! Thank you.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
I’m glad you liked the crackers, dear! Thanks for giving me your feedback!
W L Lim says
Thanks Felicia.
I am glad that you are embracing the value of being hardworking . But by being mere hardworking is meaningless, unless one enjoys doing it (and territorially which I learn from your sharing) and not being imposed by others. Only then, it would generate the positive energy for momentum for wanting to explore more (be it for works, service, learning new things).
If we have to labor (ie subject to others and not out of love for it), our energy would soon run out and we would become weary.
The outcome of a meaningful hardwork would bring joy and purpose in life – that would make a difference in our quality of life. Perhaps, that that could be the reason for yeyeh always keeping himself occupied and enjoy engaging with his friends in hi-fi system, readings, to better understand issues around us.
Last but not least, nothing is impossible with God.
Love daddy
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Daddy! thank you for being such a good example 🙂 And thanks for your constant encouragement!
Love you!!
Grace Lim says
Thanks for the great post honouring your Dad. We are so proud of you!
Daddy loves cheese with crackers and you have so beautifully blend them together and offer him your grain free cheese crackers. Well done, Darling 🙂
We love you and miss you greatly in Singapore
With love and blessings!
Mum
Mum
felicia | Dish by Dish says
I love you too Mummy!! 🙂 Hey, why dont you make these crackers for daddy? Super easy to make, especially if you can buy almong meal/flour directly. You don’t even need to grind the almonds in the processor like I have to!!