I never would have done it before. I never would have turned the camera on myself, unrehearsed, and cooked in my kitchen for anyone to see. I never would have gotten my daughter involved without instruction or practice. I never would have said, albeit nervously, “Let’s just do this.” But I did.

Last Thursday, I cooked a very simple recipe while friends chimed in on live stream, passing the camera back and forth between myself and my daughter (without her, I really couldn’t have done it – some of the steps required two hands!). And it was a lot of fun!

And that was my primary reason for doing it. After declaring 2017 the Year of Fun, I had to figure out what exactly that meant. It basically boils down to being who I am, enjoying the things that are fun for me, and not shying away from sharing those parts of me with others. (I admit I have an ulterior motive with that – I’m hoping to inspire you to do the same). It was so liberating to just try it. I mean, anything could have gone ‘wrong’. I could have dropped my phone in the wok! Or, totally flubbed what I was trying to say. I could have burned the tofu. A lot can happen when I multi-task, believe me. And multi-tasking live is a whole ‘nother level of letting go of perfection.

It was fun to engage with my friends who participated, and I particularly liked the comment from my friend Rish who said it was like being in my kitchen with me. YES! That is exactly the feel I was going for. As much as I’d like to appear polished, the truth is, most times, I’m not. I’m kind of that hot mess mom and I’m really starting to love myself anyway.

And through all this, my daughter and I ended up creating a special memory together; we have plans to do more live cooking demos, sharing more intricate recipes and the stories behind them, but most importantly we plan to just have a lot of fun being ourselves. I didn’t actually anticipate that part but I now see it ended up being a great way to model authenticity.

I don’t know where I’ll go with it. That’s the other thing – I don’t have a strategy with this. Am I going to do them weekly? Sporadically? I guess we’ll find out.

If you’re struggling with the same fears or insecurities or anxiety about needing to do things perfectly, I encourage you strongly to let that go. Take a leap and move forward even if you don’t have it all figured out. I always imagine myself 90-something years old on my deathbed, looking back on my life and I ask myself, what choice would I wish I had made. I know that the people who will surround me in that bed, or who will be there in my heart, will also be happy if I live my most creative, authentic life.

So here’s the video!

taslim jaffer, let me out creative