4 Life Lessons Rolling Rotis Taught Me
By: Sowmya Sridhar
Tags: Ideas, Cooking, Creativity, Advice, Art

4 Life Lessons Rolling Rotis Taught Me

The kitchen is a magical place.

Image by Usman Yousaf from Pixabay

As my hands rolled a mix of flour and water into soft balls to make rotis, a traditional Indian dish, my mind was busy connecting cooking to life. Mundane work increases creativity, and so, it was with my hands dusted with flour when I had a few revelations.

Here are lessons I’ve learned while rolling rotis. Whether you prefer to be the cook or a taste-tester in the kitchen, you’ll be able to apply these lessons to your own life.

Push too hard, and you’ll break

In today’s hustle culture, sleeping late and chugging coffee is seen as the epitome of productivity. However, overworking yourself ends up lowering efficiency in the long run and can lead to health problems. Just as a roti will eventually tear if you apply too much force when rolling it, you will only withstand intense pressure so long.

My mom often uses the example of a rubber band to illustrate the fragility of our nerves. The band will stretch, stretch, stretch, and suddenly, break.

Even in the midst of a difficult work day, take time to indulge in mindful breaks or an evening chat with friends and family. Here’s an article I wrote with more applicable self-care tips:

Use these tips, and your mind and body will thank you.

Have faith in your ability to learn

I started out making rotis that stuck to the plate, but I progressed. While it was frustrating to see my efforts fail to result in an edible roti time and time again, I tried to stay positive and keep trying.

A growth mindset is infinitely better than a fixed mindset. As Bernard Schroeder from Forbes writes, those with a growth mindset “focus on improvement instead of worrying about how smart they are. They work hard to learn more and get smarter.”

What you don’t know now, you can learn. With the Internet, you have access to a thousand tutorials from a thousand different people with unique knowledge and experiences. Whether you’re curious about the art of henna or marketing, go into it with a desire to learn and belief in your ability to grow.

Creativity is better than perfection

As a child growing up in India, my mom would lay on her rooftop and watch the clouds go by for hours. She was enamored by the unique, awe-inspiring magic of each cloud. If the clouds were all one, uniform shape, would anyone get lost in their beauty?

A roti that looks like India or South America sparks more laughter than a pristinely round one. Surrealist artworks look crazy at first glance: figures are out of place and seem to be straight out of a fantastic dream. But these out-of-the-box elements are what makes them compelling. Be fearless and add traces of your wild imagination in everything you do.

Be willing to learn from everyone and everything

My 11-year old brother, Abhi, taught me to slowly roll the roti across the plate so it doesn’t rip. While he’s younger than me, he’s carefully observed my father and has picked up a few tips and tricks.

Don’t shut your ears to advice from those older or younger than you. If it’s good advice, it’s good advice no matter who’s saying it. Don’t write off movies like Mary Poppins Returns as superficial fluff, or you’ll miss out on valuable wisdom. Be open to hearing diverse perspectives, and create your own self-help course.

Ash Jurberg has written articles on writing tips from the most-tipped Uber driver and marketing lessons from the most-swiped man on Tinder, so he’s a pro at mining knowledge from unexpected places.

Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

The Takeaway

Here are 4 lessons I’ve learned from making rotis: