My Recipe for Success
Michael Kopec, CDM, CFPP
Waukesha, WI
ANFP Member Since: 2010
Michael Kopec is the Lead-Food Service Specialist for the Waukesha County Behavioral Health Center in Waukesha, WI. He has been a member of ANFP and a CDM, CFPP since 2010. Michael has over 20 years of experience in food service management, clinical nutrition services, and leadership. He is an advisory committee board member for the Dietetic Technician & Dietary Manager’s program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).
Michael's Recipe for Success
Everyone is different, there is no one recipe for life. Some people like pizza, some people don't. Finding what works for YOU, is your main ingredient.
That having been said, I deal with a large amount of people that are each at different stages of their lives. I can tell you based off of this a few things that I have observed/practice that might make the battle just a little easier.
- Set goals: People who know what they want and have set a course for achieving their goals are generally happier than those that just let life happen to them. This wisdom is not new. Earl Nightingale once said, “Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future.”
- Don’t Fear Failure: So often we are taught in our lives that failing is a bad thing. Failure is almost always placed at odds with success. Yet without failure few would know the way to success. No one ever did it right all the time. But most that have experienced some successes have failed at some point.
- Take Risks: Life is more fun and exciting when we take risks. At the end of the day there is truth to the statement, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” But be calculated - risk should not be taken for risk’s sake. Opportunity may knock, but it may not stand around very long. Be ready to go on an adventure at the knock of a door. A successful life includes not having regrets for not having taken enough risks.
- Don’t Stop Learning: The more you know, the more you realize you do not know. Formal education just scratches the surface and is a drop of our capacity to learn. Knowledge, no matter how insignificant it may appear to be, gives us a reason to get out of bed every morning. Make it a habit to learn something new each day. Treat knowledge like a new friend. Life is so much more satisfying when we make a new friend every day.
- Do Not Settle: Success is a process – not an event. Some goals may happen overnight. Others require more time, energy, and alignment of some planets. Do not get discouraged. Keep plotting forward with your plan. Evaluate your progress and make course corrections. Keep your goal top of mind and keep your feet moving.
- Live a Balanced Life: There are not enough hours in a day to carve out time for each demand. However, over the intermediate- and long-term, we can achieve balance.
Balance means taking time to treat the body well and keeping it running properly with good foods, exercise, and rest. Balance means being present for the family. Few can give the family all the time it demands. But giving it “quality time” will keep the family healthy and happy. Balance means taking some time for oneself to recharge the batteries. Balance means being of service to the community and giving back. Balance means feeding the soul through religion and/or spirituality. - Seek a Mentor: The best way to achieve success and limit failure is to work with someone that has already been down the same road. There is plenty that can go wrong as we travel down the road towards success. By eliminating the low hanging fruit on the tree of failure we improve the odds of success and ensure that we experience only the worthiest type of failure. Remember to thank your earliest mentors, your parents, teachers, and others, who inspired you to succeed and set you on your journey.
- Zip it and Listen: Too often we spend our time doing all the talking and not doing any listening. Even when we’re listening, we’re thinking about the next thing we’re going to say. By truly listening we can fully understand what we are being told and properly engage in the conversation. If we do not listen, we cannot provide what is needed. We cannot give the needed advice, solution, or shoulder to cry on.
- Network: No one in this world achieved success on their own. Success requires that you lean on someone for support. That’s where the network comes in. True networking means being of service to those in the network – and not expecting something in return. Then when needed, the network will find a way to return the favor.
- Carry a Notebook: Our lives are busy and getting busier. Over the course of a day, we’ll have ideas, solutions, and epiphanies. If we do not have a way to capture them, we risk losing them forever. A notebook, whether hardcopy or electronic, helps us record our thoughts, release the mental storage, and move on to the next great idea or solution.
View the archive of My Recipe for Success articles at www.ANFPonline.org/myrecipeforsuccess.
Nominate Yourself or a Fellow ANFP Member
Have you spent a career in foodservice? Share your wisdom and advice in a new feature from ANFP. My Recipe for Success is aimed at retired members or those who have spent a long career in foodservice. Share the biggest lessons you’ve learned to a lengthy, fruitful, and successful career in the non-commercial foodservice industry.
My Recipe for Success Archive
January 2021 - Dorothy Radermacher, CDM, CFPP
March 2021 - Wanda Dickson, CDM, CFPP
May 2021 - Tom Thaman, CDM, CFPP
July 2021 - Chef Richard "Nick" Nickless, CEC, CCA, AAC, CDM, CFPP
September 2021 - Karen Swift, CDM, CFPP
November 2021 - Paula Bradley, CDM, CFPP
January 2022 - Deborah McDonald, CDM, CFPP
March 2022 - Trish De Leo, CDM, CFPP
May 2022 - Deb Dawson, CDM, CFPP
July 2022 - Rosalind Davis, CDM, CFPP
September 2022 - Ken Owens, CDM, CFPP
November 2022 - Janice Hemel, CDM, CFPP
January 2023 - Bonna Brown, CDM, CFPP
March 2023 - Becky Massey, CDM, CFPP
May 2023 - Colleen Zenk, CDM, CFPP
July 2023 - Joey Rost, CDM, CFPP
September 2023 - Milton McGowian, DBA, FMP, CDM, CFPP
November 2023 - Robert McKeon, CDM, CFPP
January 2024 - Hunter Hying, CDM, CFPP
March 2024 - Kim Kyle, CDM, CFPP
May 2024 - Sharon Vermeer, CDM, CFPP
July 2024 - Regina St. Clair, CDM, CFPP
September 2024 - Ken Hanson, CPM, CDM, CFPP
November 2024 - Barbara Thomsen, CDM, CFPP, RAC, QCP