From cement mixer to sushi master chef: A dose of Monday Motivation
A story that reminds us that perseverance and drive can get you to the finish line...
We have found that no matter how many feel good, goal-reaching stories we have come across, we never get tired of them. It's definitely something that provides us with perspective and reminds us to stay motivated.
Not everyone has a cheerleader in life, someone who pushes them and reminds them that they can get what they want from life. Sometimes you have to be your own motivation, you have to push each day to get more out of your life.
When we heard Samuel Moima's story, it was definitely something we wanted to share this Monday. If nothing else, it reminded us that with a vision in life, you can accomplish your goals.
"Samuel Moima started off working as cement mixer and made his way to being a security officer, he knew he wanted more for himself and now, he is one of Ocean Basket's sushi masters." (Business Insider)
After completing his schooling in Limpopo, he did not have the means to pursue a tertiary education. His plan was to travel to Johannesburg and find work. But he struggled to find work and became a cement mixer at a local construction site in Tembisa.
But he knew he wanted more for himself. So he saved money and trained to become a security officer. He served as a security officer at a shopping mall for two years and still yearned for more.
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I knew that I needed to be more than just that. I can't be a daka boy, I can't be a security [guard].
In 2005, he approached an Ocean Basket store and was given an opportunity to work as a waiter. Whilst working there, he found passion in the art of making sushi.
I was so intrigued, and I also wanted to know how to make sushi. I learnt how to make sushi in store and a couple of months later I got positioned at Meyersdal Ocean Basket and that's where I got my break as a sushi chef.
A decade after working as a chef, he decided to apply for a job as a sushi trainer in 2013 and was successful. From there the sky was the limit, as he trained young and up-and-coming chefs on how to make sushi.
He was given the opportunity to go to the Japanese Sushi International School where he learnt about the hygienic practices involved in making sushi.
The company took me to Japan to upskill myself in sushi, I learnt quite a lot. I met people who are masters in sushi making. A sushi area is not like in the kitchen where we cook and boil to kill bacteria. You have to keep the area clean and another thing that helps kill bacteria is to eat your sushi with wasabi since it has the ability to minimise bacteria.
He is the perfect example of what it means to push the boundaries and shared some wise words of motivation.
For a black person like me to become a sushi maser for the whole brand, it proves that anybody can be anything they want to be. It proves that regardless of where you come from, you can be anything.
Image Courtesy of Facebook