10 Inspiring Lessons I Learned From Ina Garten’s Memoir

Be Ready When the Luck Happens

I’ve read some pretty amazing books in 2024 but the one that stood out the most, and the one I was most eager to start reading, was Ina Garten’s memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

The title is absolutely delicious if you ask me! Very inviting.

Barefoot Contessa

I discovered Ina Garten in 2007 on the Food Network. I was only 20 and I wanted to develop my cooking skills and that’s when I came across ‘’Barefoot Contessa’’. I immediately fell in love with the cooking show and with Ina. What an inspiration she was and continues to be. Ina is the ultimate definition of down to earth elegance, a combination that I find to be most inspiring.

Elegance, warmth & comfort

The food she prepares is casual and sophisticated elegance, just like she is. She oozes elegance, warmth and comfort. Which is why I continue to rewatch Barefoot Contessa, peruse her cook books and listen or watch her podcast Be My Guest whenever I want to feel cozy and inspired.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you want to be inspired. This is a book full of meaningful nuggets of wisdom from a woman who has created a beautiful life for herself and has inspired millions of others around the world.

Below you can find some of Ina’s nuggets of wisdom that inspire me in my quest to create a beautiful and intentional life for myself:

1. Slow down

“But in France, these little traffic circles are a reminder that life is not about straight lines or the shortest distance between two points. Slow down, they seemed to say, you can take a little twirl and still get exactly where you’re going”.

The French are the epitome of incorporating intentionality to their days. And a crucial component of cultivating an intentional life is to slow down, to create space and step back in order to become aware of the present moment.

In today’s urgency culture, we are made to believe that the more things we can check off of our to-do lists, the more successful we are. We are hypnotized into believing that life should be lived in a straight line. A detour and things such as pleasure and beauty are considered arbitrary and too frivolous. Except that these are the things that enrich and give color to our lives. They nourish, inspire and replenish our lifeforce.

2. “If you love it, you’ll be really good at it”

This is something that Jeffrey, Ina’s husband, said to her and made her realize that she didn’t want to be stuck in a job that looked good on the outside but felt miserable on the inside.

It’s such a simple statement and yet so profound and something we easily overlook. Even when it’s something new and you still have a lot to learn, it’s like there is more energy available to do it well and with more focus.

And how much time and energy do we lose on things that make us feel miserable and uninspired but ‘looks good’ from the outside?! It’s tragic if you think about the amount of time and energy that is lost.

If you do what you love on a daily basis, the path will unfold and things will come on your path that you could never anticipate or see for yourself.

3. The people you surround yourself with, will influence the course of your life

We may not always be aware of it, but the people we allow into our orbit will influence how we see ourselves and how we look at the world. People either uplift you and inspire you to grow and evolve, or they will keep you small.

Surrounding yourself with negative people while you want to grow and create a meaningful life for yourself, will make you feel like a salmon swimming upstream.

And chances are that eventually, you too will become a negative person. It’s death by a thousand paper cuts. We all know that a negative mindset will rarely create a positive and uplifting life.

4. You don’t need to be defined by your childhood

Where you came from does not have to dictate where you are going. Read that again. Intentionally decide what you want and don’t want your life to look and feel like.

In Ina’s case, she didn’t have supportive parents and they didn’t believe in her capabilities. I was also surprised to read that her mother was very cold and shut down. Ina did not receive warmth nor comfort while growing up. And yet, that’s exactly what she became, a woman that oozes warmth and comfort.

5. Joy is a key ingredient

Find joy in your everyday life and in the work that you do. We can create amazing things and work hard, creating the life of our dreams… However, don’t take yourself too seriously in the process.

Keep finding joy in the small things. Laugh, have fun, stop and smell the roses… There’s so much beauty and richness in everyday moments, if only we pay attention!

Look for joy and regularly ask yourself what that means for you. Maybe it’s a weekly massage (like in Ina’s case), a freshly baked croissant on Sunday mornings, dancing in the rain, pink nail polish, or maybe it’s buying yourself some fresh flowers from the market every week…

Whatever it is, it’s personal and unique to you and you don’t need other people’s approval for it.

6. Know when to say yes and when to say no

Just because an opportunity presents itself, doesn’t mean you should always say yes.

Ina knows exactly who she is and what she wanted Barefoot Contessa to be, so she learned to say no to things that didn’t align with her. She’s intentional with her time and energy.

One of my favorite things that she said in her memoir and that I have written down on a piece of paper and keep on my desk, is the following:

7. Stand up for yourself

I discovered that Ina is actually a bit of a rebel. She always moved to the beat of her own drum. She was a woman ahead of her time back in the 60s and 70s. She didn’t listen to society’s noise or distractions of what a woman ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ be.

She knows exactly what she wants and she doesn’t let others dictate her decisions.

8. You don’t have to have all the answers

If you do what you love on a daily basis, the path will unfold and things will come on your path that you could never anticipate or see for yourself.

9. The architecture and environment we work in, matters

“Good architecture makes me want to do a better job, to live up to the promise of the space”.

The older I get, the more I realize how this is true. Our brains either thrive in certain environments and get anxious or uninspired in others. It’s not just more pleasurable to work in a beautiful and tidy space with lots of natural light… It actually boosts wellbeing. And we all know that we create better work when we feel good.

So go ahead, buy yourself some beautiful flowers and put them on your desk!

10. Paris is always a good idea!

Ina & Jeffrey have loved Paris every since they were very young. They even bought their very own apartment in Paris. Sigh! What a dream! The French kitchen and style, has clearly inspired Ina in many ways.

I am so grateful I live in a world where Ina Garten exists!

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Stay tuned for more Ina Garten inspired blogposts!

Love,

Wendy