Kuyashii

"Chef's Table" on Netflix, there is an amazing Japanese idea called Kuyashii from the talented Chef Niki Nakayama. She mentioned how Kuyashii motivated her to achieve success in the cooking world, which is mostly run by men. She mentioned how Kuyashii motivated her to achieve success in the cooking world, which is mostly run by men.

She says: “In Japanese there’s this word called Kuyashii, which is when somebody puts you down or says you can’t do something and you have this burning desire to prove them wrong. Earlier in my career I felt a lot of motivation from that.” Adopting Kuyashii means transforming the deep irritation from naysayers into a driving force for achievement. It's about channeling the desire to prove wrong those who say, "That's impossible." Kuyashii also captures a profound sense of frustration, akin to saying, "this is utterly disappointing" in English. 

However, essentially, Niki Nakayama embraces it in the spirit of: "this is disappointing, but now I'm even more determined to turn things around." No matter how you interpret it, having Kuyashii in your toolkit could be beneficial.