Believe it or not, the first hot dog I ever ate I really didn't care for.
I remember not enjoying much about the experience and blaming the cook for the soft, lukewarm and textureless food bolus in my mouth.
Served bland with a strip of sloppily applied ketchup down the middle didn't make it aesthetically pleasing either.
As I sat there in judgement I said the all too familiar words, "I could make this better."
And so I did.
I warmed up the grill, buttered my buns, threw them on the rack and toasted them to the perfect golden brown with accompanying charred grill lines just as I'd seen my dad do growing up.
As I moved them around with the tongs I could feel the outside of the bun had firmed up to a crispy texture as the inside stayed soft to mold to the shape of it's contents.
Same thing with the dogs.
Perfectly charred and browned on all sides with scattered areas showing that there was so much delicious energy inside that the hot dogs couldn't contain themselves and they split.
Once nestled into their comfy buns an array of toppings wait in line to gather for the ceremonious occasion.
Chopped up onions and pickles cover the delectable couple as a single, thick, squiggly line of beer and brat mustard drapes the party allowing crushed up potato chips to shine from atop.
Now these were hot dogs.
So after all this, what exactly did hot dogs teach me?
RESPONSIBILTY.
I took responsibility for my hot dog consuming experience.
Instead of making up my mind that hot dogs were boring and gross and ultimately blamed and thought less of the person who offered my that first dog, I gained a new perspective.
I have applied this responsibility thing to other areas in my life. For example, health and fitness, family, relationships and career.
Ultimately, the benefit of responsibility is empowerment.
There have been many times I told myself I was helpless to life's situations. Just typing that creates the picture that I was playing the victim card.
If I can feel empowered over my hot dog eating experience, I can feel empowered over anything in my life.
