The Art of Flipping Flapjacks

Within my enjoyment of grilling and cooking in general, the one thing I have yet to master is the art of flipping flapjacks (without the spatula!). Lately I've been embracing my Swedish heritage with the ever tasty Swedish pancakes with lingon berries (mmm..). Swedish pancakes are much thinner than regular pancakes so it presents an even bigger challenge when flipping them over in mid air. They break easier. Nevertheless, I was willing to give it a try.

tip: if you try this particular type of pancakes or just want to try flipping cakes. use a very small skillet,

your chance of succeeding is greater

One thing to remember beforehand is to have a clean, surrounding floor in case you miss the great catch.(five second rule,right?) But then again, if you have a four-legged creature watching your every move and hoping you do miss, then your good to go. I gradually built up my confidence on the first two pancakes as I cheated a little and had a spatula in one hand to help maneuver the cake in the frying pan to get a better flip.

I then mustered up enough courage to give it a try without any utensils. Yes, it was a medium size mid air flip, but I did it! Not quite ready to reach close to the ceiling with a large flip, but I'll get there.

So how does one build up confidence in himself to dare to try either the impossible or something new? Dorothea Brande, an author of books on the formula for success,yeah I know we have too many success guru's, but I like her quote on success:

"To guarantee success, act as if it were impossible to fail."

In life our greatest accomplishments come from our failures:

Thomas Edison went through 1,000 light bulbs before succeeding

R.H. Macy failed 7 times before his department store succeeded in New York City

Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts characters, had every cartoon he submitted to his high school yearbook rejected. And Walt Disney wouldn't even hire him.

It is impossible to walk by faith without taking a step of faith.

Whether it's your faith in God or faith in your ability, you won't succeed unless you take that initial first step. But I believe that the greater your faith in God, the greater the confidence you'll have to attempt and succeed in everything you do.