00:00The most important cooking lesson I learned from my mom was in front of a stove and it had nothing
00:05to do with cooking.
00:06I was super sad, was high school, a girl that I asked on a date said yes and then didn't
00:12show up to the restaurant.
00:14And like everyone from my high school hung out there and so everyone knew and it just ripped me to
00:19the core.
00:20And I went home, my mom came home from work, she knew I was bummed out and I told her
00:24the story.
00:24A girl's name is Stephanie and she said, sweetheart, you're a very nice boy but what you need to understand
00:31is high school girls like jerks.
00:33Only my mom doesn't pull punches and she didn't say jerks, okay? I'm just being polite.
00:38She said, when you grow up, women are going to look for men like you and there's only going to
00:42be about six or seven of you left on planet earth so you're going to have your pick.
00:46And that sounds crazy when you're 15 years old and it doesn't help but when you get to be with
00:53the woman that I've been with for this many years, almost two decades now, you realize, wow, my mom is
00:59really smart.
01:01You need to respect the person you're with. You need to know the person you're with.
01:05You need to be old enough and satisfied enough in your life and career that you're willing to make sacrifices.
01:12By the way, there's nothing wrong with being selfish. It's what helps people become amazing in their job or in
01:18their art, whatever it is they do.
01:21It made Kobe Bryant great. Selfishness is a good thing but when you decide to commit to someone, a sacrifice
01:27needs to be made.
01:29And if both people don't make that sacrifice, a lot of resentment ensues.
01:33Like I said, my wife and I have been together a long time. A lot of my friends that got
01:37married around the same time, they divorced.
01:39And when you watch this, you sort of see it. So I'm not telling you this is the way.
01:44Don't hit me up on social media and be like, I did everything you said and it didn't work.
01:49I ain't trying to hear it. But my wife and I, we were friends first. We respect each other.
01:55We didn't just get married because I was like, oh, you're hot. You're hot. I might not find someone hotter.
01:59Let's get married.
02:00I have a friend who did that. So, you know, it's just be honest with yourself.
02:04Know who you are. Know what you want. Don't be someone you ain't. There's no such thing as fake it
02:09till you make it.
02:10Eventually, you get caught.
02:14I remember our first date, like our first meal. We went to sushi and it wasn't even supposed to be
02:19a date.
02:19And then at a certain point after dinner, when we went to take a walk, it was not just friends.
02:25And I had that feeling. You know, like when you're walking with someone and you're, all of a sudden, it's
02:29just quiet.
02:30And you know what they're thinking and they know what you're thinking, but nobody's going to say what they're thinking.
02:34And that's when you're like, okay, yeah, there's a connection there.
02:37And then from that night, seriously, since that night, that's almost 18 years now.
02:42We've been together ever since.
