Andrew Zimmern: "Perfectionism is a Disease"

Many of you know Andrew Zimmern: maybe from his career as the television host of Bizarre Foods, maybe as a chef, maybe you know his writing, but you probably don’t know him as a “user of people and a taker of things.”

In a frank, honest and eye opening speech at The Welcome Conference - an annual conference held in New York that focuses on hospitality - Zimmern took to the stage and delivered a speech on the central theme of ‘being present.’

He spoke about the importance of presence and how he believes that being present is a skill that can be learned. He talked about his rise from being homeless to the celebrity people see today and how he battled with alcohol addiction for a long time, he also talked about how the pursuit of “perfectionism” is something that everyone should avoid in life.

Many people don’t know the story of Zimmern’s past and it’s fascinating to hear him lay it all out - especially the day he met the Dalai Lama.

Avoid the ‘isms’ says Zimmern because they’re something that will always force you down a dead end - and perfectionism is one of many.

They’re wise words for anyone working in the industry. Make sure you visit The Welcome Conference site for a look back at more of 2015's videos and stay tuned as we'll be exclusively revealing more videos from this year's conference in the coming weeks.