Breaking Through the Shell: What Beggars Chicken Taught Me About Career Transitions

What does Beggars Chicken have to do with career transitions?

It’s the perfect metaphor for the challenges we face when looking for a job! Let me tell you this story …

I recently returned to my childhood home of Hong Kong after a hiatus. The last time I was back was before the pandemic in 2019.

The trip held deep meaning for me, as I went to commemorate what would have been my mother’s 100th birthday and to ‘sweep the graves’ of my parents at the Hong Kong Cemetery.

My father passed away having lived only 49 years, when I was just 11;  my mother lived 35 years as a widow before she passed at 81.

During my visit, I reunited with dear friends at the Peking Garden Restaurant in Alexandra House in Central, where they served Beggars Chicken — a specialty dish that involves cracking open a thick pastry shell with a golden hammer to reveal the treasure within.

With the Golden Hammer

As I performed this ritual, I realised how this experience mirrors our own career transitions.

The thick pastry encasing the chicken serves a protective purpose, preserving the goodness inside. But to enjoy the tender, flavourful meat, you must break through the hard shell.

Much like that chicken, we all build protective layers — fear, doubt, and anxiety — especially during challenging life events.

Here’s the video of me cracking open that Beggars Chicken — my own golden hammer in hand! You’ll notice I wanted to keep going, but was told two whacks were more than enough.

It just goes to show how fragile even the toughest shells can be!

Here are three lessons I learned from this experience, and how they apply to anyone navigating a career transition.

1. Breaking Through the Façade of Fear and Doubt

Much like the thick pastry of Beggars Chicken, we often create protective barriers when faced with the unknown.

Fear of failure, self-doubt, and anxiety about the future can feel like impenetrable shells that hold us back from reaching our full potential.

I remember my own career transition at 41, moving from Singapore to Sydney amidst a divorce, with teenage children in tow.

It was a time of profound uncertainty, and the barriers I had built — both emotional and mental — seemed impossible to crack.

The fear of stepping into a new chapter was overwhelming.

But, just like cracking open the shell of the Beggars Chicken, the first step is always the hardest. Once you break through those layers of fear and self-doubt, you’ll find that your potential, like the tender chicken inside, has always been there — just waiting to be revealed.

Lesson: When it comes to career transitions, don’t let fear and doubt be the shell that keeps you from reaching your goals.

Start with small steps and trust that your potential is there, ready to shine once you break through.

2. Revealing Hidden Strengths in Unsettling Times

The protective pastry of Beggars Chicken serves a purpose—it keeps the chicken moist and flavourful during the cooking process.

Similarly, our layers of protection during difficult times serve to help us cope, but they can also keep us from showing our true selves.

During my own transition, I had to embrace a period of reinvention.

Moving countries, raising teenage children, and rebuilding a career all at once felt like a monumental task. But in doing so, I discovered strengths I didn’t even know I had.

The façade I had created — meant to protect myself and my children — was keeping me from uncovering the resilience and courage that were hidden beneath.

Lesson: Career transitions are an opportunity to peel back those layers and discover the hidden strengths and talents you possess.

It’s in the process of breaking through those protective barriers that your true capabilities emerge.

3. Transformation Takes Courage, but the Rewards Are Worth It

As I cracked the pastry open at Peking Garden, the waiter told me two whacks of the golden hammer were enough to reveal the chicken.

It made me reflect on how sometimes, what seems like a daunting task may be easier than expected once you begin.

Even the toughest shells can be surprisingly fragile with the right tools and mindset.

Similarly, making a career transition takes courage.

Whether you’re switching industries, looking for a new job, or simply seeking growth within your current role, the path can be uncertain and full of obstacles.

But each small effort, each ‘whack’ at the shell, gets you closer to uncovering the richness of the next chapter.

Lesson: Transformation requires action and persistence. With each step you take toward your goals, the barriers that once seemed insurmountable begin to fall away.

Don’t be afraid to take that first step—it may be easier than you think.

Final Thoughts: What’s Holding You Back?

As I look back on my own career journey, I realise how often we protect ourselves from the unknown.

We build barriers to keep ourselves safe, but in doing so, we can also hold ourselves back.

Career transitions are not easy, but they are worth the effort.

Breaking through those protective layers can lead to personal and professional growth, revealing the potential that has been there all along.

So, let me leave you with this question (feel free to add your experiences in the comments below):

What protective layers are holding you back from discovering your hidden potential?

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