The worst advice I never took: Rachael Ray shares the life lesson that stuck with her since childhood
Rachael Ray has no shortage of ambition.
From her award-winning eponymous television show to her best-selling cookbooks to her home-furnishings line, the 49-year-old multi-hyphenate is also the founder and editorial director of her lifestyle magazine, Rachael Ray Every Day, and the founder of the nonprofit organizations Yum-o! and Rachael's Rescue.
Ray credits much of her success to her upbringing and the strong work ethic she learned from her mother and grandfather.
When asked about the worst advice that she never took, Ray doesn’t cite specific bad advice. Rather, she has learned to block it out -- a skill she learned from a young age.
"When something happens where I think, 'Well, that was a mistake,' or, 'That was the wrong turn,' I don't let that resonate with me to remember the worst advice,” she tells ABC News’ chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis.
Ray recalls a lesson from her beloved grandfather after she was upset about being teased at school over her stinky lunch -- sardines and onions on bread with olive oil, in case you were curious. It was an important lesson in overcoming obstacles and not dwelling on the negative.
"I don’t really think about the bad"
"I remember really throwing a tantrum as a child and I came home from Mashpee Central School ... everybody made fun of me because I wasn't wearing jeans, I was wearing a dress and everybody made fun of my lunch because it smelled."
Ray went home that day "with this drama, and fury and disgust," only to have her grandfather put it all in perspective. "He made me count my fingers and he made me count my toes and he knocked on my skull and his point was if you have 10 fingers, 10 toes and you still have a brain in your head, you have absolutely no reason to be crying."
His advice resonated with her to this day.
"We all make mistakes," she added, "but the best advice is to not dwell on them, but to be grateful that you got up and to get up and move on. So I don't really think about the bad even when it comes to advice because it's useful in some way -- if you think about it in the right way."
You can hear more of this interview with Rachael Ray on ABC Radio's "No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis" podcast.
This story was originally published on June 25, 2018.
