Why do I do this?

Its a question I ask myself a lot (almost everyday since I became an Executive Chef). I thought it only appropriate to answer this question as my first endeavor into the world of food blogging. So what is it that makes a person want to cook for a living? It's not the money (at least not in Missoula). It's not the hours, or the people. It's not due to a burning desire to make people happy. I do it because I love to cook.
I told myself over and over again while I was in college, "This is just a job to get me through the next four years. I don't want to be a cook for the rest of my life!" When I would talk to my brother (also a chef) he would tell me to drop out and go to culinary school, I would tell him the same thing.
I guess it didn't become real for me until I got my grades after my 4th semester of school and was barely passing my favorite classes. I was not sure what the hell happened, so I went back and looked at my notes. I discovered that while my professors were lecturing about important battles and public figures, artists and composers, I was writing down special ideas and thinking about what the fuck I was going do with 25 pounds of kale the chef didn't mean to order.
So I dropped out of school and jumped into the job full bore. All or nothing. And though I didn't go to culinary school, I think I made my brother proud.
Now, to answer the original question I set out in this post, yes, I love to cook. I love the job, the hours, the heat, the stress, the pace, and I'll admit, it feels pretty good when a customer is happy with your dish. The real reason I do this is for me. Some people say that you have to be crazy to want to be a Chef, I say if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.