Over the summer I picked enough blueberries from our bushes to make blueberry pie. My husband is a great cook, while I am excellent at using a microwave.
So my husband did all the mixing while I handed him everything and read off the recipe we were following.
“Okay, sugar is added. What’s next?” my husband asked.
“1/2 cup of salt,” I say.
He measures it out and holds it over the mixing bowl. And with the wisdom of cooking for over twenty years asks, “Are you sure? This looks like a lot of salt. Can you check it just to make sure?”
“Of course I am sure. I can read the directions.”
He shrugged. “Ooookay,” and pours it in, mixes everything together, puts it in the pie crust, finishes up, and sticks it in the oven.
About an hour and a half later we cut our first slices.
And it was awful. Sooo salty.
So salty, in fact, that not even adding tons of sugar onto the slices made it edible.
Have you ever read something wrong, or done the wrong thing, and didn’t get the outcome you wanted? We might be so sure of ourselves in the moment, but then what we expect to happen doesn’t happen.
Good, pertinent advice is like grains of gold. Listening to people with a different perspective on a situation that can be helpful to you should always be at least considered. That is why I have a more seasoned business partner than I: I might be better at some things, but when it comes to sales, he is king.
Don’t throw away someone’s advice just because you’re sure—you might not be seeing all the avenues you can pursue.
As for me, I am no longer allowed to read off the recipes, and instead stick handing him the ingredients. The second pie we made tasted awesome.