Experience

The other day, my son said that he likes it when Dad makes eggs better than when Mom does. This is shocking because Mom is unequivocally a better cook than Dad, making amazing meals all the time. She is someone who can make a turkey sandwich a work of art, can make chili that can warm your soul, and will find ways to make average recipes taste like it should be on one of those fancy cooking shows. The kitchen is her domain, and the only time I have a reason to be in there is to empty the dishwasher.

To understand this situation, one helpful piece of information is that she doesn’t like eggs. The thought of eating eggs turns her stomach, though she is able to suffer through it to make them for someone else. I, on the other hand, love eggs. Like my son, I enjoy my eggs over-easy, so my scrambled eggs are definitely not over-cooked. For my wife, the only thing worse than the thought of eating an egg would be eating an undercooked egg.

If you are looking for someone to help you, it is good to look for someone who has struggled, then learned, and then succeeded. Experience is powerful. You can learn from your own mistakes, but you can also learn from the mistakes of others. It’s probably a good idea to eat eggs made by someone who enjoys eggs, and it’s probably a good idea to learn with someone who enjoys the struggle of growth. 

Go break some eggs!