Paying attention is always important because you never know when you'll need what you've learned. Sometimes, when you least expect it, a situation arises that requires something you should have known, but because you weren't paying attention, you don't know how to act. That's the case I want to show you with this story about Isabella.
Isabella is a cook who has been in this profession for a relatively short time. She only recently began looking for work in this market. She worked in several places before landing where she is now. She started in her aunt's small restaurant, then in someone else's private restaurant, and through that person's contacts, ended up working in a fine-dining restaurant. She excelled and demonstrated good skills.
Her previous employer saw that she learned quickly and did things as instructed, but out of friendship, he wanted her to go further, so he recommended her to his friend Omar to hire her and help her get ahead, because he knew she had a future. Omar trusted his friend and gave her a job in his high-quality kitchen. For Isabella, it was a big step in her career as a chef, because she was clearly seeing the fruits of her labor.
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But things obviously weren't plain sailing, as she had to work even harder. Omar's restaurant wasn't just any restaurant. It was known as one of the best in her town, so it was common for someone with money or a celebrity to visit town and want a truly high-quality meal to visit Omar's restaurant first. So Isabella had to pay constant attention to his teachings, because you couldn't go wrong with a client of that caliber.
A bad review could ruin much of the place's prestige, and for Omar, prestige was everything. He had fired many employees in recent months for not being up to the required standards. But Isabella had miraculously managed to work for six months without problems. That was clear proof that she was still doing things right. But the tests would soon come, tests to prove that she truly deserved the job. A very special client would soon arrive. It wasn't just someone with money; it was a renowned food critic. And she would come to see if what everyone was saying about the quality of that restaurant was true.
(For both Omar and her, it was extremely important to satisfy him with the quality of the food. That's why Omar spent several days beforehand teaching her how to prepare excellent dishes. The days were long and tiring, and after working all day, that's when he gave those classes. But despite her fatigue, she made an effort to pay as much attention as she could. Because she wanted to complete her task. After several days of training, Omar received a message that the journalist who would review the food would be coming the next day. So that day before, they prepared everything so it would be ready.
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But when they left the restaurant that afternoon, it was raining heavily, and Omar got soaked. No one worried about it. But the next day, Omar woke up with a severe cold from all the water that fell on him. So, he had a fever and a runny nose. It was impossible for him to work. He woke up cursing because what a coincidence he had woken up sick that same day. He didn't trust anyone to make the dish the journalist wanted to try. But since he had already taught Isabella, he thought she could make him the meal. So he told her to help him with it that day when he couldn't make it.
This was a big surprise for her; it was the ultimate test of her career. Depending on what she did that day, she would keep her job and her reputation as a cook. She accepted without saying no. That day, she arrived early at the restaurant and prepared everything. Around 9:00 a.m., the man arrived. She nervously poured him wine and gave him something to eat while she prepared the main dish he was coming to try. But she realized one thing. Omar only had the recipe book at home. She would have to make the dish with what she remembered from the instructions. But because she paid attention, she managed to make the meal exactly as she had been taught. The journalist was satisfied and gave an excellent review of the food. Omar was very happy and promised her she would be promoted. And she felt fulfilled. But it was because she paid attention.
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Thanks for reading.