I must have been around nine or ten years old, and my sister was home during the Diwali break.

Although she was still in the early part of her MBBS program, to me she was already a doctor. With nearly ten years between us, her words carried authority—and I followed her advice without question.

Whenever she came home from medical college, there would be a buzz in the house. Mummy would prepare special meals, Papa would bring in goodies, and there would be shopping trips and the occasional meal out.

One evening, I had just returned from the park, where I had eaten churan—junk food that was strictly forbidden. On my way back, I could feel the beginnings of a sore throat, and I knew I was going to fall sick.

As I reached home, Mummy asked me to get ready—we were heading out for chaat and golgappas, followed by a South Indian dinner.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I wasn’t feeling well—or why. Instead, I quickly got ready and went to my sister. When I told her about my sore throat, she confidently said, “Poison cuts poison.” According to her, eating chaat would kill the churan germs that were causing the problem.

I didn’t want to consider the alternative—telling the truth, getting scolded, and missing the outing—so I chose to follow her advice.

Needless to say, by the time we returned home, I was quite unwell. I had no choice but to recount the entire episode to Mummy.

She was understandably annoyed and asked, in her usual forthright manner, where I had been when God was distributing brains.

When I explained that I had simply followed my sister’s advice, she shared something that has stayed with me ever since:

• Learn to discern when you should seek advice
• Think carefully about who you seek advice from
• And most importantly, think it through—never follow advice blindly

Her parting words that evening stayed with me: Don’t follow advice just because it aligns with what you want to hear.

Looking back, I realise how often we seek advice not because we are unsure—but because we want reassurance for a decision we have already made. And more often than not, we listen to the voice that tells us what we want to hear.

In fact, good advice is not always the advice that feels right in the moment—it is the one that stands up to thought, even when it is inconvenient.