Worried about my pallet

I have entered a few local contest recently and not gotten even close to a metal. Now this is not my issue at all, im sure ill lose many more. Most of the time however I kind of figure what the problem "may" be, but this time I put a stout in and had no flaw in mind at all. It was an oatmeal stout and I felt it tasted great. All the correct nose, mouth feel, finish, you name it, but it clearly was not the best. Im concerned im turning into someone who thinks it tastes great, but its really awful. Like my pallet is shot and I have no good clue what tastes good and what doesn't. What is the best way to develop my pallet and how can I avoid brewing styles to my taste instead of style guidelines?

Have some of your friends try some of your brews. Or better yet, ask the judges what they think of your brew.

Have you entered your brews into BJCP competitions? A good comp is a great way to get feedback, because you get back actual scoresheets with aroma/taste/flavor/mouthfeel scores as well as written descriptors of what the beer is lacking and/or excelling in!

Join a club, help judge. You might feel like you're not qualified, but it's OK, clubs are meant for this kind of education. You'll learn fast if you team up with a BJCP guy and judge a flight of stouts. Also, read the BJCP guidelines and understand them. They are not full of arbitrary poetry... every word in there is to be taken seriously.

palate
medal