Taking Advice From Others

Taking Advice From Others

Taking advice from others can be easy and/or hard. It can be easy when the person who is giving it is nice or tactful. It can be hard when the person giving it is acting pompous, or clearly doesn't follow it.

But in any case, focus on the advice, not on who is giving it.

Even if the people giving you the advice are clearly hypocrites, not following it themselves at all, don't toss the baby out with the bath-water, listen to what they say, analyze it on its own merit.

Do What They Say, Not What They Do

There is a saying about people who like to correct other people's behavior, "do what they say, not what they do". Of course you should only do it, if it's good advice, not bad. [Matthew 23:3, Matthew 6:14-34]

You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't consider the advice they are giving and think only about how well they follow it themselves.

Learn to differentiate between the advice a person gives, and how well that person implements that advice.

Encouragement

I'm not sure what else to say except to offer encouragement, it is hard to listen to some jerk give you advice and tell you what to do. S/he may insinuate all sorts of lies, but keep a straight face and don't loose your cool. Instead of punching, interrupting, or cursing, listen to see if there really is anything worth keeping from what s/he says. Maybe not, but maybe so.

Be the same way giving advice that you'd like it given to you. Ta da! The Golden Rule.

You may also like the short essay Defending Yourself Against the Offensive.