Why Advice is Overrated (Follow No One but Yourself)

Dockweiler State Beach, Playa Del Rey 03-26-2023 5:46pm

Life is a set of subjective experiences.

We all have our own evaluations of different experiences in life (we each value the exact same experience differently). That’s why we have different lives!

Nobody should tell you what set of experiences you should or should not choose because they simply won’t know the answer: they won’t know what set of experiences will bring you the most fulfillment; nor can they predict the future: they don’t know what will happen for you when you choose Path A vs Path B.

That is something only you will know — when you feel that strong inner calling.

Those who are more knowledgeable or experienced can take on the role of a teacher, a mentor, a guide, or a leader, but the truth is, nobody is a true master of all, and nobody can predict the future. This means that everyone is susceptible to making mistakes — adopting the wrong beliefs, relaying the wrong ideas, or making the wrong judgments.

Be critical when examining external information and influences. Always maintain a strong sense of self and a strong sense of agency.

On the other hand, we should also be cognizant of the influence we exert on others. Why are we giving such definitive answers, when the only evidence we have to support our arguments is based on our personal past experiences (emphasis on personal and past), which most definitely will not transfer over to another person’s life and to future events?

Even if what comes with a specific option is fully predictable, and even if you wholeheartedly believe that this set of experiences is absolutely undesirable, recognize that every individual has a different set of virtues/characteristics that needs improvement, and each individual requires different life lessons, or challenging life experiences, to truly learn those lessons by heart.

Don’t rob away another person’s opportunity to learn lessons that might be impeccably valuable to their personal growth.

When being asked for your opinion, provide your sincere perspective — maybe even question prompts to help your companion consider the situation more thoroughly. Ultimately, however, one should have full respect for the autonomy of others. More importantly, one should remind others of their power when they forget — they are the sole emporer of their lives: they should be calling the shots, making their own empowered decisions, and taking accountability for their decisions and actions in life.

If the essence of life is the spiritual lessons, or the profound understanding of self and the world we live in, any path we choose to walk on should bring us the same realizations, but with different sets of physical experiences. If that is the case, shouldn’t we be choosing the experiences we want to undergo solely based on our own terms?

After all, nobody knows you better than yourself. When someone tries to do it, however, most of the time it is out of their love and care for you. Do take the information with love and gratitude, but leave the advice, and make a well-thought-out, empowered decision for yourself .)!