Da count.
Cats: Da Count|
I’m counting! I’m counting!
That, right there, should count.
But that’s not my count today.
No, today’s count is…
Unsolicited Advice
Marvel with me now:
“Oooooooooh…”
“But Joy,” you say, “How does unsolicited advice count? Don’t most people find it useless, or get annoyed by it?”
That is most certainly, very often, the case.
Still, unsolicited advice can be eye-opening. It can call one’s attention to something that has been ignored. Maybe we get annoyed because it forces us to see things from a perspective we find uncomfortable or just inconvenient.
Unsolicited advice offers a fresh opinion on things that may have become bogged down in the wants/needs/desires, self-serving instincts, and emotional drama of the individual to whom it’s being given.
Example:
When a 25 year old male looks at a 38 year old female after discussing a brief history of the travails of the heart of said female along with her lament that she just… can’t… stand it… any more… and says, “Grow up, Joy” …
This…THIS is unsolicited advice. It gives pause.
But it is truth, isn’t it? Unsolicited advice can be a gentle nudge, a slap in the face, a derisive smirk, or even the offer of a hand up out of one’s woes.
It’s usually very heartfelt. It’s often given with the best of intentions.
Nobody ever said you have to TAKE the advice, but value it when it’s given. Think about it. Consider why the person would say what they said in the way that they said it. Ponder what your situation means to them, and maybe that will help you adjust it to what it should mean to you. Take a moment to look at the bigger picture, from a 90 degree angle, and from a few steps back.
You won’t always agree. Often enough you’ll do precisely the opposite of what is suggested. Just don’t discount it outright. Listen, process it, and then, after you’ve allowed the information to add to your own understanding and judgement, you can make an even more informed decision. (Note I did NOT say a ‘better’ decision, because sometimes… we just have to make bad decisions. It’s part of the eternal growth process.)
Unsolicited advice.
It counts.
