Seeking Advice…

This morning I woke up to a text from one of my business partners that stirred up some memories from my past.  Therefore I think it is the perfect time to write about what may be the biggest mistakes that I made as an adult and as a child for that matter.

That mistake? Seeking the advice of others and giving too much credit to their opinions.

We all do it.  We have an idea, a problem or opportunity to better ourselves and we immediately seek out advice.  We call our friends, our family, search google and read almost anything we can find on the topic before we make, what could be, a very important decision in our life.  On the surface, these activities seem like the proper behavior but are they?  Here’s what I found to be true.

1. I didn’t trust myself so I’d let someone else make the decision for me.
2. Most often I sought advice from people who were not experts on the topic I was researching.
3. I gave too much credibility to self proclaimed “experts”, on the internet, before thoroughly researching their qualifications on the subject matter.
4. I was afraid of making a mistake.
5. I worried too much about what other people would think of me.
6. I let my ego sway my decisions.

Looking back, these 6 “truths” have affected many major decisions in my life.  From asking a girl to dance as a teenager to deciding how to best support my family as an adult.  Since I don’t get to go back and relive those moments, the best I can do is to allow history to be my teacher.

From this day forward I promise to:

1. Listen to my “gut” and trust that I am making the best decision for me.  After all, It’s MY life.  I’m the one that has to live with the consequences of my decisions.
2. Only seek advice from credible sources that are veritably an expert on the subject matter.
3. Feel free to make mistakes.  Nobody’s perfect.  God doesn’t promise us that we will always make the right decision but God will always allow us to make the wrong decision right.

I hope that you will apply some of these lesson in your life as well.

Have a great day!