Unsolicited advice
Knowing When to Shut Up
This is a challenge for me, because I want to have a positive influence on more than those in my immediate purview. I will be the first to admit that I oftentimes stick my nose where it shouldn’t be stuck. I don’t mean that I boss people around or insist on my way or the highway. That is not the case at all, and when someone is heavy-handed with their advice to me, I speak up on how that negatively affects me.
What I do mean, however, is that my caring nature makes me think that it’s okay to offer advice or guidance to people about whom I care. It has taken me forever, and is still taking me that long, to hold back as much unsolicited counsel as I can.
I try not to offer counsel, I really do, but that maxim goes against the grain for me. My belief is that if you care about someone, you will lovingly provide words that might make a positive difference in a person’s current circumstances. I endeavor not to be heavy handed or insistent when offering advice, rather, I put it out there and once I put it out there, I take no responsibility for whether it is received or rejected. I mean seriously, my word is not gospel; people can simply take it or leave it.
Bottom line? I am still trying to figure this whole thing out. Eventually I will find the right balance between leaving well enough alone and leaning into caring enough to offer some sort of constructive guidance. Shutting up might be in the future, but not if doing so cancels out who I am at heart.
