We’ve all heard the phrase ‘easier said than done.’ Over time, I’ve come to understand this phrase and how it can be applied to so many instances. It’s so easy to offer people solutions to their problems, or assure them that they’ll be able to get over something, or that they can easily achieve something, or come out of bad situations. We offer words of encouragement without hesitation, willing the people who we want to convince to believe in every word we say. It’s so easy to give people advice, to empower them by giving them justified reasons as to why they can achieve anything they want and to make them feel better about things that are going wrong by assuring them that everything will be alright.
It’s different when we’re on the outside of anything that goes on, looking in. We have a different perspective, point of view, or whatever else you want to call it. We’re able to form non-biased evaluations of other people’s situations and offer what we think is the best advice, based on the fact that we can see them for exactly what they are. Because (most times) we are not personally invested in other people’s situations (good OR bad), it’s considerably easier to give people advice, or solutions to their problems, than to take our own advice when it comes to dealing with our own personal situations. Our understanding and analysis of their situations isn’t clouded by certain factors, and in most cases, we have nothing to gain or lose by offering honest advice to people based on our opinions. Its simple: It’s easier to give advice to people than to take that same advice because it concerns them, and not us.
I’m pretty sure we all believe in everything that we say when we give people our advice, what we think is the best way to handle certain things, or how to rise from less than fortunate circumstances. We know that if people believe in what we say, and take our advice, everything will work out and that nothing but good can come from them taking our advice to heart. We know that deep down, our advice is really all that a person might need in order to make it out of a bad situation, make the right decision about something, or achieve something that they’ve been too scared or hesitant to pursue. When we give people advice or encouragement, we do so while exuding positivity, hopefulness and confidence. So, if we can easily give people advice, and give advice that we trust and believe in, then why is it so hard for us to take our own advice when we are faced with similar circumstances that require the same advice?
On different occasions, I have given people advice regarding their own personal situations, and caught myself thinking about why I had not taken my own advice when I dealt with something similar in the past. I also have given advice, and then was later faced with the same issue that I had advised someone about. Even then, I failed to take my own advice. The thing is; the advice that we give most often requires people to do something that isn’t completely easy. We give people advice that we know will help them, but our advice can only help them if they take it to heart and do what is needed in order to succeed, achieve, or conquer. So, it is easy to give advice and expect people to take it, but we hesitate when it comes to taking our own advice simply because it involves us making decisions or doing things that are easy.
Giving advice and telling people what the ‘right thing’ is to do is easier said than done. Whenever we’re faced with our own personal situations that require advice, then maybe we should think of exactly what we would say to someone else who is experiencing the same thing. Then, we need to try to step out of our comfort zones and actually do what we would so easily tell that person to do, even though it’s hard. It might be hard and it will take making decisions that aren’t easy, but it’s definitely harder to know what we should do, and not do it.
perfectenigma 