Hehehe — you didn’t know that I spoke French? I hope you’ll forgive the use of that ugly word, but I’ve wanted to send out this essay with this title for MONTHS.
When you read the message below, I think you’ll agree — deep in your bones — it’s true
Any business advisor, or life advisor, or any human being who tells you they know what you should do now is lying to you.
Even worse, they’re either lying deliberately, knowing they are lying, or they’re oblivious to the fact they’re lying. Which is worse? Both are bad. Most importantly, neither serves you.
Surprised that a consultant is telling you this? It may be shocking, but I’m sick and tired of being told what I NEED TO DO by so-called experts who clutter my inbox and don’t know a thing about me.
All of us need to hire experts. However, we need to be wary of those who are giving advice without first making a valiant attempt at understanding both our dreams, and our reality.
There are two reasons to consider.
No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Most humans would rather avoid this fact, I know. It’s inconvenient! But not knowing what will happen tomorrow can be FANTASTIC news, since there are good surprises as well as bad surprises. Could a client you hadn’t heard from in 5 yrs. engage you? Yes, it just happened to me. Could a pandemic hit? We know the answer now…but two Thanksgivings ago? We lived in a different world. Which is the point! The world is a changing place, and we ignore and resist that to our detriment.
No one else is in your shoes. Therefore, no one else knows what you truly value most. The best decisions for you — what to do next, when to pivot — for decisions both seemingly small to large — are made through the lens of your core values and priorities. A trusted advisor perhaps will help you look at different options than you initially considered, reframing the situation itself. They can help you make a more informed decision. And that’s a better decision, no matter what tomorrow brings.
Cookie cutter solutions are for cookies, not people.
Til next time
This blog is originally published in Marilee's newsletter.
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