Giving advice to people is a challenge at times.
Instead of being grateful for your advice, some people spit in your face, and call you some names.
What gives?
Maybe on nutrition, or maybe financial advice.
How does that go for you?
If you answered, “terrible”, you’re on the same boat as me.
Try as I might, people that would benefit the most will not take my advice on anything.
They call you a know it all, but they’re the ones guilty of that.
I tried to give my mom basic nutrition advice a few years ago.
I told her, “Stop eating ice cream and drinking soda” as she was getting her daily dose (this was 16-year-old me, if you care).
Do you know what she did?
She doubled down!
As in, she ate double the ice cream!
What the hell?
I can understand just ignoring me, but going twice as hard on something that is obviously bad for you?
It feels like it’s always the same when I give anyone any advice.
The people that need it the most won’t listen.
How do we deal with this?
Let’s go over a few things that I have done that to keep my sanity (for the most part)
1. Accept that some people won’t ever listen
Don’t even try.
Some people just won’t listen.
And that’s fine.
Just let them fall.
That sound harsh, but it’s for the best.
We can’t save everyone with life-saving advice.
A know-it-all tells you she majors in creative writing?
Just let it happen.
A close buddy won’t listen to your marriage advice?
He’ll have to learn the hard way.
Your energy should not be dumped into these people.
Your energy can be used for many more people.
So, focus on the ones that you really care about, like family.
Also, try to get people that are on the fence.
Just don’t worry about people that are dead set on self-destruction.
2.Don’t become one of them
It’s easy to write off people that won’t take good advice.
Why should I listen or follow anything that moron says, right?
Not so fast.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
We should always remember that this “moron” might know some things that we don’t know.
For instance, I had a buddy that was terrible with diet.
Beer all day, every day. Pizza with ice cream on most nights.
Despite that, he was not fat.
And he got laid.
A lot.
He would get laid left and right.
He was an animal.
But I never tried any of his moves.
Why?
Because he didn’t take my advice on his diet.
Even though I was having the hardest time getting laid, I would not follow in his footsteps.
My pride got in the way.
And I missed out because of it.
3. Write some articles, or join a forum
If you really know what you’re talking about, you can tell the entire world.
It’s the beauty of the internet.
People from all around the world will tell you if your ideas are good or valid.
They may even add to your ideas or give you inspiration.
It’s only right to let as many people in on the good stuff as you can.
You can take it a step further and start up a YouTube channel.
Share your information with whoever will listen!
This really is the best time to be alive.
I still take the internet for granted because of my young age.
It’s a shame.
So, if you only read but never contribute, what are you doing?
Get out there and spread your knowledge to the world (or at least get put in your place).
Conclusion
This article is inspired by The Trial and Death of Socrates.
He tried to give people the ability to think deeper.
All he wanted was for everyone to be wise (or at least know that they were not wise).
To be able to live as good a life as they could.
To reach their max potential.
And for that, he was sentenced to death.
I want to say that I am going through the same things as him.
That would be an overstatement though.
But there is a lot of similarities.
The same mindset is still here from all those years ago:
People would rather believe a lie than learn the truth.
It’s a shame.
I assume that a lot of guys here are close to my age (21-26).
This article was geared toward them.
Please let me know how old or young you guys are in the comments.
And please tell me about the times you’ve been spit on for trying to help your fellow men or women.
I would love to hear about it.
See you guys next time.
–Elijah “The Realist”
