Who’s Got Your Ear?

This week was good as far as my food choices were concerned. The weather was not nice. I didn’t walk this week but I did ride the bike. We shall see where that lands me tomorrow!

This week, Tank, our youngest son, came in and asked me for my debit card to fill my vehicle with gas. He has been driving all over town and even to Fort Morgan a couple times. I am loving that he is loving this driving thing. But he has been burning through the gasoline lately. I joked with him that I think he has filled my tank more in the last two weeks than I did all of last year with everything being canceled because of Covid. Where we normally would have put in thousands of miles, we didn’t because most of us were staying home instead of traveling to long distance sports events for our children. Tank’s making up for it now. Anyway, he took my card to the gas station in town and filled my tank. Dad and I also asked him to go inside JD’s and purchase some snacks. When he came back home, he said he was sorry it took him so long. We said we didn’t really care how long he’d been gone but when he mentioned it we asked him what kept him. He said it was the slowest gas station he had ever seen. We assumed he meant there was a line. He said there wasn’t a line but the gas was running very slowly out of the pump. Wade told him next time that happens, put the pump handle on the ground, not flowing, of course, and leave it for about 10 seconds and when you put the nozzle back in to pump it will flow faster. Tank and I still aren’t sure if he was joking or serious but we agreed, privately, that the next time it happened to either one of us, we would try it and report back to the other. We will either look like idiots or geniuses. Depends on who’s looking, I guess. This whole exchange started me thinking about what advice we listen to on a daily basis. Where do we turn when we need to know something? How do we vet that information? And how do we apply it to our life?

How many times in life have you been in the process of making a decision and talked to others about it only to change your mind after talking to them? There is one big personal example that I can use. Network marketing and starting your own business within that industry. I’ve seen it more than once . . . people who are considering a venture will talk to others about their opportunity to start a business in network marketing and are immediately dissuaded or discouraged from their initial thoughts and decision to start something in that industry. Usually that conversation sounds like this: “Oh, yeah, I did network marketing with *insert company here* and it didn’t work.” Or, “My cousin did something like that and it didn’t work for them.” Never mind the financial geniuses and gurus in our country who say it is something they would do and is something that everyone should do. This list of proponents of this industry include Robert Kiyosaki (American businessman and author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”), Tony Robbins (Author and motivational speaker), and even Warren Buffet (American business tycoon, investor and philanthropist). These three well-known success icons endorse the industry but we will listen to people who know NOTHING about the industry tell us what we should and shouldn’t do. Another example could be in raising children. There are literally hundreds of books and lectures and articles on the best way to raise children. I don’t know that any ONE book or any ONE expert can truly tell you the best way to raise a child. Especially in today’s world. I am no expert in child rearing. What I think I qualify as is an expert in raising my children. Well, as much as one can be. But there are people who will tell us that we should do this and never do that because of the future repercussions. Honestly, parenting is overwhelming enough as it is, and becomes daunting when there are so many people who have our ear in the matter. What I do know is that every child is different . . . even the two children in my house who came from the same two parents . . . and because of that, what works for one may or may not work for another. The last example that I’ll use is weight loss. There are HUNDREDS of weight loss programs, plans, and ideas. There are HUNDREDS of workouts, fitness routines and ways to get back in shape. And there are probably even more well-meaning individuals who will offer their advice, whether it was solicited or not, about what they think is the best way to lose weight and get fit. Once again, every person’s BODY is different and what works for one may not work for another. We have to find what works for us. And then proceed with caution . . . in ALL of the things mentioned above. 

Great. We have advice. Now how do we know what is best? How do we vet the information we have received? I am big on research. I research everything I am considering doing or wondering about. It’s kind of ridiculous. But even with that I am cautious about how I interpret it and I always consider the source of that information. I am one who fully believes that anything and everything has an answer in the Bible. You can label me a nut or a religious fanatic or a Jesus freak. You wouldn’t be the first and probably won’t be the last. But just because it was written thousands of years ago and the stories took place thousands of years ago doesn’t mean it doesn’t translate to today. I love the Word and I love finding answers to problems in my life by searching and researching the things inside it. Another favorite way to figure out if the advice I am receiving is good and helpful and honest is to have a group of family and friends whose priority on advice-giving is honesty over feelings. I am blessed to have several people in my life who will offer “no holds barred” honestly and truly “pull no punches” with me. You need to find people who care more about YOU than they care about hurting your feelings if that’s what it takes to keep you from harm . . . in any arena. You have to find a way to thoroughly vet the advice coming to you.

You can ask for advice and receive it. And you can make sure you’ve vetted the advice through whatever means you can. But how do you apply it to your life? As you know if you’ve been following my blog, I am using a painting technique called acrylic paint pouring. I have been strictly using canvases. But there are people who pour on anything that isn’t living and breathing. I am going to try my hand at pouring on some wood to make clocks. I have ordered the round circles of wood, the clock mechanisms and some numerals to put on the clock face. I am kinda excited about it. But because it is a new thing for me, I posted on one of the acrylic pour facebook pages I belong to on the best practices for paint pouring on wood. I got tons of responses. To apply all the advice to my technique, I need to find what the majority has done, maybe research it myself and then proceed with caution, knowing it may take me a couple tries to accomplish what I want. The application of advice can be messy at times. It can be scary and it can even hurt. But what good does the advice do if we don’t use it? None. We are exactly where we started. And rarely, if ever, do things get better with inaction. They either deteriorate or at best remain in the state they are . . . and let’s be honest here – we aren’t happy in that state or we wouldn’t be asking for advice, right? So while half the battle is making sure we have good advice and information, the other half is actually applying it. 

There are a lot of people in our lives who want to be there for us and want to offer advice. We just need to know how to understand, vet and apply it once we’ve received it. I think the most important thing is to know who has our ear and know whether or not we can trust them to help us make the best decision. We are human after all and oftentimes we allow our own feelings, experiences, fears and worries to factor into our own advice giving. The key is to try and be as objective as possible and consider everything from every possible angle. Most of our friends and loved ones really do want what’s best for us. Truly. Even if the delivery of that advice is uncomfortable or even painful. Just as it happens for us when we are there for them. At the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do and in that process figure out what is going to make us happy. Life’s too short not to pursue happiness. And in case you have somehow forgotten . . . you ARE worth whatever it takes to be truly happy and healthy. 

#loveyourjourney #youreworthit #bettermewithNewYouCBD #Endo30 #itsuptoyou