ADVICE

Hey! Don't slouch, sit straight. Don't walk that way, walk like this. Don't talk so loudly, don't you know you're a lady? Talk confidently, don't you know you're a guy? You better read your books, after all that's why you were sent to school. Study hard, get good grades, graduate, get a good job, get married, have kids. Go to work on time, don't be rude to customers even if they are rude to you, remember the customer is always right. 😒

You've probably heard or said one or two of those sentences above. Sometimes, we say them on impulse, other times, we say it to others because that's what was told us when we were their age. But here's a thought...

James Geary said, advice is given freely because so much of it is worthless, I TOTALLY AGREE. Whoever said that ALL those who go to school and get good grades end up with good jobs? Whoever said that all customers are right even when they're obviously wrong? Whoever set the standard for how we should walk, talk, eat, sleep, drink and be? Whoever did this must either be absolutely out of their senses because those standards are absolutely WORTHLESS. We don't want that advice

Advice is what we ask for when we want to take the tough decision in our lives like should I wear a pink top with a red skirt 😕 or should I get spaghetti with beans 😁. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. Like I already know spaghetti with beans is probably a not so great idea and I probably wouldn't want to wear very bright pink top on a red skirt. Those are the kind of things I need your advice for. I need your advice to confirm this stuff 😂. 

But you know who always gives us unsolicited advice, apart from those your annoying neighbours?

Yes friend, it's your parents. I don't know about other parts of the world, but African parents must give you their advice. They'll probably start like "Do you want to know what I think?" Even if you say the most convincing 'no' you can muster, be rest assured that you must get that advice 😀😀😀. It's sometimes really annoying, I know; but other times, it just might be exactly what you need.

However, we need to be careful.

Especially when advising the younger generation. Their generation is vastly different from ours. When we were kids, our best toys were things like sand, sticks, bottle corks and our fellow kids. A few years later and these toys have been replaced with smartphones, laptops and virtual friendships. So they probably won't have the same problems we had at their age. Maybe we should stop giving them all the tips that worked for us because it probably wouldn't work for them... and maybe our parents should stop giving us advice about how it was in those days too 😅. Well... that's not going to happen.

So here's my advice on giving advice especially when it's unsolicited 😆. Don't give any! No two people's struggles are exactly the same, no two generations are exactly the same. You probably don't want someone telling you how to live your life so don't tell anyone how to live theirs

But, if you must give advice, please don't be a hypocrite. Give advice that you know you would take. Remember, he who can take advice is sometimes superior to him who can give it 😋. Give what you know you can take.