“…if you seek counsel from a priest, for example you have selected that priest; and at bottom you already knew, more or less, what he would advise. In other words, to choose an adviser is nevertheless to commit oneself by that choice. If you are a Christian, you will say, consult a priest; but there are collaborationists, priests who are resisters and priests who wait for the tide to turn: which will you choose? Had this young man chosen a priest of the resistance, or one of the collaboration, he would have decided beforehand the kind of advice he was to receive. Similarly, in coming to me, he knew what advice I should give him, and I had but one reply to make.”
– Jean-Paul Sartre in the essay “Existentialism is a Humanism”
In other words, if you ask someone for advice, don’t get pissy when you don’t like what you hear. You knew what you were going to hear anyway, and you know it. And if you ask someone for advice on a very regular basis, why would you relish the opportunity to tell your adviser that [s]he is wrong? If it’s funny that [s]he is wrong, why ask her to tell you what to do all the time? And why would you assume your adviser is wrong because some other person said something different? Maybe the second person is wrong. Maybe they’re both wrong.
I get asked for advice a lot and have since I was 18. I actually like it. I think I’m just a good listener, if I can toot my own horn. I don’t think I possess some superior wisdom, and my station in life proves it.
I think people don’t always believe what they want to. Some people just believe the last thing they heard. Then there’s the person who never ever asks for advice and who unknowingly does stupid things that talking to another person might have fixed or prevented. (I am guilty of this.)
Still, and this is important: there is a lot to be said for doing your own thinking. A lot. Who can claim to do that?
If this refers to the cover letter fiasco… please be advised that it was my lack of confidence talking, and not me rejoicing in someone having a different opinion. :/ Even though that’s how it was meant to be perceived, it is truly me trying to mask my own flaw. It’s also a reason why I may never have anyone review my cover letters because I’m ashamed of my writing… which will probably lead to me being jobless.
>_<
This was actually about something non-work-related, dude. I think this was one of those future-post dealers from a week or so ago.
I don’t blog about my co-workers knowing they read it, sucka! :)