When we think about advice, how often is our prescription actually what we feel is best? Better yet, how often do we live up to the ideals we share with others?
In many cases, we fail to follow our own advice. We caution against the status quo for the sake of security, but we ourselves continue to avoid risk and avoid discomfort.
You see this classically played out with parents and children, where the adult will push the child to achieve all the things they were too afraid to try earlier in life. It’s quiet desperation when the sunk costs of life make changing direction seemingly insane.
At the end of life, we’ll look at insanity as the reasons we made up in our minds to justify not trying something. Whether for the monetary cost or status implications, we continuously find reasons to stay as we are and to suffer in the same ways we always have. We continue to see the world the same way and we don’t do anything to change our perspective.
To pass along real value, we must first live out the ideals we so aspire to. After all, people are much more likely to be convinced of something by how you act, not simply what you say.