When people give advice that you didn’t ask for nor need, how do you handle it in a way that won’t seem rude but will definitely send them off?
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The greatest gift that any human can give to another is unsolicited feedback.
I fear the day that people stop looking out for me, stop offering me coaching, stop unabashedly criticizing my flaws and making me a better person as I kick and scream along the way.
Because, at that point, what does that mean? No one loves me anymore? I’m so perfect that I don’t need advice? Or that they think I’m simply unable to change or too old to learn a new trick?
None of this sounds appealing. But continual growth and feedback does. So for now, I will continue to welcome these awkward gifts of human affection in the form of feedback. And hey, worse comes to worst, at the end of the day, only I get to choose what to believe and truly take to heart, right?
Stop telling people what’s going on in your life. That way they have no opinion or advice to give you whatsoever. Seriously though, people like telling others about themselves. It’s how we socialize. Perhaps don’t let people about problems in your life that you don’t want advice on, but completely shutting them off in order to prevent unsolicited advice seems like an empty world to me.