Give people your advice and then follow it

Have you ever asked someone for advice? And when they gave it to you, did you actually use it? The truth is, most advice, solicited or unsolicited, ends up falling on deaf ears. In fact, giving advice can often feel like a waste of time because the chances of someone following it are close to zero. But that doesn’t mean giving advice is pointless. In fact, there’s an important reason you should keep doing it.

Why you should give advice

It’s easier to give advice than to receive it. And it’s even harder to implement that advice. Let’s face it: when you’re giving someone advice, you’re really just telling them what you would do if you were in their shoes. In a way, you’re talking to yourself through them, explaining how you’d act if you were facing that same situation.

The problem is that when we try to give ourselves advice, we tend to get stuck. We focus too much on what’s going wrong in our lives, overthinking the obstacles, and making excuses about why we can’t take action. That’s why giving advice to others is powerful. It bypasses your internal doubts and forces you to express a clearer, more confident perspective.

Therefore you should give people advice, and then use it yourself. The guidance you give others is often the guidance you most need.

Why outside perspective matters

Because you only see the exterior of another person’s life, your advice to them is usually free from the emotional weight that clouds your own judgment. For example:

• You might tell a friend to keep applying for jobs even after facing multiple rejections. To them, it sounds like encouragement, but to you, it’s also a reminder not to give up so quickly when things don’t go your way.
• You might advise a coworker to speak up in meetings and advocate for themselves. That same advice might reveal to you that you’ve been staying quiet when you should be voicing your ideas.
• You might tell a sibling to start saving money early, while realizing you’ve been neglecting your own financial discipline.

This kind of “uncensored advice” is valuable because it’s not weighed down by your personal insecurities. It’s simple, direct, and often exactly what you need to hear.

Advice as self-reflection

Think of advice as a mirror. When you give it to someone else, you’re reflecting your own values, beliefs, and potential actions back at yourself. This is why the best advice often feels like common sense. It already lives inside you, but speaking it aloud makes it real.

Remember this:

Wisdom is the ability to follow through on our own advice.

The next time you’re asked for advice, don’t hesitate to give it. Be honest, be direct, and then pause to consider:

Is this the same advice I should be applying in my own life?

Chances are, the answer will be yes.