No more advice!

This week I gave a friend advice on how to get from where she was to where I thought she wanted to be.

Quickly.

Hands dusted, job done!

That good advice didn’t pan out well.

I felt confronted by a realisation. And not a new one…

That instead of giving advice, I need to ask [give] questions.

I need to show [give] curiosity.

That advice-giving short-changes listening.

And that’s not helpful.

Answers are closed rooms, and questions are open doors that invite us in.
Nancy Willard.