Every so often Baz Lurhman’s ‘Sunscreen’ comes on the radio and I have to stop everything I am doing, turn up the volume and feel the joy of the song.
I love what he says about advice:
‘Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
And recycling it for more than it’s worth’
I think that advice is better seen as story telling. If someone is trying to give you advice it’s important to remember that it’s their story they are sharing, they are enjoying re-living their experiences, they are connecting and re-igniting to old emotions. This is a beautiful thing to witness. But as Baz says we must remember that advice is is form of nostalgia, and often isn’t the right thing for us and our journey.
I think about this with coaching. In the coaching relationship we are prompting clients to find their own advice, to dig deep into what feels right for them and to follow their intuition around what to do next.
Both have a place in our lives. We are story tellers and story listeners, but we also must remember to go inward and listen to our own advice when we really need some help moving forward.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash