Walking with the Wise

Who do you choose to listen to for advice? And are you willing to do what they tell you to do? Those are two of the biggest questions we have to answer in our lives.

There’s so much noise in the world with social media, the internet, and books being published on demand. Everybody can be an expert, guru, coach, or mentor. And much of your success depends on who you choose to listen to and what advice you decide to take action on.

Jim Rohn is famous for articulating the belief that we are the average of the five people we hang out
with the most. That advice is built on the older proverb that if you “Walk with the wise, and become wise.” Pretty simple logic.

So then what are the keys to choosing who to listen to, who to read, and who to follow? And how do you put that advice into practice? Here are some quick tips:

• Look for the wise. Who has done what you want to do? Find the people who have experienced and gone before you on the path. Listen to their advice. Find someone who has lasted for a long time as well. Many may have achieved something in the short-term, but it takes character and consistency to stay at the top.
• Be coachable. Have an attitude of doing what the person says to try. Take their word and do what they say.
• Experiment with what they recommend. Everyone is different. You are an n of 1. Try the advice and see how you like it. If it doesn’t fit with your personality, values, or goals then you can change or discard.
• Build in a ritual of discovery. There are many wise people in the world. Create a ritual of reading new material, listening to podcasts, and doing new activities that will expose yourself to the wise to be able to soak in their advice.

I’ve had the fortune to be able to be around some of the most successful retired football and basketball coaches in the nation. They get together for breakfast every couple of weeks and I join in. Mostly I just listen and they tell stories of games, former players, and the current state of sports. But in those stories are gems of living life well. I want to continue to surround myself with people that have done it and can transfer that wisdom to me.

Who do you listen to and what was the best advice they’ve given you?