About this quote

Giving advice is easy because we do not have to live with the consequences of following it. We love playing the expert for our friends, but we rarely apply those same smart rules to our own messy lives. Why is it so hard to take our own guidance? Our personal blind spots block us from seeing our situations clearly, making our own wisdom useless to us. Next time you hand out a perfect solution to someone else, ask yourself if you have the guts to use it yourself.

When to use it

• You just spent an hour lecturing your brother on how to budget his paycheck, only to realize your own savings account is completely empty.
• After telling a gym partner exactly how to fix their diet and sleep schedule, you head home to eat cold pizza in bed at midnight.
• A coworker asks you how to resolve a conflict with their manager, and you give them brilliant advice that you are far too afraid to ever use yourself.