How To Know If Someone Is Giving You Bad Advice

A lot of times, there comes a moment in an individual’s life when they are in a dilemma or uncertain of how to handle a situation. Like most people, every individual reaches out to others for advice. These pieces of advice can be about anything related to a complicated relationship, work, studies, or the next major step in life. As a result, it becomes important to take the right advice from the right person.

Sometimes, the advice that we receive may or may not be the right one. If the wrong advice is followed, it can lead to terrible repercussions or make a tough decision even tougher. Even though bad advice does not always come from bad intentions, its consequences can even spoil a relationship. So, here are some ways to spot bad advice:

1.  Understand If They Are Even Interested:Sometimes bad advice comes when people are not interested in the conversation. The best way to understand that is to gauge whether they are engaged in the conversation or not. If someone is asking questions related to the situation, this suggests that they are actively engaged. However, when someone is not interested, they might give advice that works best for them. They do not go that extra mile to understand the situation. They just suggest what they would have done in the situation.
2. Check Whether the Person’s Advice Resonates With You: It is extremely important to check in with yourself before following someone else’s advice. If someone’s advice brings clarity to your life or feels like the right thing to do, then it’s fine to follow their advice. However, if someone’s advice does not resonate with your morals and values, there a high chance that it might be a bad one.
3. Do They Put in Efforts to Understand You?: When it comes to seeking advice, one-size-fits-all doesn’t work. Everyone seeks advice that is tailored according to their experiences, situations, and circumstances. If someone offers advice that is solely based on their outlook and doesn’t put in effort to understand someone else’s point of view, then there are high chances that they might be giving bad advice.
4. Focuses on Outcome, Not Process: Sustainable advice is one that involves a thoughtful process. If advice is solely based on the outcomes and doesn’t focus on the steps involved to achieve them, then it might come out as totally unrealistic.