Thirsty Horses

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”
-Unknown


Greetings folks! At one time or another we’ve all had the moment where we were the smartest person in the room. The moment where you’re giving out suggestions and ideas, borderline genius stuff, and no one listened. The moment where the light bulb above your ahead was shining so bright you thought it might blind you. The moment where you legitimately thought about filling out an application to MENSA. Whether or not we were alone in that room or that room was the 3 year old room in a daycare is beside the point. The point is—is that you’ve had that experience and it sucked. Here you are with a million and one better things to do, like planning to take over the world, or how to get that pretty woman at the gym to notice you without thinking you’re weird, and you’re wasting your genius on these smucks. Waste of talent I know.

My advice to you: L.I.G. it. Let it go! No matter how great of an idea you may have, no matter how sound your advice may be, and no matter how dead on your statement may be, if someone chooses not to listen, you have to shrug it off and move on. Being angry about it is not worth the ensuing bleeding ulcer and high blood pressure meds. So what your friend decided to bet on the Patriots in the Super Bowl after you exhaustively explained why they would lose? So what your brother decided to ignore the rash on his girlfriend’s inner thigh as makeup, rather than a sign she might be a tad bit “promiscuous”? Who cares if your roommate thought it was a good idea to rent out the extra bedroom (a la the Gallaghers on “Shameless”) to various unsavory characters? (Well maybe you do and you probably should but you get the point.)

The point is, is that there will come a time where you will actually have a good idea and no matter how great of an idea it may be, someone will ignore it. I know it may hurt a tad bit more if the advisee is a loved one or if your good ideas are few and far between. But we have to deal. It sucks. I know. However, while some of us can learn from the mistakes of others or from instruction, there are many others who only learn that the stove is hot after suffering 3rd degree burns.

Part of the reason why we get so bothered is because we’re right and we know we’re right. Another reason why we’re so bothered is because we’re right and want acknowledgment of this fact in public and in private. And another large part is because once the other person realizes just how egregious their mistake was, and just how right we were, we’re the ones who are going to be called in to clean up the mess. So in many ways, our desire to have our advice taken is a way to save us from a massive cleanup job later. I know. I get it. I feel your pain.

The fact still remains that you can’t force people to do anything they don’t want to do. It’s a byproduct of the constitutional safeguards against involuntary servitude. Furthermore, a lot of times the harder we push for our idea, the harder they are going to fight against it. Many times increasing the damage exponentially. Give the advice, leave it on the table, and walk away from it. If, I mean when, you’re proven right, you have a couple of choices. You can extend a helping hand, get a broom and dust pan and help clean up the mess. Or you can walk away and leave the person to clean it up themselves. Both choices come with the option to point, laugh, and so long as this mistake doesn’t involve genitalia or a federal investigation, display the ensuing disgrace on Facebook/Twitter and gain the public vindication you so desperately crave. Until next time, Stay Up and Be Blessed!