How to Ask for and Receive Advice

It seems that you can always find people who want to give advice, but is it reliable? How do we know the advice given is the advice we need? It doesn't matter on what topic there is always someone willing and able to answer. However, not all advice is good and some should require us to do some research before we even ask. In this article I want to explore how to ask for and receive advice because not all advice is good. In order for us to know we need to become somewhat familiar with the topic before we ask.

First thing we should do is use your computer and do some research about the topic. For example if we needed financial advise would we go to financial websites and become somewhat familiar with the topic. Which means we would need to narrow our search to a specific question. If we wanted to know about reverse mortgages than we should do a search on them. Sometimes in our searches we stumble on the specific advice we need before we even ask the experts.

Second, if you had a medical question you would not ask your broker. It makes me wonder sometimes when people want to start their own business for example they go and ask a family member who has never run a business. Thats no way to ask for advice. Not only would you most likely get discouraged by the answer you would never look for an alternative. So, it makes a difference where you go and who you ask to get your answers.

Third, on the Internet now new expert sites are popping up where people can ask questions on specific topics. Yahoo has Yahoo answers but you may get a lot of normal people responses to your questions that are completely off. Plus you have to sift through many responses before you get the advice you need. However, there is always someone who may answer your question with pretty good advice. This tool is free but the old saying you get what you pay for. The expert sites some are free and others get right down to helping you solve a problem or get the help you need for a fee.

Fourth, some advice is one persons a opinion. Some of it is good and some of it maybe not what you need to hear. Receiving advice is just as important as asking cause the answer may not be what you want to hear but may be timely to what you need to hear. Ann Landers gave advice for years concerning families and relationships. Most of her advice was very timely. She was human though and some of her advice was maybe not the right advice for the situation.

Fifth, you have people in your life who have specific areas of expertize that can help you in those areas. However, just because they can give you advice about your car doesn't mean they can help you fix your computer. If you haven't any one in your life with an answer to a specific problem that's when you need to seek out another expert or knowledgeable person. Sometimes you find outdated information which you can apply some of it for today. The secret is don't stop looking to you find someone who can answer your question.

Sixth, trust your instincts cause some people will give you advice knowing it is wrong. If it sounds funny than keep digging until you find the answer your looking for.

Asking for advice and looking for information go hand in hand in this age. With all the tools and knowledgeable people walking around we should never be without the answers we need.