I'll Take the High Road to Help a Friend

Has someone been put into your life that really needs your wisdom or guidance? Have you continually seen them succeed mostly due to your mentoring plus their hard efforts? Have you become slack in your direction? Well, now is the time to straighten it up and get serious.

Each day our life needs real meaning and purpose. Sometimes we find that purpose right in our face as in someone else, for whatever reason, needing our guidance. They seem to ask us many questions and really listen to our answers or the options we give them. And most of the time, these options have failed to appear to them on their own. So, have we become lazy? Have we added joking and playing to our repertoire? Yes, we need fun and joy in life, but sometimes people just need to get on or back on track with their lives and we are just the person chosen to help.

I've found a good metaphor for this is a water slide. At first we are upfront with them with our advice. There is no 'gray' area, just 'black and white'; however, after some time has passed, we get a bit more involved with their lives and possibly blurred with our own vision. For example, honesty and purity may get thrown to the side and fun and joking may begin to get front stage. So, at first your advice was on the straight and narrow path, but then you, like them, probably have let circumstances guide your decision-making skills causing veering and turns like a water slide. This is not helping anyone. What is the best means of getting everyone back on track?

Here are four ideas on how to maintain a honest and helpful relationship:

1. At each turn, choose honesty in its purist form and stick to it. When a decision in their lives comes up, ask them what their options are and choose the straight and narrow. You may even need to add one or two choices to their options that are totally honest and true.

2. Hold them up to these high standards saying things like, "You are better than that" or "You were raised better than that" or even "You should know better than that, now." Never support dishonesty which in turn can lead to further problems.

3. Encourage them to look for wisdom on their own and even point them to some resources if you can.

4. Let your own conversation be wise to them. This is how they met you. This is how you can continue to help them.
Now, with the path you will be back on, good decisions are to be found and delighted in.

And isn't that much better than just another joke amongst friends? Let's delight in each other and continue to help and encourage one another.