Outsider Looking In
We often don’t think that an outsider will know how to help and when they start to provide their thoughts, both get rejected. After all, every outsider is by the very nature of the term, excluded. They couldn’t possibly have anything to add that would help any circumstance because they just don’t have the insider knowledge.
Perspective Matters
How we look at something is influenced by our thoughts and involvement. When we are too close to a subject, we often can’t get enough of a look at it to see the whole picture. This can lead to having ideas that don’t take everything into account and result in an incomplete conclusion. It might not be wrong, just not all the intel needed. It’s a little like getting too close to a giant painting and only examining the brushstrokes of a square inch. You might not know what you are really looking at and end up with diminished enjoyment.
Appreciating the View
Those less emotionally involved in an event can provide us with a different play-by-play and review the challenges from a vantage point we don’t have. They act as caring trainers with a broader view who use their ties to us and our well-being as a reason to be bold enough to offer their thoughts. Their insights might actually be better formed than ours if we are too emotionally involved. Sadly, we often resist this assistance because they can’t share our feelings. But this is the trait that makes them crucial. The very nature of their non-involvement is what makes what they think count.
Consider Advice
At the very least, a caring outsider demonstrates that they are strong enough to suffer your adversity by approaching you. At their best, their advice may prove useful in at least adding to the limited answers you are able to conjure up. The strength of your response to a situation deserves thoughtful input. Discovering guidance from a caring friend leaves you open to a better outcome for yourself and provides a bridge that you may be able to use to cross to them also.
When you know-a-lot, you can make it difficult for others to see how you need assistance. Can you openly seek the advice of someone else you trust to gain a new viewpoint? Would you be brave enough to offer unsolicited advice to a trusted friend?
