Thanks for checking out another installment of Provertivity, where I take a proverb or wise saying and combine it with a productivity principle.  I really appreciate your comments and encouragement.  If you have a proverb/wise saying that you would want to be considered for a future blog post, add it to the comments below.

I love the book of Proverbs. It is full of wisdom for today. Proverb 15:22 is a great proverb. I like how another version of this proverb reads,

Your plans will fall apart right in front of you if you fail to get good advice. But if you first seek out multiple counselors, you’ll watch your plans succeed.” We all want to find success. Whether that is in our relationships, business, finances, or health, the goal is to succeed, not fail.

My wife Lisa and I have the privilege of working with couples who are getting ready for marriage. One of the first things we share with them is this proverb. Why, because we know that marriage is beautiful but sometimes challenging. Having wise counsel when things get tough or when new seasons emerge is so vital to the success of a marriage relationship and any other endeavor in which we invest ourselves.

You have probably heard the adage, “Learn from mentors or learn from mistakes.” I have personally found it less painful and more productive to learn from mentors. There is a perspective that comes with experience. And failure to tap into that perspective will, as the proverb says, lead to failed plans.

Here’s some hard truth; You are good, but probably not good enough to make it on your ingenuity alone. Everyone needs other people who have greater wisdom or insight. We all need the voice of those who have previously traveled the road we are on to help us avoid the pitfalls that may lie ahead.

Nothing can kill effectiveness and forward progress like doing things inefficiently or making bad decisions that cost time and resources. You can have the grandest plans but have weak strategies and systems to make them happen. Having the right counsel can increase the odds of success.

The proverb says that with “many advisors” there is success. So, here are five types of advisors that you can leverage as you move forward in your life.

Accountability Partner

Everyone needs accountability. We all need checks and balances to push us to be our best self. A lack of personal accountability can lead to the inevitable and sometimes devastating consequences that result from living an unhealthy and unchecked life. An accountability partner will call you out on broken promises and the failure to keep commitments. Making yourself accountable to trusted people can be a safety net from making wrong decisions that lead to failure.

Mentor/Coach

As Bill Gates put it, “Everyone needs a coach.” The good news is that coaching is becoming increasingly more accessible. A coach is going to be objective, knowledgeable, skilled in listening, and someone who cares. A good coach will ask the right questions and sometimes the hard questions. A good coach will provide honest feedback and helpful insight. The right coach can be a guide in providing the direction and tools needed for growth and finding the right path forward. You may need a coach for a specific area where you are hitting a lid or in areas where you do not see the growth you desire. These could be in areas like spiritual growth, health, finances, relationships or productivity.

Counselor/Therapist

You may be thinking, isn’t a counselor and a coach the same thing. No. A coach focuses on helping people achieve their goals, giving motivation for, and creating plans for change. A counselor works with people to solve the problems that make them feel bad emotionally or keep them from functioning well. There are times when we need to get help overcoming issues from our history that hold us back from moving forward into our destiny. Anxiety, depression, and many other emotional matters require the services of a trained professional counselor to move forward.

Expert

Who are the people already doing what you want to do at a higher level than what you are currently doing it? For most of us, we will never have the opportunity to meet and get direct counsel from these people in a face to face setting. However, many experts make their counsel and advice readily accessible through the books they have written, blogs and podcasts that they have posted online and seminars that they teach. Today, you can leverage most experts on demand, twenty-four, seven.

Wise Sage

Merriam-Webster defines a sage as a person of great understanding of people and of situations and an unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them. A wise sage is a person farther down the road than you who has through reflection and experience, greater wisdom and insight about life and how to be successful at it. When I think of a wise sage, I think of Mr. Myogi from the Karate Kid movies. More than teaching Daniel LaRusso karate, he taught him how to live a better life (wax on wax off).

Life can be challenging and complicated at times. Getting the right voices around you is so important if you are going to succeed. History is littered with people who failed due to inadequate or no counsel. Recently I heard Brian Houston, Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church say, “There is a big difference between opinion and good counsel. Opinion is forced on you; counsel is invited.” I encourage you to think about the “advisors” you have around you. Maybe it is time to add to your “many advisors” and invite the voice of an accountability partner, coach, counselor, expert or wise sage to speak into your reality and enjoy the success that results from the input.

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