We will always find people around us who are ready to give us advice when we discuss things with them. I sometimes get irritated by them. I ask myself why did I have to discuss this with these people when I knew they might give some advice related to that.
But when I think about it later , I feel I came to know a lot things about something because of their suggestions/advice. Deciding what to do and what not to do is a personal choice and one has to be assertive to exercise it. But it is also good to listen to others when they give advice or suggest something.
One such instance was when I was thinking what to do with my provident fund balance when I was moving to a new company. I was not sure whether to transfer it or withdraw it to repay my remaining loan.
I had planned to transfer the amount. When I discussed this with few of my colleagues and friends, they started suggesting different things. I initially felt very irritated, but then when I listened to them I came to know the various pros and cons of transfer or withdrawal.
One colleague suggested I repay my loan by withdrawing the pf amount and explained what benefit I would get from it. I just listened. Another friend suggested me to transfer and not touch the money from it since I will get excellent amount after I decide to stop working. He even shared a pf calculator and showed me how much I would gain or lose. I listened to him.
Finally what I decided was based on the information I had gathered from my friends which had given me much better insight. The decision I took was mine but yes feedback and suggestions were theirs.
This incident taught me a small lesson about why listening doesn't hurt, but helps...