I have been spending a lot of time on Clubhouse, the popular social media app which allows multiple people to chat (talk) in chatrooms. It’s basically an app for people to discuss topics they are interested in. One interesting thing that I have observed is that many people like to ask questions in chatrooms. Not only do they like to ask questions, many people also like to ask personal questions about what they should do on a particular topic. For example, on where to invest their money. I am constantly surprised at how readily people would ask questions even on the most basic things. Things that a simple Google search could find out for you.
I am not against asking questions at all. It’s perfectly normal to have questions and look for advice from other people. But I feel it’s always best to have some kind of idea before relying on other people. I believe the best answers only come to those who attempt to find the answers themselves first. If you want quality advice, you first need to try to find the answers yourself. There is a lot more than just getting the correct answer.
We are all different. We have different personalities and standards, what is good for one person may not be good for another person. Receiving an answer is a bit like that. It’s easy to get instructions, but you will never get to experience what is truly the best for you. Take career advice for example, when I was in my early twenties, I had many career consultations on what jobs and career path are best for me. All of the advice I got were great. But after many years of working at various jobs and companies, I realised a good job is not just about the jobs (titles, roles and tasks) themselves but there are so many other things to consider. It’s the people, the environment and many many other things. Even bad experiences are valuable lessons. In the end, no amount of advice could match the actually experience.
It’s a great feeling to get support and guidance from time to time, we all need them. Unfortunately things don’t just end there. Getting the correct answer is just a starting point. You will need to put in the effort, invest time and energy and really experience it yourself to make it yours. Only at this point will it have benefit to you. After all, it’s much more sustainable to learn how to fish than just receiving fish from others.