I’m going to start off my words today with a multiple choice quiz. Think carefully about your own behavior before you answer. First Question—When you have a difficult problem in your life you are most likely to a) keep it to yourself and try to solve it on your own, b) ask a friend for advice on how to solve the problem, or c) ask your parent or sibling for help. The second question is, if you ask someone for advice, how often are you likely to follow it? A) more than 90% of the time, b) half the time, or c) rarely. The final question is, if you follow the advice of a friend or family member, how likely are you to credit or blame them depending on the outcome of your solution? a) very likely to credit them if it works, b) very likely to blame them if it doesn’t, or c) I usually forget who I asked for what. The reason I’m asking these questions is that asking for help is a really hard thing for a lot of people to do. Asking the right people for help is even harder. It is very easy to ask someone who you know will give you the answer you want, but it is much smarter to ask someone you respect for advice. I had an experience in my life when I asked someone for advice because I knew he would tell me what I wanted to hear. I followed his advice, got myself in a world of trouble and resented his bad advice for years. The bottom line is, no matter who you ask for advice, the decision is ultimately yours and you own it. So, do your best to make the best decisions you can.