Tell us a story: timely advice

Tell us about the time when you were in the right place to offer someone advice that kept them from making a serious mistake, or helped prevent a small problem from turning into a big problem.  What was the situation?  What advice did you offer?  And what might have happened if you hadn't been there to help?

Good advice

This week, who gave you the most helpful and useful advice?  Were you intentionally looking for advice, or did they just happen to offer it?

Good dream karma

Do you sometimes dream of helping out someone else?  Do you dream of rescuing, protecting, advising, teaching, encouraging, or assisting other people? 

What kinds of people do you help in your dreams, and what kinds of problems do those people face?  Do you see any similarities to the problems you yourself face in your waking life?

This week's theme is dreams.

How to sleep better

What's the best advice you could give someone who told you they were trying to have better-quality sleep? 

Of the things that you would advise the person to try, are they all things that you do yourself?

Influence

Suppose for one whole day a magic spell made everyone take your advice and suggestions seriously. Who would you make a point of talking to? And what advice would you give them?

The shoe doesn't fit

Well-meaning advice can be useless if it's based on overly rosy assumptions about your situation. For example: "Too busy? Learn to delegate more tasks to your staff!"

What's a less obvious but equally unhelpful piece of advice that you still try to follow, even though it completely doesn't fit your circumstances?

This week's theme is ideal circumstances.

Advice

Who gave you advice recently? Was it advice that you welcomed and needed, or did it feel intrusive and unhelpful?

A book that made a difference

Think of the books you've read recently that inspired you, helped you understand or learn something, or helped you solve a problem. What is one book that stands out, that you would definitely recommend to others?

It's like my parents always said...

What is one lesson that you heard over and over from your parents — something that they wanted to make sure that you understood?

Did you heed their advice, or did you disregard it?

This week's theme is your parents.

Tell us a story: time traveler

If you could send a message back in time to your younger self, what advice would help the younger you the most? What might happen differently in your life as a result?

I can do it just fine by myself, thank you

Whose help did you unwisely refuse, because you didn't realize at the time how much you were going to need their help? What things might have gone differently if you had accepted their offer of help?

This week's theme is missed opportunities.

Improving your game

Are you winning at the game of life? What does it mean to win at life?

Suppose that you got a personal coach or trainer to help you improve your score in the game of life. What is the first bit of advice that your new coach would most likely give you?

The pressure's on!

When someone asks for your advice, are you comfortable saying "I don't know" or "I can't help you"? Have you ever felt pressured into giving advice just because you were eager to be helpful?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Dear Abby

Who turns to you for advice? What subjects do you advise people on? Is giving advice part of your job?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Diplomacy

Well-meaning advice isn't always well-received, and sometimes makes things worse. How do you decide when to offer advice, and when to keep your opinions to yourself?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Some call it meddling

Given the chance, whose life would you like to straighten out?

This week's theme is giving advice.

Giving advice

The longer we're on this earth, the more knowledge we accumulate. And, often, the more certain we are of the value of our knowledge and insights.

Do you like to tell people what they are doing wrong, and how they could do it better? What problems could easily be solved if people would only listen to your advice and wisdom?

This week's theme is giving advice.