when i started this blog, i sought advice and did i get it. my manhood was challenged when this individual essentially asked “what do you know? what makes you so special? why are you qualified?” these tough questions branded on my brain. i was angered. in rage, even i politely responded and presented some of my successes. the advice business is not easy. it is an art…and a game.
the art to being a good adviso being an advisor is being a chess master. the game of chess is much like life. people are like chess pieces. they all have unique properties. some people are kings, others queens, and still others are pawns. by this, individuals have capabilities to make certain moves. some can make large moves and others plod ahead one step at a time. some individuals can only zig and zag like bishops. others can only go in a straight line like rooks.
beyond individual capabilities, there is also the game and the end game. by this, a good advisor, like a good chess player, can see moves in advance. they see where they can take their client and they see the roadblocks, impediments or traps that lie ahead. further, like a chess board in mid game, a good advisor can estimate the likelihood of victory.
this world is ever increasingly allowing the unqualified to be the advisors. the consequences can be a lifetime of pain or misery. as such, the advice that i received which angered me so much at the time was perhaps the best. i needed to spend the time and make the case as to whether i am truly capable of being in the advice business. with over three decades of doing so, the fact that i am able explain matters as if it is a game of cheese is certainly one sign of that ability.
The Ten Commandments Project 