In Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk plays Saul Goodman, a criminal lawyer turned lawyer criminal. He has an incredible talent for finding legal loopholes and skirts the edge of the law on a regular basis.
At some point, he espouses the wisdom that some people are immune to good advice. And as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it. You can show someone a path or offer them good counsel, but they must ultimately choose to take it.
It can be heartbreaking when you try to help someone and give them good advice and they just seem immune to anything you say. In a post from last year, I talked about how to discern whether or not someone is in a place to hear your advice or concerns. You can read it in full here, but here are the questions worth asking yourself:
A.) Does this person see where you are coming from and can admit that the situation is what it is?
B.) Did this person lack awareness of your perspective and are they able to have a conversation about it, whether they agree or disagree with your perspective?
C.) Are they in complete denial of the issue and pretending that it doesn’t exist?
If you find yourself giving someone advice over and over again and they just aren’t taking it, it might be time to pump the breaks. Listen to what they have to say empathetically, but don’t try to solve their problem or offer up unsolicited advice. Only offer your thoughts on the situation should they ask for it.
