Recently a close friend of mine was faced a major upheaval in his life (the details of who, what happened, etc are unimportant). In the aftermath, confusion, and grieving he was consoled my many people and offered lots of advice as friends tend to do. One surprise happened as a particular piece of advice given really hit home - it was exactly the same advice he had doled out 2 years ago. He didn't even recognize the words, as if they had been uttered by a stranger rather than his former self.

I've found in the last few years, that the best advice for me is what I give to others. It's as if others allow me to see in myself what I can't or I'm unwilling to see in myself (because we all have trouble at objectively looking at ourselves from our clearly subjective experience). What my friend experienced is the exact same thing. He was so lost in the scenario that he could not see what he already saw before so clearly. When we look at ourselves, we lack clarity. When we see ourselves in others, we have gain that back but only if we are aware enough to see it.

But therein lies the most difficult part. If we only applied all of our advice back to ourselves, what an amazing gift it would be. Personally, it's a lesson I'm still learning. A big thanks to my friend for the reminder.