Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.

Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it. – Gordon R. Dickson

I imagine this poster over a piece of exercise equipment...

I imagine this as poster over mounted above a disused piece of exercise equipment…

What does that mean?
While this is another commonly associated quote that has not yet been sourced, it is so true that I couldn’t pass it up. How many of you have seen the motivational posters on a wall, even in a frame? Probably everyone, right?

But the real question is how often is it on the wall of someone who doesn’t follow the advice? Yes, some people gather these just for their beautiful pictures. Others like them as reminders regarding some of their less desirable habits.

However, far too many simply hang them and then forget them. And that’s where the humor in the quote becomes so sweet. Ever see an angry person standing next to a poster proclaiming the virtues of tranquility? How about a very large person next to a poster showing a hiker or mountain climber?

I think you get the idea. While they might not do the exact opposite of what the quote says, they certainly tend to ignore it, or at least forget it is there. But I hope that’s not why you chose them in the first place. I hope you will try to integrate them into your life to some degree.

Why is listening to, and acting on, advice important?  
Well, that depends on if you are willing to learn from the experiences of others, I guess. If you’d rather make all your own mistakes, even the ones nearly everyone else has made, then listening to advice isn’t going to give you the satisfaction for which you are looking, right?

However, if you’d rather skip the obvious ways of messing up, and concentrate on finding new and unique ways of gaining experience, then you might want to rely the experiences of others. This means listening to the advice and applying it to your life.

Yes, having a poster on the wall can help you remember, and even help you alter your behavior. However, if you ignore it, it isn’t going to be much help, is it? That, I believe, is the thrust of the quote. If you don’t use it, why have it around?

Where can I apply this in my life?
Well, if you’re good at making Motivational Posters, you might try making one about this quote. That could be really funny. Feel free to send a copy to me, or attach it in the comments section of the blog. That could be truly funny if done well.

We could start with all the usual comments about smoking, over eating, or under exercising. There are tons of posters and sayings about these things. But how many of us don’t follow their advice? Perhaps we don’t have them on our walls, but the point is to learn from the experience of others, so that we don’t have to experience their fate as well, right?

What are some of the things you do that you know you probably shouldn’t be doing? Grab some paper and write a few of them down. Next to each one, put down all of the reasons (and all of the excuses) you use to either justify doing what you do, or for doubting what you know.

Are you too young to get cancer or diabetes? Will you start doing what you should be doing next year, or perhaps the year after that? Get them all captured on paper. Now ask yourself how many of those reasons or excuses you would gladly tell your friends or family? Or are they so lame and silly sounding that you’d be embarrassed to say them in public?

At my largest, I weighed almost 240 pounds. “That’s not bad for a guy who’s 6’4″ tall!” Not really, unless they played professional sports and had the bulk of that weight as muscle, and not as fat. It doesn’t matter how tall you are, if you have a true spare tire wrapping all around your middle.

I decided to do something about that, and am down to 205, and jogging fairly regularly. I plan on running in a 5k by spring. I had planned on doing so sooner, but I’ve done something to stress my big toe, so I’m slowing down and allowing it to heal.

That was me, but the question is “What are you going to do about your excuses?” What are you going to do about your refusal to listen to, and act on, the good advice you have heard? It’s up to you, but it’s just a matter of dropping your reasons and excuses and making the advice something you live by, not ignore.

The proper way to deal with catchy sayings is to take them to heart and make them part of your life. Or just hang them on the wall and laugh at them as you walk by.

From: Twitter, @thequote
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/gordonrdi170684.html
Photo by Inspirational-Quotes

About philosiblog

I am a thinker, who is spending some time examining those short twitter quotes in greater detail on my blog.
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2 Responses to Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.

  1. mosby says:

    This quote made me laugh. Thanks.

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