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How do opinions help to create a rich life? There is something telling about a person who gives their opinion at the right time. They don’t just blurt it out assuming everyone wants to know what they think. These successful people give their opinions in the form of advice or constructive criticism when provoked in order to help other people.

Other successful people ask for people’s opinions in the hope that it will make them better. Asking questions or asking for help is a great way to learn and grow. That kind of habit is a sure-fire way to not make the same mistakes as those with more experience.

Sometimes we don’t want to know what people think because we are afraid of the answer. Other times, we ask because we want some advice. Either way, we might not get what we expected to hear but we always get one thing, insight into what the other person thinks – their opinions.

Opinions are like noses, everyone has them.

When Opinions Aren’t Helpful

Be careful not to act on everything. Some people will gladly give you their opinions while others are more guarded. Those that give out their opinions like candy will probably value their words like 24 karat diamond rings. In reality, those thoughts are more like the ring pops you get from a vending machine.

For those of us that are trying to enrich our lives with healthy family relationships and friendships, it pays to not always say what comes to our minds. I call this having a filter between your brain and your mouth.

You can think whatever you want, but the moment you say something, that becomes an action. And like I’ve said previously, repeated actions over time are what create habits and habits make up who we are.

Opinions Make People Unique

There are some people that like to go with the flow. They follow the crowd and don’t really care what the group does. These people are great as they won’t ruffle anyone’s feathers and are generally agreeable with most things.

But there is one major drawback when they don’t give their thoughts, and that is that we never know what they think. If they never express their opinions, then we don’t know anything about them.

When we don’t give our opinions enough and are just go with the flow all the time, we begin to lose sight of who we are and what we want. Over time, we continue to do what other people want because it is easier than bringing up a conflicting viewpoint and starting a disagreement.

If this happens long enough, we will be living someone else’s life and not our own. We will forget about our wants and our own dreams because we are wrapped up in following what other people want to do.

This is why it is important to speak up when we oppose what the group wants to do. By doing this, in a calm and respectful way, we show other people our preferences and they begin to learn more about us. These conversations are where deeper relationships live.

A Balancing Act

As you can see, this can be an interesting balancing act. Living somewhere between being a loudmouth, know-it-all, and a bland follower with little personality.

All I can say is that in my experience, people will generally ask for your opinion on something.  When this happens, don’t shy away from speaking your mind. Be confident that your opinion matters and that when people asked for it they really wanted it. They gave you permission to express your opinion, so take it.

On the other hand, use that internal filter when the urge comes to say something that you think would help the group. Understand the situation and realize that sometimes oversharing can be detrimental to relationships.

Overall, this is a personal battle we all share. Passing information along from our past experiences is one of the best ways to leave a legacy. In this way, imparting wisdom is the best tool we have to do this. But any tool we use can be turned into a weapon when overused.

So, be careful how many opinions you give because we only have one nose, and those opinions can smell like roses or like something else…