I spoke with my friend Karen today, who has put her house on the market here in California and plans to move to Hawaii. She has a successful computer consulting and repair business which she now must relocate. She is not married, nor currently has a boyfriend.
She called to tell me she couldn’t play golf tomorrow and in the process was lamenting because she had no husband or significant other to discuss these big decisions with. I am married. She was trying to tell me how lucky I am. (Yes, I am!) But, I reminded her…she had gotten this far in life without a husband. (She was married before and has a wonderful college aged son.)
After talking a few minutes, she was able to see that she was really looking for an intelligent sounding board. A husband would require that she negotiate her decisions. She just needed advice from someone who could understand her, analyze the options, brainstorm financial implications and bolster her up. I gave her that advice and she was very thankful at the end of the call.
My point in all this is NOT that husband’s aren’t good advisors. But…you don’t have to have a husband to get good advice. Karen didn’t give herself enough credit. Sit quietly and analyze your friends. Who has the strengths and skills you need to discuss your issue with? The friend may be male or female. You may need to go to several and weigh their advice.
Just don’t wallow in self-pity or feel lost. Sometimes your best advisors are right under your nose – or at least a phone call away. Pull out your address list or contact directory and see who might be able to help!
PS…make sure you say ‘thank you’ them as Karen did to me. They will really like it and may not even be aware of the how much they helped you.
Comments on this entry are closed.