Tip: I would rather be wrong with you than right without you!
Do you know that all of life is really made up of one thing – relationships? Almost everything that we do involves a relationship with another person. And, because of that, we listen to them and allow them to influence our lives. The old saying is really true that no man is an island unto himself (or herself). All of us need each other and, it is my belief that the more good relationships we have in our life, the better off we truly are.
A few years ago, a friend of mine wanted me to join him in a business venture about which I did not know a great deal. However, because of our long-standing, strong friendship, I was willing to listen to the advice he gave me about this particular enterprise. There were several others he was trying to recruit as well. After listening to his proposal, I decided to get involved in the project with him, but some of the others did not.
When it was all over, one of the gentlemen who decided not to participate asked me how I had made my decision about getting involved in the situation. I told him that I would rather fail with my friend than to succeed without him. That sentence just jumped out of my mouth at the time, and even caught me off guard. But, it reminded me an important lesson that I have thought about many times since. We cannot learn anything in a vacuum. We learn and grow by the experiences of life. Charlie Jones used to say, “you will be the same person you are right now, 10 years from now, except for 2 things: the people you meet and the books you read.” It is very true that the people you surround yourself with will be the ones who ultimately influence your life. Those are the ones you will become like and whom you follow.
Recently, my wife and I were looking for a particular business location as we were driving in Florida. She had gotten an address, but it turned out to be wrong. When we got there and she realized that she had made a mistake, she apologized to me. I simply looked at her and said, “I would rather be lost with you than to be found without you!” Well, you can imagine how she responded to that!
All of us realize that there are certain people that we want in our lives even though they may sometimes make a mistake that costs us something. Every parent understands this concept! It is far better to grow with others in the experiences of life than thinking we can do everything perfectly or correctly by ourselves. That scenario simply does not exist!
Unless you want to live on an island alone with a volleyball named Wilson, it is good to remember that you need other people. And, even if those people make mistakes, you are still better off with them than you are without them!
I believe this Tip will give all of us some insight into how we should treat others when something goes wrong as a result of our listening to them. Why should we beat them up or tell them how wrong or stupid they are when we have probably been guilty of giving someone bad advice or wrong directions ourselves at one time or another? We don’t appreciate it when someone attacks us when we have made an innocent mistake, and I am sure other people do not appreciate it either.
You may have had a close friend or family member who led you astray or led you to make a bad decision, but I can still assure you that in the long-run it is a valuable thing to have people in your life who love and care about you. And, though from time to time they may make mistakes, that is better than to be alone having to do life all by yourself.
This week be more appreciative of the people in your life. The next time someone makes a mistake and they feel badly about it, why don’t you smile and say, “I would rather be wrong with you than right without you!” Smile when you say it. They will be grateful because that is not something that they hear very often! I guarantee it!
Tip: I would rather be wrong with you than right without you!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
