Have you noticed that when something helps you, you want to share it right away?

  • You read a powerful book and start recommending it to colleagues.

  • You listen to a great podcast and send it to your family’s group chat.

  • You try a new workout and tell your friends to sign up for a class.

When something improves your life, it feels natural to want the people you care about to experience the same benefits. That desire to share comes from a loving place.

But have you also noticed that more often than not, your colleagues never read the book, your dad never listens to the podcast episode, and your friends never sign up for the workout class?

That’s because we jump right to giving people advice and overlook this critical step: asking what someone is actually looking for in the first place.

When advice arrives before curiosity, it can often feel like pressure, and pressure rarely inspires change. Even loving suggestions can create resistance when they’re given at the wrong time.

A more thoughtful place to begin is with a conversation.

  • What are you interested in right now?

  • What are you working through?

  • What has been on your mind lately?

When you ask thoughtful questions and listen carefully, you begin to understand other people’s pain points and perspectives. Something that helped you might help them, but the timing, the format, or the path could look completely different.

One person connects through a book, another through a conversation, someone else through a podcast episode.

Everyone grows at different paces and through different means.

Your role is not to push them down the exact path that worked for you. Your role is to understand which path they’re interested in walking down in the first place. 

P.S. I invite you to move my words from your inbox into your real life with The Daily Wisdom AI prompt series. Whether you try the AI or stick to pen and paper through Today’s Wiser Choice, the point is the same: personalized wisdom can have a meaningful impact on your life.

Prompt: What thoughtful questions can I ask if I want to recommend something I love without pressuring someone to try it?

Today’s Wiser Choice

Try This: The next time someone you care about shares a challenge, idea, or goal, ask one thoughtful question before immediately recommending a solution.

You could try asking:

  • What feels most important to you about this?

  • What have you already tried?

  • What kind of support would feel helpful right now?

Then listen carefully without preparing your reply while they’re speaking. If you feel the urge to share a book, podcast, or recommendation, first ask: “Would you like a suggestion, or would you rather just talk this through?”

This shifts the focus from giving advice to building connection.

How do you usually feel when someone gives you advice?

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This AI experience generates responses based on training and prompting informed by Jay Shetty’s teachings, themes, and wisdom. It is provided for entertainment purposes only. It does not represent Jay Shetty as a person, does not create a coaching, therapy, doctor-patient, fiduciary, or other professional relationship, and is not a live human service. AI-generated content can be incomplete, misleading, or inaccurate, and may not reflect your circumstances. You should not rely on this experience as a substitute for professional medical care, mental health care, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, legal advice, tax advice, financial advice, or crisis intervention. Never use this service in an emergency or where someone’s safety may be at risk.

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