Listen to a short discussion about this article.

Who is Your Best Advisor?

  • Whose opinions matter most to you?
  • Who do you trust with your biggest decisions?
  • Who knows what is best for you?

Famous people? Politicians? News commentators? Religious leaders? Your parents? Your friends? Artificial Intelligence?

You could say your best advisor has qualities like these:

  • Is always available.
  • Cares about you and your success.
  • Knows the truth about you.
  • Never gives up on you.
  • Can boost your mood.

Fortunately, you already have such an advisor: YOU!

“Be your own advisor, keep your own counsel and select your own decisions.” — L. Ron Hubbard (“The Code of Honor”)

That one sentence holds a powerful success skill.

  • It makes you stronger.
  • It makes you smarter.
  • It helps win at life.

Let’s break it down into three parts.

Part 1: Be Your Own Advisor

Instead of always asking other people what to do, you can be your own advisor.

You can certainly learn from others, but never let other people control your choices.

As a good advisor to yourself, you take five steps.

  1. You look at the problem closely.
  2. You think about your choices.
  3. You take your time.
  4. You choose what seems best.
  5. You give yourself advice like you would give to a good friend.

You succeed when you take your own advice.

  • You talk to yourself like a great person who is worth helping.
  • You start trusting your own thinking.
  • You gain confidence.
  • You feel stronger.
  • You become more independent.

That is personal power.

Part 2: Keep Your Own Counsel

If you check a dictionary, you will see the phrase “keep your counsel” means this: You keep your plans to yourself.

Maybe you fail to do this.

  • You tell a few people what you’re going to do.
  • You explain how your ideas are right.
  • You look for approval.

And then something bad happens:

  • Other people confuse you.
  • Other people push their own ideas on you.
  • Other people disagree and try to change your mind.

As a result, you feel like quitting.

Keeping your counsel does not mean being sneaky. It means being smart.

  • You think quietly.
  • You plan quietly.
  • You act quietly.

You don’t announce your next move. You DO it.

That is how strong people operate.

Part 3: Select Your Own Decisions

Many people make decisions the wrong way.

  1. They ask people what to do.
  2. Everyone gives them different advice.
  3. They get confused.
  4. They doubt themselves.
  5. They give up.

Or they just do what the loudest person says to do.

You succeed when you make your own decisions.

  1. You think about your purposes.
  2. You gather the facts.
  3. You think it through.
  4. You decide.
  5. You act.

Even if your decision is wrong, you still get wins.

  • You learn valuable lessons.
  • Your fix your mistakes.
  • You become wiser.
  • You know how to make better decisions.

When you make your own decisions, something great happens:

  • You stand behind your choices.
  • You follow through.
  • You fight harder to make it work.
  • Your pride soars when you are right.

Because the decision is yours.

AI Chatbots Are Assistants, Not Advisors

AI is an incredible high-tech assistant.

It can:

  • Research things for you, like which of these three cars has the best gas milage?
  • Tell you what other people do, like how Bill Gates got rich.
  • Help you with complicated tasks, like how to prepare tax forms.
  • Teach you skills, like designing a website or knitting a sweater.
  • Help you write better, solve math problems, translate text and so on.
  • It can also create images, videos and even audio discussions, like the one at the top of this article 🙂

However, it sometimes makes mistakes, invents facts and pretends to know everything. It makes you think it’s a smart human, but it’s just a computer tool that can’t help you make good decisions.

  • It does not know very much about you and your life.
  • It has no responsibility for your choices.
  • It does not care if its advice is correct.
  • If it does not know an answer, it just invents or hallucinates one.
  • It is not wise. It has no judgement.

You will always be a better advisor to you no matter how advanced AI becomes.

  • You know more about yourself than anyone else in the world.
  • You have intuition or gut feelings that are usually correct.
  • You have personal values and preferences that no one else knows.
  • You feel passion that only you can feel.
  • You know what you know.
  1. Be your own advisor
  2. Keep your own counsel.
  3. Select your own decisions.

That is how you win.

Five Examples of Being Your Own Advisor

1. Money Problems
The Situation: Your bills are growing, your income is stuck and you can’t afford the things you need.
Advice You Would Give a Friend: “Hey! You need to make more than you spend! Stop wasteful spending and invest in training. Pay off those credit cards immediately.”
Result: You follow your advice and pull yourself out of debt.

2. Health Struggles
The Situation: Your body is overweight, you have no energy and you feel sick all the time.
Advice You Would Give as a Health Coach: “Stop eating junk food immediately—throw it away. Make healthy food taste good without sugar. Walk daily, increasing distance until you hit one mile at your fastest pace.”
Result: You lose weight and feel dramatically better.

3. Marriage Troubles
The Situation: You constantly argue, you always need to be right and you wish you were single.
Advice You Would Give as a Marriage Counselor: “Stop trying to be right all the time. You’re on the same side in life. Be more understanding and helpful.”
Result: You upgrade your marriage into a wonderful partnership.

4. Failing Business
The Situation: Your photography teaching business is eating up your savings.
Your Advice as an Expensive Business Consultant: “Face the facts: No one wants lessons when high-tech equipment is cheap and online training is free. Find a better way to earn money.”
Result: You close the business, save your money and find your next opportunity.

5. Emotional Distress
The Situation: You are constantly angry, depressed or upset. You feel like a victim.
Your Advice as a Successful Life Coach: Five-step plan: Stop being a victim. Like yourself more. Read books and learn. Set goals. Take small daily steps.
Result: You feel significantly happier and more powerful.

Try it Yourself

  1. Write down a problem for which you need advice.
  2. Write down what you would say if someone else asked you for this advice.
  3. Take that advice.

You are now your own best advisor.

  • You are always available.
  • You care about you and your success.
  • You know the truth about you.
  • You never give up on you.
  • You can boost your mood whenever you wish.

Results

  • You gain confidence.
  • You respect yourself more.
  • Your decisions get better and stronger.
  • You make more progress.

And you build your successful life on your own.

Learn more about making great decisions.
Read another quote from “The Code of Honor.”