Why “Practice What You Preach” is Backwards Advice
Have you ever received advice from someone who shouldn’t be giving it?
People will give advice about things they have little knowledge about and no experience with. They preach before they’ve done any practicing!
That’s why “practice what you preach” is backwards advice.
The structure of that phrase already implies that the preaching comes before the practice itself.
The same goes for “If you’re gonna talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.”
Why does the talking come before the walking?
It’s completely backwards!
Imagine this. You’re having a hard time getting a job and you’re talking to your friend Jimmy about your job search. Jimmy says, “Well, you should change up your approach. Maybe you should give them a call and talk to them on the phone instead of just sending in applications.”
Sure it’s good advice.
But here’s the thing, Jimmy doesn’t even have a job. In fact, he’s in the same damn position as you are. Actually, just the other day he told you about how he submitted 42 applications in one day and didn’t hear back from anyone.
Yet he has the nerve to give you advice on how to get a job.
Who the hell does Jimmy think he is?
Talking is easy. Jimmy feels a sense of accomplishment because, by giving that advice, he identifies with the act of doing it. He gets a sense of satisfaction of knowing what to do, without actually doing it.
How about Sandra who decided to give you relationship advice. “You should talk it out with your boyfriend. Communication is important.” But Sandra has been destroying her own relationship because she hasn’t even practiced good communication herself.
Shut up Sandra.
This is counter-productive because there’s no credibility behind what Jimmy or Sandra say. They’re talking heads giving advice that they have no experience doing. How can they be so sure it’s good advice?
So what does this lead to?
We end up getting advice from friends and family who have no idea what they’re talking about. Sometimes bad advice that could potentially do more harm and good.
What if Jimmy said this instead:
“Hey I went through the same thing so I understand how frustrating it is. When I was looking for a job, I decided to call them and asked to speak to the manager and got coffee with her to ask about what she does. She ended up liking me. I mentioned I’m interested in working for the company and she encouraged me to apply. That’s how I got my job.
So I’d suggest you try getting in touch with someone at the company to get your foot in the door. That way you stand out from all the other applicants.”
DAMN.
I would trust that advice because Jimmy did it and got a job. So I know it works. And because Jimmy actually did it, he could give specific advice on what to do and help me out along the way.
Can Jimmy do that if he hadn’t actually gone and done those things himself?
No.
There’s more weight behind what has been done compared to what could be done.
How many Jimmys and Sandras do we know?
People who always give advice but shouldn’t be giving advice in the first place.
People who do the talking but never the walking.
People who are always preaching, but never practicing.
Let’s not be that person.
Let’s talk the talk after we’ve walked the walk. Then we’ll have something interesting to talk about that others can learn from.
Let’s preach after we’ve practiced.
This article was originally published on davidlykhim.com. Get weekly articles on personal and professional development. Join the newsleter.
