Do we buy advice for answers or relief?

Lately I’ve noticed something.

For someone who built a business on autonomy, I still crave being told what to do.

And the more I look at my work, the more I think the same is true for others.

I tested this theory with a friend recently, “I think people just want to be told what to do…to let someone else hold the weight of a decision, even if it’s a small one.”

He interrupted me. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

That reaction stuck with me.

Not because I meant it cynically, but because I’m realizing how much I underestimate the fatigue that comes from deciding alone.

It has made me rethink the value of advice.

That it’s not only about direction when you’re lost.

Sometimes it’s simply relief.

A brief exhale when the right person comes along and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll drive for a minute.”

Running a business means living inside a constant stream of choices. And autonomy, for all its perks, is heavy. Every decision costs a little certainty.

The irony is, I don’t always take the advice myself. Half the time, I end up doing what I was going to do anyway. But hearing it said out loud helps me move again.

I used to think that paying for advice I didn’t follow was wasteful. Now I think it’s just human.

Maybe advice isn’t about certainty at all.

Maybe it’s just permission.

Or validation.

Or just a moment of relief before you take the wheel again.

And maybe that’s enough.

Thank you for reading.

Be well. Talk soon.

Peter

P.S. When you need a little relief on your pricing decisions, I’m here.