THE WISDOM OF THE IVYVERSE

       We’ve all been in a situation where we receive unsolicited advice, or encounter information that just doesn’t seem to be directed at us. But make sure that before you write something off as not mattering, be sure and consider the source. Ivy, with her short attention span, often adopts this attitude:

If I didn’t feel like something applied to me, I either refused to learn it or forgot it soon after disregarding it as unimportant. —Ivy, Book 1, Chapter 2

       But she often pays for this mistake. Again, consider the source; in the above example, Ivy was talking about some of her education given to her by Adele. In this sort of situation, it’s best to listen, or you may have one of these moments:

Maybe I should have paid more attention to Adele when she was talking. —Ivy, Book 1, Chapter 3

       See, only a chapter later, she regrets it.

       Moral of the story: Listen to the Adeles in your life. But don’t take their advice blindly! Adele’s own teacher, Tabitha, was not someone Adele thought could do no wrong:

She's wise, but she doesn't know everything. —Adele, Negative One, 0002

I'm not sure what Tabitha believes. She always just rattles off the facts and lets me come to my own conclusions. Maybe that's why she's such a good teacher. —Adele, Negative One, 0006

       Adele’s friend and fellow prophet had this to say about following Tabitha’s advice:

“Trust yourself. Trust her, but trust yourself more. ” —Shelshay, Negative One, 0030

And finally, what Tabitha herself has to say about taking advice:

“I want you to listen to more than what I say. I'm here to teach you to listen to your inner voice. ” —Tabitha, Negative One, 0026

       Always consider the source. For example, if the person who’s giving the advice is basing it on prejudices (or, possibly worse, on nothing at all), you might want to investigate it yourself. But should you encounter someone with a solid education of the subject . . . or someone with an ability and track record like Adele . . . and you should consider their advice heavily before discarding it.

“You’ll learn not to take anything lightly if I precede my words with ‘I am certain.’” —Adele, Book 0, Chapter 5

“Just how often do you suppose I operate on guesswork?” —Adele, Book 1, Chapter 1

“I hate to be the one who says, ‘I told you so,’ but it seems I’m always cast in that role.” —Adele, Book 5, Chapter 11

       But most of all, remember never to discard advice just because of pride. We all get and give advice, so you shouldn’t ever be ashamed to take another person’s suggestions to heart.

“It isn’t lazy or stupid to ask others’ advice! It’s actually very wise. If you never asked anyone for help, it would be like assuming you already knew the right thing to do in every situation, and that you had nothing whatsoever to learn from others. What kind of attitude would that be?” —Adele, Book 4, Chapter 20