There have been many lessons I have learned in the past week, and I'm learning more lessons every day.
The most important learning tool you can have in life is to surround yourself with an army of advisors, people that know more than you, have done more than you, and have the right advice at the right time. An advisor that can advise you when what you are going to do isn't just not the best idea, but that there is a better idea.
We don't need to surround ourselves with people that tell us what NOT to do, society needs people to tell us what we SHOULD do, or at least how to best find a path to the answer we seek. For this reason I have a group of friends that are far older than me, and I am starting to refer to them as the 'Elders' of my personal friendship group.
(I can honestly say, if I knew MMM personally, he would probably be in that group)
This army is built up over a lifetime, it cannot be bought, it cannot be copied, and it cannot be destroyed... only by yourself. No outside force can dismantle an army that is built with good intentions, honesty, integrity, and trust. Without ALL those factors, it can fall apart.
When you're available, give advice. When you don't know an answer, find one. You know somebody you can ask, and if you don't, find someone and ask them if they know anyone you can ask about the original question. Beware the purple monkey dishwasher, try to talk to that end person yourself :)
This all has come to the surface in the last week, when what some may consider a minor inconvenience, others can see as a bit of a mini catastrophy. You see, our family car was 'called' a write-off by an insurance adjuster.
Do you trust insurance adjustors? I just met him. This is crazy. Write my car off, pay me maybe?
No, I think that I'd prefer a settlement for fair market value of my family car, a similar replacement, or a voucher of similar value to a car that WILL replace my family's car. That does not mean you can try to pay me the absolute minimum that someone that hasn't done any research will think is actually a decent sum of money.
The insurance companies have figures and equations that apparently will tell you how much your car is worth and can purchase a replacment. Unfortunately, their equations don't factor in rarity, quality, build quality, value, fit to the driver, and safety. Oh, and their program only goes back to 2000, so if you have a 1999 or older vehicle, their equations are faulty and incorrect. Do not settle for less than your car is worth.
The elders in my life have told me not to let a big company bully you, don't let a single person bully you. In this day & age, we are becoming more and more aware of corporate bullying.
Apparently it is now almost my bedtime, this will be continued shortly. Stay tuned.