Our Sages teach, “Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone.”

Great advice is very often ignored. Rabbi Berel Wein points out that human beings hate to ask for directions. This, he predicted, will be the main reason for the outstanding success of onboard navigational systems—those overpriced computers now available in most new cars. Most men and some women, he contends, would rather wander around searching for their destination than ask for directions. To them, asking is an admission of failure, which they cannot face.

In our sophisticated society, there is a stigma attached to asking others for advice. Our Rabbis, on the other hand say, “Choose a mentor for yourself—Aseh lecha rav!” In all areas of life, we would all be much better off if we were smart enough and humble enough to admit that we don’t know everything. Why travel miles and miles in the wrong direction in life because you won’t stop to ask for directions from someone—anyone—who might know the right road that leads to your goal?