The Truth About People Who Play ‘Devil’s Advocate’

One thing that bothers me is the concept of “playing Devil’s Advocate.”

Oftentimes, if we come up with a good idea, friends, family and coworkers will look to find reasons why it won’t work. They’ll look for reasons why we might fail…but they’ll frame it in the guise of trying to “help” us.

“I was just playing Devil’s Advocate.”

But that’s not helpful at all, is it?

For one, looking for reasons why something won’t work isn’t a good formula for actually making them work. It’s not encouraging. It just spreads bad vibes.

But more than anything, it’s easy.

Easy for those who are not in the arena to judge the warrior. Easy for those sitting on the sidelines to speculate while they hide from taking action themselves.

If someone you care about is starting a project that they love, don’t look for reasons why it won’t work. Flood them with reasons why it will.

And here’s the key: if the idea doesn’t work, that’s fine too. The object of the game in life is to take action. We can’t control outcomes but we can always control our actions. So, encourage them to keep trying until they get better results.

The Devil doesn’t need any more advocates. He’s fine.