I remember watching “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” back in the day and as I played along quite often I found myself needing to phone a friend.

The concept was quite simple, if the contestant didn’t know the answer to a particular question they’d call someone they trusted for assistance. It was quite common for the friend to provide a much needed bail-out but an opt-out option was available in the event they couldn’t.

Believing that I don’t know everything and trusting that there are times when I’d be dead wrong I found myself applying that concept to my every day life. Phoning a friend became normal practice whenever I was uncertain about a choice I needed to make.

Today I needed a friend. He didn’t give me the answers to the problem but he provided a perspective I hadn’t considered which caused me to view my choices differently.

Lisa heard “I don’t want you” whereas my friend pointed out there’s a grey area screaming “I need to figure things out on my own”. He presented an arguement for providing space while remaining present – something I struggle with being an all in type personality. He also reminded me that walking away is the easy way out but will make for a few sleepless nights.

I don’t know if I’ll stay in the game long enough to advance to the next level but my friend provided the lifeline I needed to get some rest, at least for one night.