What pieces of advice are we better off ignoring? [Discussion]

Submitted by TreatThompson t3_109fqxj in GetMotivated

When we’re young, we’re sponges.

We’re not born with values or beliefs, so everything has to come from our environment. But, obviously, all advice isn’t equal. Advice comes from people's experiences and opinions, and those can be flawed and not relevant to your life.

One of the most common pieces of advice is to go to college after high school. I’m sure most people mean well when they say it. But just going to college isn’t enough. There needs to be more intention and planning to make that advice successful.

Another pressure point is to structure our lives around financial security and retirement. Again, I’m sure most people mean well when they give this advice, but there’s more to life than being financially worry-free in your 70s. This advice could take the flavour out of life if done wrong.

So I want to ask, what other common pieces of advice are we better off ignoring or taking with a grain of salt?

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This post was from my newsletter

I share ideas from great thinkers so we can stand on the shoulders of giants, instead of figuring life out alone

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Comments

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mangomochamuffin t1_j3xzjil wrote

Always be productive.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3xzwau wrote

Definitely a point i’m with you on!

I don’t think we should carry the pressure of constantly having to be productive

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mangomochamuffin t1_j3y764s wrote

Exactly, and the same people tell you you can rest when you are dead. As if rest is a reward....

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Captaincrow01 t1_j3y1abn wrote

It's important to consider the source of advice and how it applies to your specific situation before following it. Here are a few examples of common pieces of advice that may not be applicable or even harmful in certain situations:

  • "Follow your passion." This can be problematic because not everyone has a clear passion, and even if they do, it may not be practical or financially feasible to pursue it as a career.
  • "Fake it 'til you make it." Pretending to be confident or competent in a situation where you lack experience or qualifications can lead to failure or harm your reputation.
  • "Work hard and success will follow." While hard work is an important factor in achieving success, it's not the only one, and success also depends on factors such as luck and opportunities.
  • "A penny saved is a penny earned." While saving money is important, it's also important to invest and make your money work for you in order to achieve long-term financial stability.

Advice that may have worked well in the past, or may be effective in some situation, may not be suitable for everyone. It's important to evaluate advice critically and consider how it applies to your unique circumstances.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3y1zlo wrote

Wow this is great! I’m totally with you

Your first and last example in particular stand out to me because those are pieces of advice that sound undeniably safe, but still have a lot of nuance to them

It’s making me wonder if there is any piece of general advice that can be blindly followed.

Thanks for sharing this! 🙌

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3xyzja wrote

Another example I think of is the idea we should hustle and grind your whole life

I know recently “hustling” has become a topic where people feel extremely for or against, but I think overall we shouldn’t let hustling make us lose sight of the big picture—what are we hustling for?

If we hustle and never enjoy the fruits of our labour or the process, then it was pointless

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Large_Winter9053 t1_j3z00cx wrote

While they probably had good intentions, it's time to question any advice you received from your parents. Were the good with money? If not, forget everything they told you about it and look at that topic with fresh eyes, seeking advice from experts who have had success. Carry this through all common topics: relationships, health, fitness, career, education, etc. Try to learn from their mistakes and make better choices where they went wrong.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3znpj4 wrote

I think that's a good mindset to have. I definitely try to do that often—build off of the advice-givers mistakes

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Important_Expert_806 t1_j40hrei wrote

Cut expenses, save and don’t take on debt. You can only cut expenses and save so much on a fixed income. For most people it won’t be life changing. I think there is a large aspect of wealth building that they leave out and that’s learning how to use debt to generate additional income. I wish someone taught me that when I was young instead of running up my credit cards on one time purchases or assets that don’t generate income.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j41f9zx wrote

Personal finance is definitely a subject where the advice we receive is shakey, all over the place, and could have large impact on our lives in a short time

High up on the list of advice to take with a grain of salt and do your own investigation

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TeacupExtrovert t1_j40q227 wrote

Era related advice. Your 1950's economic advice probably won't serve me the same way now so please urging me to make the same moves. The world is different now.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j41e79k wrote

That’s a great point! I can definitely see how a lot of advice quickly ages

Economics is a perfect example. I’m also thinking about how in past decades there was an attitude of “toughen up”, but nowadays people are more encouraging of you not masking how you feel and actually addressing it

Thanks for sharing 🙌

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Grouchy-Knowledge799 t1_j3y6v24 wrote

That newsletters or advice columns are meaningless and act as noise to stuff you should be figuring out yourself.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3y7nqb wrote

What makes you feel that way? Do you feel the same way about books?

I have the opinion of taking advantage of knowledge that exists so I don’t have to figure everything out for myself

I think part of life is that every generation, or all youth on average, stands on the shoulders of the people who came before them

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Grouchy-Knowledge799 t1_j3ys23e wrote

I dont disagree in learning from the experience of others, however, past a certain point, one needs to take action. Moreover, learning from those that came before us isn’t the same as learning from those pedaling 10 point advice newsletters or those creating Twitter lists. Cheap, fast, regurgitated advice offers one little. Deep reading provides one time to think through their situation and the advice of the author whose work they are reading.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j3ysvl6 wrote

Thanks for explaining!! I agree 100% with both points

Accumulating valuable knowledge isn’t the goal, it needs to be applied. And platitudes, listicles, cheap self-help content etc. are often empty and invaluable

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