The Best Advice I've Ever Received

About a month ago I came across an intriguing blog post suggestion: What is one piece of advice you were given that has stuck with you, and who gave you that advice? This instantly got me thinking about how I would respond to this question and subsequently led me to ponder on everything advice-related.

Now, in my 18 years and 6 months of life, I’ve certainly received a great deal of advice from family members, friends and teachers. Their advice has influenced the decisions I’ve made, guided me onto the right paths (and away from the wrong paths), and ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. 

How does people’s advice influence my life? 

I consider myself to be the type of person who’s very good at looking at the bigger picture and planning for the future. I am better at visualising my life on a larger scale rather than drilling down on the smaller details. I love to set big goals for the future, and don’t always immediately think of the minute details or plan out step for step how I’m going to reach them. 

Therefore, when I imagine the past and future and choices I’ve made/will make in due course, I always visualise a series of pathways that I could have taken/will have to take. The pathway that I take is of course always chosen by me, but it is inevitable that people around me will influence which one I choose. Bearing all of this in mind, I know how important it is to pick and choose whose advice I’ll follow, and whose advice I’ll take on board but won’t necessarily ensue. 

To sum it up, I’ve basically been given a lot of advice over the years. From specific advice of how to deal with a problem at hand, to general life advice which could apply to anyone, I’ve learned 1 key thing: In a world with 7.53 billion people and so many different opinions, experiences and personalities, it’s impossible to give advice that everyone will follow. What applies to one person cannot apply to every person. We all have different life experiences and what has worked for one won’t necessarily work for another. There’s nothing wrong with that though. At the end of the day, that’s what creates diversity and excitement in life. Every person’s different experiences influence their opinions which ultimately influences the advice they give to others. How boring would it be if everyone did the same thing or we all had the same experiences?

So, I ask you, as the reader of this blog, that when you're reading my posts to always take my advice and opinions with a pinch of salt. What’s worked for me may not work for you. And you might not always agree with my opinions but that doesn’t make either of us right or wrong. It just means that we’re different and have had a variety of experiences which now influences the advice we give.

This leads me nicely onto the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. Sadly, I can’t remember who I received it from or when I received it, but nevertheless it appears to have stuck with me! The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is:

Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from

I love this because I believe that it perfectly sums up 2 things I struggle with: 

1.     Dealing with criticism 

2.     Taking people’s advice on board.

These 2 things come under the same umbrella of placing value on people’s opinions. On the one hand, people who love you, care about you, and know what is best for you will try to give you advice that they know is good for you. On the other hand, people who don’t necessarily know you as well or want the best for you may not give you advice which you deem to be good. Therefore, the next time someone criticises you, instead of getting offended and upset, then think: would you take advice from this person? 

Dealing with criticism is something I’ve tended to struggle with as I am 100% an overthinker and perfectionist so I don’t like being told what I’m doing wrong. It’s a trait that I’m slowly getting better at adjusting my frame of mind so that I see criticism more positively. Reminding myself of the aforementioned advice makes it easier for me to deal with criticism. If I wouldn’t take advice from someone who criticises me, then it’s clear to me that I don’t value that person’s opinions and therefore shouldn’t get upset about their criticism. If instead I would take advice on board from them, then this phrase at least reminds me that I do value this person’s opinions and that I should see their criticism as constructive as opposed to a personal attack. From the point of view of someone who can be very sensitive and overthinks pretty much everything, I love this advice and it’s stuck with me for a long time. Anyways, I’m sure I could go on and on about other good advice I’ve received but I’ll save that for another day!

So, what’s a piece of advice you were given that has stuck with you and who gave you that advice? Comment down below and don’t forget to subscribe!

I wish you a lovely weekend and remember: Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from!

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