Is it worse to follow bad advice or to not follow good advice? Most of us are great at giving advice to others but not always so great at following our own advice. Sometimes well meaning family members beat advice into our heads and we feel obligated to follow it. Some of the best decisions I’ve ever made are ones where I ignored what everyone else was telling me and followed my own heart. My move to Texas as a great example of this. One of my best choices ever.
Some of the decisions that I’ve regretted were ones that I went ahead and did when I wasn’t 100% sure. I’ve learned over the years that for me indecision is a decision. If I’m upset and worried because I’m not sure if it’s right, it isn’t right. If I’m trying to make a choice and I can’t decide between A and B, I shouldn’t pick either. It’s taken me a long time to realize this. It’s fun to ponder good and bad advice.
The best advice I’ve ever received…
Always treat yourself like you would treat a close friend. A lot of times we are really harsh on ourselves when it isn’t justified. We beat ourselves up if we don’t eat healthy 100%, don’t exercise every day, don’t get it all done. Life would sometimes be more pleasant if we stopped to ask “If a friend were talking to me this way, would I still be friends with them?” If the answer is no, then you need to make a change in yourself. It also goes the other way too. If a friend were consistently making bad choices, you would speak up but gently. The same applies to you too.
The weirdest advice that actually worked…
Always back out of the room as you vacuum. That way you don’t leave footprints in your carpet. There’s just something satisfying about looking into a room with perfectly smooth carpeting and feeling a sense of ahhhh satisfaction. It makes you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something. At least for the few moments before a dog walks through. 😉
The advice I regret following…
I wish I had stopped to take some time off between high school graduation and going to college. I was told that if I didn’t do it right away, I’d never get my degree. I floundered around trying to figure out what to study and ended up just getting any degree that I had enough credits for after 4 years. It was a complete waste of money and I got very little out of it. I went back years later for my MBA, and this time around studied what I wanted and had a wonderful learning experience. If I’d had time to find myself before going to college the first time, I think I would have known what to pursue and loved it.
My best one-word piece of advice…
Enjoy. Do one thing that you absolutely enjoy every day. It doesn’t matter if it takes 5 minutes or a couple hours. Big or little. Just do it and enjoy the moment. It will give you something to look forward to on bad days. It will brighten good days and make them even better.
How would you answer these four sentences? Post a comment or come on over to Facebook and tell me.
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