Don’t listen to what people say

Don’t listen to what people say when it comes to opinions or advice about your life. People are always going to have an opinion about what you should be doing and how you should live your life.. It’s human nature, it’s not surprising that your mom, your sister, and your best friend have something to say about your situation. 

Some people shouldn’t be giving advice yet they do it anyway. And a lot of the time, you shouldn’t listen. 

Here’s a criteria to see if you should listen to what people say and determine if their advice is relevant. 

Has the person achieved the goal that you are trying to accomplish?

You should never listen or take advice from a person who hasn’t achieved the goal that you are trying to achieve. It’s kind of like your broke neighbor telling you how you should invest your money in crypto currency. Do you think you should listen to your brooke neighbor or from Warren Buffett, who has made billions of dollars and has success everywhere he turns? You could listen to your neighbor, but it’s probably not going to work out too well for you. 

If you are looking for a mentor, find someone who is at least five steps ahead of you or has accomplished the goal. There are coaching programs out there for almost everything nowadays. I have a coach who has accomplished the goal I am working towards with my online business. I often find his advice hard to take, and painful but it helps me get closer to the result I am looking for. Without his honest feedback, it would take me a lot longer to get to the top of the mountain.

Is the advice relevant for today’s world?

Some folks from different generations like to tell others what they should be doing. News flash, the world has changed dramatically from twenty years ago. You should also not listen to advice that isn’t relative for today’s world. 

My mother is always giving her grandson advice, but it’s relevant to a world 30 years ago that doesn’t exist today. She wants him to go to university to study any random subject just to come out with a degree. Modern companies like Google no longer base hiring on a degree, they give potential employees tests to see if they are capable of doing the job.

Companies like Upwork test people on their platform to see how proficient people are at a skill that they are offering like coding. Customer reviews on these platforms is what gets contractors hired today. There are many different new skills that young people need to learn.

If my son followed Grandma’s advice he would graduate with plenty of debt but not a lot of opportunities. With jobs being outsourced all over the world we have try different approaches and even think about starting a business. 

I don’t personally think it’s the best advice for today’s world. And my son listens. And he says thank you, and he’s pursuing his own goals. And it makes her very angry that he is not actually doing what she suggests, but he’s following people from the modern world who have the result that he wants.

Does the person giving you advice have their own agenda?

If someone is trying to sell you something or they have an agenda you have to consider whether they have your best interests at heart or their own. Maybe the person does care about you, and they’re able to help you but if they are going to benefit from you making a decision to join their coaching program or do whatever, take it with a pinch of salt.  If the person does have an agenda, it may be the best course of action for you.

Don’t listen to haters or negative people

There are naysayers out there that love to shoot down other people’s dreams. The unfortunate part is that it is often our closest relatives or friends who shoot down what’s most important to us. There will always be dream squashers. Life is short, do what you want to do! 

Not everyone is capable or experienced enough to give you great advice. And you shouldn’t just be blindly listening to people because it could put yourself at risk. And they might mean well, but it’s still not helpful.

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Do you have a tip for determining when not to listen to what people say that you think others should know about? Leave it in the comments below.