Advice on taking advice

This mistake could cost you your life! Here's how to prevent it...

The Cost of Taking Advice

What I've learned to date is that it's important to only take advice from people who have achieved what you want to achieve. Taking someone's advice means respecting their opinion on a matter. In most cases, it also means spending the time to do the actions they suggest.

Doing actions that other people suggest is extremely time-expensive. If they haven't achieved what you want to achieve, then the results will be different than what you want. That's why it's absolutely crucial to listen only to people who have achieved what you want to achieve. The people who are successful have credibility on those matters.

The Problem with Advice from Friends and Family

There are two problems in taking advice from friends and family.

The first problem is that they may not have achieved what you want to achieve. This means they have no credibility. There is no sense in respecting the opinions of people on matters where they have no credibility. Yet, people in your life may often share their opinions on matters where they have no credibility.

Worryingly, these opinions may come from people who are authority figures in your life:

• Family members
• Friends
• Teachers
• And other well-meaning individuals

These people may care about you, present believable arguments, and speak with confidence. When this happens, it is incredibly important to be careful about listening to their advice. They may be well-meaning, but it doesn't mean their advice will get you the results you desire.

And the second problem with taking advice from friends and family is that they may not be well-meaning. If they are people in your life, then you already have a relationship with them. Many people who know you either want you to fail out of jealousy or competition. Some may want to control you in a way that's in their own interests at the expense of your success.

The hard truth: Some family and friends may be well-meaning, but they don't know what they're talking about. Others may be successful, but they may not be well-meaning.

The Best Advice comes from Successful Strangers

The best advice comes from successful strangers. These are people who have achieved what you want to achieve. They have credibility on the matter. They are not friends or family, so they don't have a bias.