Be Great at Something: The Only Advice Worth Listening To!

The current generation’s aspirations and needs differ greatly from what they used to be for us.

Figuring out life is a thrilling and/or scary journey, especially for a young adult. As someone who has walked that path and is still navigating it, I can tell you firsthand — it’s not easy.

But here’s the thing: it’s not supposed to be. Life is less of a straight highway and more of a winding mountain road, full of sharp turns and unexpected detours.

Parents (bless their angel hearts) often try to steer us in the right direction. They want to share their wisdom, to help us avoid the mistakes they made.

But sometimes, in their eagerness to guide, they drag their poor kids, kicking and screaming, to another “GURU” with another well-meaning lecture.

The kids participate with a polite, resigned smile, waiting for advice they probably won’t follow. And honestly, they shouldn’t. Here’s why.

1. The World Has Changed, and So Should Our Advice

When I was 20, the world was a different place. It was a pre-internet era; wireless phones had just replaced rotary dial ones, and color TVs were the latest craze.

Neighbors used to gather on Sundays to watch mythological series on their television sets with family members. Students only had the weekend to relieve the stress of their studies.

If you had any “hard-working genes and intelligence,” the career choices boiled down to becoming a Government Officer, Doctor, Engineer or Chartered Accountancy.

Jobs were either in government or in a family-owned business. That was the world I had to figure out.

Fast forward to today, and the landscape is unrecognizable. The world has gone from a scarcity of options to a deluge of them.

If someone had asked my great-grandfather for career advice, he would have suggested becoming a school teacher because that was the best option at the time.

When I joined a private company, my father thought I should have joined a central government owned company.

Today, if someone’s kid tells me they’re into options or cryptocurrency, I’d probably react the same way my father did — skeptical and a bit bewildered.

But here’s the bitter truth: Our experience is from a world that no longer exists.

Giving advice based on that experience is like handing someone a map of a city that has completely changed — it’s outdated and possibly misleading.