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

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Giving advice based on that experience is like handing someone a map of a city that has completely changed — it’s outdated and possibly misleading.

2. Four Reasons Not to Give Advice

a. Our Experience Belongs to a Bygone Era

We’ve gathered wisdom, yes, but it’s from a world that’s disappeared.

The landscape has shifted so dramatically that our insights might be more harmful than helpful.

The tools and strategies that worked for us might be irrelevant in today’s context.

b. We Assume Everyone Is Like Us

We often fall into the trap of thinking that everyone should walk the same path we did.

But the truth is, each person marches to the beat of their own drum. Some are driven by ambition, others by contentment. Some seek context, while others just want to be happy-go-lucky.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to life.

c. We Don’t Even Use Our Own Advice

There’s an old saying: “Take my advice; I’m not using it anyway.” When asked for guidance, we tend to say the “right” things.

But life isn’t a straight line, and most of what happened to us was accidental. People need to go through their own process, make their own mistakes, and learn from them.

If we prevent someone from making a mistake, we might also be supressing their growth.

d. Risk and Reward Go Hand in Hand

The early movers in any field often reap the biggest rewards. But they also take the greatest risks.

Well-meaning advice tends to focus on minimizing failure, but in doing so, it might also prevent success.

Failure is often a precursor to success; without one, the other might never come.

3. Life: The School of Hard Knocks

Life is the ultimate teacher, and it’s a school we must face alone. No one can protect us from its lessons.

We can’t learn to walk without falling a few times. The only advice I’ve found worth giving comes from comedian Jerry Seinfeld:

“Get good at something. That’s it. Everything else is bullshit.”

Whether you want to be a chef, a plumber, a doctor, a neuroscientist, an athlete, an actor, a lawyer, a startup entrepreneur, or even a stand-up comic — it doesn’t matter.

What matters is how good you are at it. Every field is like a tower, with a crowded base and a peak where only the persevering can reach.

The climb to the top requires a relentless work ethic, even when no one is watching.

Strive to be the best at what you do and never stop improving. Lady luck will not deny someone who has genuinely learned the ropes from the school of hard knocks.

4. The Only Advice That Stands the Test of Time

We often accuse today’s generation of having an attention deficit, but maybe our generation suffers from an underlying urge to give free advice.

The reality is that we’re living in the present world, which is theirs. They are not living in ours.

There is no point giving any advice.

Just get busy getting good at something is the best one can start doing immediately.

We can only advice on evergreen values.

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