Advice on Advice

Opinions. Advice. Solicited or otherwise, people are quick to share what they think. And what is it that they think? Usually a list of do’s and don’ts, a how-to guide on how to live your life according to that person’s vision for it. Overbearing parents are notorious for doing this, guiding young people so far into adulthood that the decision-making muscle responsible for self-direction can’t flex on its own.

So when is advice too much?

Sir James Dyson, founder, creator, and innovator of your favorite household luxury Hoover-less hoover, argues in his memoir, Against the Odds, “Don’t take advice from anybody.” Entrepreneurial self-starters love this advice. Who knows your path better than you? So why take advice from a less-than-authoritative source?

This advice worked for Dyson. His success as the UK’s Steve Jobs of designer home appliances started with thousands of failed designs and flew in the face of all the advice he received. Granted, the advice he was given was rarely sought, which makes it easier to say “no.” But for the rest of us? Those without the fortitude or risk tolerance to tackle Big Vacuum?

There’s a middle ground. I think advice is shared lived experience, and like all lived experiences, it requires wisdom to discern the good, bad, and ugly. What’s more, advice is generally a how-to guide on how to become more like the person offering it: Do this because I did that and voila, look at me now!

My advice? Don’t take advice from people you don’t want to be like. Seneca wrote, “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” Everyone’s offering a how-to guide; be selective and discerning about who you want to become, and taking advice will become clearer.