“Don’t take too much advice. Most people who have a lot of advice to give — with a few exceptions — generalize whatever they did. Don’t over-analyze everything. I myself have been guilty of over-thinking problems. Just build things and find out if they work.” — Ben Silbermann, founder of Pinterest
You should work really hard! After all, school is when you can build up your core skills.
So I worked hard.
Don’t work so hard! There’s more to life that working sixteen hours a day! You will ruin your health and you won’t get your youth back!
So I slowed down.
Get a job before 25 !
Get married before 27 ! I had two kids by the time I was 26!
Entrepreneurship is risky. Do you really want to do that at this age? You’re doing so well in your career?
In today’s time when the world has shrinked to one’s palms and everyone is highly opinionated, it’s too hard not to get lost in the whirlwind of advice.
Throughout my life, I have been on the receiving end of tons of advice masquerading as life lessons doled out by good souls. Many times I fell prey to the victim of analysis paralysis. I believe the real challenge for anyone would be to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The journey of each individual is different and the challenges thrown upon them in the abyss of life will be a motley mix.
What I have observed is the tendency of ourselves to measure each and every instance in the yardstick of our own experiences. Our emotions and the responses to stimulants of life are never the same for each individual.
“You are growing old.”
This is one that I cannot forget.
As aforesaid, during my initial years of academic pursuits countless times I have been scared by the devil of “age flying across the horizons” reminiscing of the song TIME by PINK FLOYD thereby pushing me to join the rat race. Looking back it took loads of effort to come out of the same vicious circle unharmed and unfettered.
At 26, I decided to start my practice as a Company Secretary, without much real world experience other than my internships. To many it was a catastrophe. Most friends and family looked at it as naivity of a young boy doomed for failure, with no connections in the industry and hardly any capital. There was advice, and lots of it. I am not saying I ignored them all. It was imperative for me to choose and choose wisely, and to ensure that the tips and tricks I attached to my life were of value. They had to fuel my journey. Five years down the line, I stay strong in my chosen profession. It wasn’t easy, and it isn’t because I chose to listen to everyone. I chose to critically evaluate, and it took me far.
True to the words of Mr. Ben Silbermann if life has taught me anything, it’s to just pass on your learnings to anyone in need and to lend a good ear. However, don’t be under the belief that one’s experiences or advice can be applied like an over the counter from a prescription. You got to adapt, fine-tune and sometimes reject depending on where you are and what is relevant to you. Build things, break it down, find out if they work. You gotta do it to believe it.