- PPF Points
- 78
Oh, advice—people love to dish it out, don’t they? Sometimes you get gems, other times you just want to roll your eyes so hard they end up in the back of your head. Yet, there are those rare nuggets that actually stick. Not just because they're catchy, but because they slap you with the truth when you need it most. Seriously, some advice just grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you awake.
I’m not gonna get all philosophical (well, not too much), but the best piece of advice anyone ever lobbed my way? Man, it’s stupid simple: “Focus on what you can control, stop stressing about the rest.” That’s it. Nothing poetic about it, really, but it’s pretty much tattooed on my brain at this point.
The thing is, before I heard that, I spent waaaay too much time sweating about other people’s opinions, worrying over random stuff I couldn’t fix, and basically doing emotional laps for no reason. It was exhausting. Like running on a treadmill of anxiety, looking for the “off” switch that didn’t exist. Once I actually listened to those words—yeah, it took a few hard knocks for it to finally sink in—it was like, “Oh snap, you mean I can just… let go? My energy isn’t infinite, so maybe I shouldn’t throw it away worrying about Karen from accounting’s weird vibes? Wild.”
Honestly, this little gem of wisdom became my “get out of mental jail free” card. Whenever life gets bumpy (which, not gonna lie, is basically all the time), I just remind myself: Can I fix this? No? Well, time to mind my business and move on.
But advice is a weird animal. Some of it is gold, and some is… not. Gotta learn to filter out the bad—or worse, cringe-worthy, outdated stuff that just doesn’t vibe with your life. But when you do find one that hits, you’ll know. These are like cheat codes for being less stressed and more chill—even if you don’t have your life together (who really does, though?).
There’s also a couple other bits of advice that have aged pretty well for me:
1. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Old Teddy Roosevelt nailed that one. You start playing the comparison Olympics, and bam—there goes your good mood. Honestly, social media doesn’t help, but that’s a rant for another time.
2. “Fail fast, learn faster.” Messing up isn’t the end, it’s the map for what not to do next time. Took me a while to get comfy with scraping my knees, but dang, falling on your face is underrated when it comes to growth.
3. “Be kind—everyone’s fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Could be the softest, mushiest advice, but it’s true. People are walking around with invisible weights, and kindness literally costs nothing. Well, except swallowing your pride, which isn’t always cheap.
If you’re out hunting for the advice that’ll actually move the needle for you, don’t just stick to your usual suspects. Branch out. Listen to random podcasts, ask your weird uncle, binge some audiobooks—who cares. What sticks is all that matters. And, just because some advice comes from a so-called “guru” doesn’t mean it fits your life. Try it out, see if it actually works, then toss it or keep it. No shame in tweaking, ditching, or putting sticky notes all over your bathroom mirror if it helps.
Giving advice? Oof, do it carefully. Nobody likes a lecture with a side of holier-than-thou. Actually listen before you talk. People want empathy, not judgment, and specifics help a heck of a lot more than “just be positive” platitudes (ugh). Best advice always comes from your own blood, sweat, and screw-ups—so don’t be afraid to get real.
Anyway, circling back to “focus on what you can control”—I can give you a real-life example. That advice dragged me out of a career dumpster fire once. Didn’t get the job, spent like two days in self-pity mode, and then thought: “Alright, what can I do? Time to learn new stuff, meet new people, and keep grinding.” Eventually, it worked out. (OK, it took a minute, but hey, progress.)
So yeah, there’s my two cents. Stuff your pockets with good advice, toss out the garbage, and don’t forget to leave some room for snacks. You never know what you’ll need to get through the day.
I’m not gonna get all philosophical (well, not too much), but the best piece of advice anyone ever lobbed my way? Man, it’s stupid simple: “Focus on what you can control, stop stressing about the rest.” That’s it. Nothing poetic about it, really, but it’s pretty much tattooed on my brain at this point.
The thing is, before I heard that, I spent waaaay too much time sweating about other people’s opinions, worrying over random stuff I couldn’t fix, and basically doing emotional laps for no reason. It was exhausting. Like running on a treadmill of anxiety, looking for the “off” switch that didn’t exist. Once I actually listened to those words—yeah, it took a few hard knocks for it to finally sink in—it was like, “Oh snap, you mean I can just… let go? My energy isn’t infinite, so maybe I shouldn’t throw it away worrying about Karen from accounting’s weird vibes? Wild.”
Honestly, this little gem of wisdom became my “get out of mental jail free” card. Whenever life gets bumpy (which, not gonna lie, is basically all the time), I just remind myself: Can I fix this? No? Well, time to mind my business and move on.
But advice is a weird animal. Some of it is gold, and some is… not. Gotta learn to filter out the bad—or worse, cringe-worthy, outdated stuff that just doesn’t vibe with your life. But when you do find one that hits, you’ll know. These are like cheat codes for being less stressed and more chill—even if you don’t have your life together (who really does, though?).
There’s also a couple other bits of advice that have aged pretty well for me:
1. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Old Teddy Roosevelt nailed that one. You start playing the comparison Olympics, and bam—there goes your good mood. Honestly, social media doesn’t help, but that’s a rant for another time.
2. “Fail fast, learn faster.” Messing up isn’t the end, it’s the map for what not to do next time. Took me a while to get comfy with scraping my knees, but dang, falling on your face is underrated when it comes to growth.
3. “Be kind—everyone’s fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Could be the softest, mushiest advice, but it’s true. People are walking around with invisible weights, and kindness literally costs nothing. Well, except swallowing your pride, which isn’t always cheap.
If you’re out hunting for the advice that’ll actually move the needle for you, don’t just stick to your usual suspects. Branch out. Listen to random podcasts, ask your weird uncle, binge some audiobooks—who cares. What sticks is all that matters. And, just because some advice comes from a so-called “guru” doesn’t mean it fits your life. Try it out, see if it actually works, then toss it or keep it. No shame in tweaking, ditching, or putting sticky notes all over your bathroom mirror if it helps.
Giving advice? Oof, do it carefully. Nobody likes a lecture with a side of holier-than-thou. Actually listen before you talk. People want empathy, not judgment, and specifics help a heck of a lot more than “just be positive” platitudes (ugh). Best advice always comes from your own blood, sweat, and screw-ups—so don’t be afraid to get real.
Anyway, circling back to “focus on what you can control”—I can give you a real-life example. That advice dragged me out of a career dumpster fire once. Didn’t get the job, spent like two days in self-pity mode, and then thought: “Alright, what can I do? Time to learn new stuff, meet new people, and keep grinding.” Eventually, it worked out. (OK, it took a minute, but hey, progress.)
So yeah, there’s my two cents. Stuff your pockets with good advice, toss out the garbage, and don’t forget to leave some room for snacks. You never know what you’ll need to get through the day.
