Everywhere you turn, someone is dishing out advice.”Wake up at 5 AM.” “Drink this. Eat that. Think like this. Act like that.” It seems the world has no shortage of self-appointed mentors eager to tell you how to live. But here’s a thought nobody seems brave enough to say out loud: Nobody needs those advice.
Most of the tips floating around today are rebranded versions of the same old clichés.
Earlier this week while enjoying the fresh evening breeze of Gloryland basketball court, I overheard an interesting conversation. A part 5 student was giving out advice to a junior about the part 4 class. A particular statement caught my attention. “Don’t let anybody pressure you,” he said.
I smiled.
I found the advice interesting, primarily because it was all too familiar. Too cliché, and that was what inspired this piece.
We’ve all been recipients of useful tips from senior colleagues on how to navigate a class. Similarly, we’ve given out these same tips to junior colleagues. They contain the same recurring theme. Read this, don’t read that. Use this, don’t use that. And they work. I gave these same tips to some part 5 students while writing this article this morning.
But here is the thing. They’ve heard it—just like you—so many times, from so many people.
But the advice.
“Don’t let anybody pressure you.”? When has anybody ever allowed himself to be pressured by his classmates?
So next time a junior colleague walks up to you for tips on a particular posting, class or exam, do both of you a favour. Tell them what they need. Don’t bore them with those unsolicited, time-wasting, hardly-followed stuff they’ve already heard a thousand times.
Because honestly, nobody needs those advice.
If you would like to check out other pieces like this, click here.
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