People are always giving us advice, both in our personal and professional lives. It’s unavoidable, unless you’re a hermit. But a lot of advice that you get isn’t actually going to help you. Many people mean well, but they are giving you information based on their own experiences, which will never exactly match yours.

Always consider the source. Is there an ulterior motive behind the advice? Is the advice something that won’t really work for you, given your situation and your goals, even though it legitimately worked for someone else?

If a surgeon who specializes in gastric bypass surgery tells you that low carb diets don’t work and that you’ll gain all of the weight back (and more) after you stop the diet, they’re most likely just trying to get more business. If someone tells you that content marketing is the best way to gain an audience online and they’re selling you content marketing courses…. they might be right, but they might be trying to sell you something. If your parents tell you that you should have a baby soon, is it because they actually believe that you should, or do they just want a grand-child to play with? :) If people keep telling you that you should buy a house, is it because you actually should, or is it because they own a house and are jealous that you aren’t tied down to one place like they are?

Unless you have several data points from different sources that are all saying the same thing or reaching the same conclusions, take all advice with a grain of salt. A lot of advice out there is actually helpful and shared by people who care. Your job is to be aware of why people say the things that they say, and to take the information that best applies to your situate, which only you can decide.

Start with this post! I’m giving you advice. Consider the source.