So many people in your life are quick to give advice. Sometimes they are in a position to and sometimes they are not. When they aren’t in a position to, they aren’t giving advice maliciously, they just don’t know what the appropriate advice is to give because they’ve never done it.
Let me share an example…
When I was first getting started off in business, my role was 100% commission, no salary, no stipend, you eat what you kill. Just like any other business owner, you only get paid based on what your efforts are and what you’ve been able to close.
This sort of set up is extremely lucrative for people who do really well but for those who don’t work hard or just aren’t cut out for it, it can leave them poor, unhappy and disgruntled.
Even the ones who worked hard went through highs and lows along their journey. They, including me, thought about quitting almost every day. I’m talking every single day. The thoughts pour in and you start thinking…
I’m not cut out for it.
This just isn’t for me.
Why did I even start this in the first place.
I’ve wasted so much time.
So on and so forth…
But if everyone quit on the first sign of doubt, greatness would never come. Greatness comes from those who have a consistent, every day, persistent, without quit, enjoyment or their true potential. Said differently, whoever lasts the longest, wins.
Now back to the advice…
So often, I would get advice from friends and family on what they thought I should be doing. They would say things like:
Why don’t you just go get a job?
Can’t you just work normal hours?
Why are you up so early?
That line of work is hard but is it really worth it? I’m doing this and it’s way easier.
But here’s the deal…NONE of them were entrepreneurs, non of them ran their own business and none of them knew what I was truly trying to build and what I needed to do to get there. So why were they qualified to give advice on what I was going through? In those tough times, we must go and seek advice from the people who are where we want to be and who got there on the same path we were looking to take. Advice from them is the advice we should go after because they’ve actually done it before, they’ve lived through the tough times and have gotten through them.
Now, our friends, family and others who are trying to help yet haven’t experienced what we’re going through aren’t bad people of course, they just aren’t qualified to give that particular advice. And that’s no fault to them — you decided to go on a journey they didn’t and now you have to learn how to progress through that journey without their help.
So next time you’re seeking advice, seek it from someone who’s been there before not from someone who hasn’t. I promise, that will help immensely if you do that consistently. Find a mentor, find a coach, find someone that can share their trials and tribulations and give you the opportunity to learn from them.
