The best advice I've ever received?
Today, my friend, I wanted to write to you about some of the best advice I've ever got.
I can't remember from whom I got it - but I had to share this with you.
This changed everything for me.
I started seeing results faster - and became a happier person.
If I didn't get this advice, I'd not be where I am now - and I'd feel much worse.
Ignoring this advice will make it harder to have a good life.
What's the advice?
It's the following:
Stop trying to take advice from everyone.
Don't take advice from people who are not qualified to give the advice.
This is a major mistake I made in the past.
And most of us have done that - and most people, are still doing it.
Today, I wanted to help you overcome this - and give reasons why this matters.
Qualified vs random advice
There are 2 types of people.
1) People who are qualified to give advice
2) People who are not qualified to give advice.
Well... who is qualified?
After all, that's simple.
Ask yourself when someone is giving you advice...
"Do I look up to this person? Or to some parts of them?"
"Have they lived it, experienced it, to give advice based on their own life?"
If both are a no, then you shouldn't take their advice.
Or - at least - you should filter it.
The fact is, we can learn from anyone.
But if someone isn't qualified to give that advice per se, then the advice is much more likely to be bad.
Let's take examples.
Examples
Let's say you want financial advice.
Should you ask or listen to the advice of:
1) someone who's broke? Or struggling to pay their bills?
2) Or to someone who has become wealthy on their own?
Let's say you want marriage advice.
Should you listen to:
1) me who has never been married
2) or someone who's been married for 40 years?
When you want photography advice, should you ask:
1) someone who has never used a camera before
2) or a photographer you look up to?
See where I'm going with this?
Don't take everyone's advice.
This also includes people you're close to.
I love the people I have in my life, but some just aren't qualified to me certain advice.
E.g. Someone who's not fit giving me advice on how to eat healthily & someone warning me of entrepreneurship when they've never been an entrepreneur themselves.
You need to learn to filter advice. And ignore some advice people tell you.
When it comes to decision-making, it's the same thing.
I love this quote by Naval:
"If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone".
When I am making a decision, I don't ask everyone's advice.
I seek who's qualified to give that advice.
Has someone tried what I want to try?
Has someone failed at what I want to try?
Has someone succeeded extremely well at what I want to try?
Then I reach out. And I listen. Deeply.
If I asked for everyone's advice, it'd be a guaranteed way to make a bad decision.
"If you ask for enough advice, it will eventually contradict itself." - Sophia Wood.
You might say...
But this person I ask advice from is older than me - they must have good advice, no?
Being old does get you some wisdom.
But the wisdom on what?
That depends on what kind of life the person has lived.
Older people than you don't know everything.
To summarize, why is being careful with asking for advice important?
You're more likely to:
make good decisions
get where you want - achieve your dreams
make decisions faster due to not needing to ask everyone
But, if you do ask everyone's advice, you'll:
make worse decisions
struggle more to get where you want
get overwhelmed with making decisions.
Take ideas from those qualified - and see your life change.
You might find this next idea helpful:
Make a personal board of directors
Many successful people have a "board of directors" they ask for advice.
I have that too.
I do know who to go for:
1) Life advice
2) Legal advice
3) Fitness advice
4) Business advice
5) Newsletter advice
6) Mindfulness advice
7) Relationship advice
8) Tax & accounting advice
What if you feel you lack good directors on your board in real life?
Well, thankfully we have the internet.
You can search does a person you look up to have any resources on that topic.
And that resource can help you make a decision on things.
(If you look up to some parts of me or my life, read more Letters here.)
It's always best if you can ask for advice directly from that person.
But early on, you might not have access to them.
But over time, you could get that access.
After soon 7 years of doing photography, and 3+ years in business, I have made friends of many people I looked up to in the beginning.
That's where you can get too.
But anyway, before wrapping this up, I want to also write about the dangers of asking for advice.
Asking for advice can be dangerous
How so?
In most cases, I see asking for advice as a great idea.
However, if you only ask for advice, and don't do stuff, that's bad.
Asking for advice itself won't get you anywhere.
You must actually do stuff.
Learning from others can, and will, speed up your process toward your goals.
But taking action is the most important thing.
Without action, you won't progress.
Without action, all the advice is useless.
Wrapping it up
Why did I write about this to you?
Because I'm afraid you're also making this same mistake that I did back in the day.
Being careful of whose advice I listen to, is one of the best decisions I've made.
And indeed - it is a decision you make.
I hope after this, you don't take the advice from everyone. :)
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I hope you enjoyed reading this week's Letter.
If you did feel free to forward it to a friend.
If you were forwarded, you can subscribe here.
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Till next Saturday, my friend.
Hugo
P.S. If you want more advice from me, these are 4 ways I can help you.
#1: Want to crush it on social media in 2024? Click here to apply to my 1-1 Social Media Coaching Program.
#2: Have you seen my YouTube channel? I've put stuff out there too. I bet you'd find it valuable. Check out my latest videos and come give me a like and subscribe. :)
#3 Have you already joined my Lightroom Presets waitlist? If not, join here.
#4: I have a lot of free resources out there. Read the past Letters here.
