| It's interesting: when I look back on my life so far, I don't feel like my path has been messed up significantly because of any particular piece of advice. There were times in my life where acting on a particular bit of advice kept me from getting what I wanted. Those were frustrating times. But those times caused me to learn to deal with being frustrated; to stop and reflect on why I was reacting with such emotion. There were times when the advice that I received was unclear, which made it easy for my motivation-to-follow to falter. I would waste time and not get homework done. Familiarity with a topic would grow more faint and my class performance would show it. And then I started to learn how to best use my time to learn the material. (In small groups, using multiple forms of engagement; reading/writing/speaking/listening) The advice that, on-balance, seemed least helpful at the time: * "such-and-such will happen when you least expect it" * "don't ever give up" * "don't run with scissors" But in later reflection these lead me to different conclusions about these same items: * The advisor understands that you're in pain, but really likes who you are when you're not moping. They're trying to help you get there, but they're not sure how. * Admitting defeat is OK, and you can change focus (pivot) without stopping (giving up) entirely. This is a loophole. Use it. * This has always been a good idea. Still is. The advice I would offer would be to use advice wisely. Don't follow it blindly; reflect often, and be adaptable. |