At some point in our lives, we all seek advice. Whether it’s about a career change, a relationship, or a personal challenge, we often turn to others for guidance and help.
When was the last time you asked for advice?
What did you ask for?
What did you get?
Was it helpful?
Did you follow it?
And, did it work?
Every time we ask for advice, we want a clear step by step plan to follow, actionable advice. But it's not fair to ourselves. Each one of us is unique, and so are our situations and contexts. What worked for someone else may not work for us.
Advice is like a map drawn by someone who has traveled their own path. While it provides helpful information, it doesn’t necessarily fit your journey. You have to create your own path, and the map is just a reference point. Understanding your unique context and situation is important to determine the right action for you. Learning from others is valuable, but it’s just a starting point.
In their book REWORK, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson are criticized for sharing un-actionable advices. They don't tell you what to do. They only share what they've done in their own unique situation, their own context. From there you can form your own opinion about how it applies to your situation.
Jason explains:
When was the last time you asked for advice?
What did you ask for?
What did you get?
Was it helpful?
Did you follow it?
And, did it work?
Every time we ask for advice, we want a clear step by step plan to follow, actionable advice. But it's not fair to ourselves. Each one of us is unique, and so are our situations and contexts. What worked for someone else may not work for us.
Advice is like a map drawn by someone who has traveled their own path. While it provides helpful information, it doesn’t necessarily fit your journey. You have to create your own path, and the map is just a reference point. Understanding your unique context and situation is important to determine the right action for you. Learning from others is valuable, but it’s just a starting point.
In their book REWORK, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson are criticized for sharing un-actionable advices. They don't tell you what to do. They only share what they've done in their own unique situation, their own context. From there you can form your own opinion about how it applies to your situation.
Jason explains:
Why don’t we give actionable advice in REWORK and It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work? Because we don’t know how you should act. The action required in any specific situation is highly contextual. If we guessed we’d probably be wrong most of the time.
We can’t tell you what to do. We don’t know what you should do. We barely know what we should do! And most of the time we don’t.
What we can tell you, however, is what we’ve done. In our own unique situation, our own context. From there you can form your own opinion about how it applies to your situation.
Personally, I’ve found that some of the best insights come from observing how others handle their challenges, not necessarily from following their advice to the letter. This realization has helped me shape my path more authentically.
Here is an opinionated approach to seeking advice:
- Learn about other people's experiences and work.
- Form your own opinion about how it applies to your situation.
- Try it out.
- Reflect on the results.
- Share your experience.
- Repeat.
Remember, share experience not advice.
Until next time,
Ahmed Nadar