“Expert: a man who makes three correct guesses consecutively. “
– Laurence J. Peter
As a teenager I was an anarchist. While I wasn’t particularity good it it, most of my time was spent smoking and writing bad poetry, I did have an epiphany that changed my life. Most of the people who tried telling me what to do had no real authority over me. If I followed their advice I’d be in the exact same position as them.
I’ve followed that philosophy ever since. It’s saved me from wasting a lot of time and anger. If I won’t want something someone else has, I disregard their advice.
Back in college I had a children’s literature professor who made every single assignment into a crusade about how classic stories were sexist. I did the work, turned in the assignments on time, and never bothered to take any of seriously. If I wanted to grow up and become a frumpy dork in an ill fitting sweater, I’d have absorbed every word. Since that wasn’t something that interested me, I paid zero attention to any of the lessons.
While this might sound obvious, the vast majority of people never seem to pick up on it.
If you want to be like someone else, follow their advice