Three Pieces of Advice That Will Change Your Life

Everyone has an opinion, whether you want to hear it or not. I have had my share of solicited and unsolicited advice. And I’d like to share three pieces of advice that will change your life. That is if you are open to hearing it and heeding it too.

Advice is a tricky thing. Have you ever received advice that you didn’t listen to, only to learn in retrospect that you should have followed it? I have. Sometimes I let my ego get in the way, and I handle situations how I feel comfortable. However, I have learned there are many different ways to approach things, and I certainly do not have all the answers. It’s okay to take someone else’s advice. Then why are we so reluctant to?

Here is an interesting article, https://remedygrove.com/wellness/why-people-refuse-good-advice, that highlights advice. It offers the following ten reasons why people refuse good advice.

• They might be opinionated.
• They might have differing values.
• They might want evidence of the benefit.
• They might fear the outcome.
• They don’t want to admit they are wrong.
• They might feel the advice is threatening.
• They might be in denial.
• They just want to vent and not be guided.
• They can’t commit to helping themselves.
• They don’t see the fundamental problem.

Who Wants Three Pieces of Advice?

Most people are not genuinely interested in your advice – even when they ask for it. It’s this weird phenomenon. I believe people ask for advice in business because co-workers expect them to. It shows they are interested in other team members’ wisdom. In life, people seem compelled to ask the advice of elders. Why not? They are older, wiser, and most probably have been in the situation you are exploring. But, again, people think they can do it better, so they politely accept said advice and do whatever they planned in the first place.

I am not pointing out this phenomenon to explore the psychology behind taking advice. No, I point it out because I strongly disagree. I think you should accept and act on advice from valuable sources. You do not need ten excuses for why you should not. You need to believe that the person (mentor) you ask has your best interest at heart and will not steer you wrong. Taking their advice will save you a considerable amount of time moving forward. Why reinvent the wheel?

Can Advice Change Your Life?

I strongly advocate being kind and treating others how you want to be treated. I have said this many times before; there is not enough kindness in this world. When you do good things, good things happen to you. And it feels good!

Are there strangers that remember your kindness? I hope so. One time, I was putting a quarter in my meter when I noticed a woman frantically searching for something in her purse. I approached her and asked if she needed a quarter for the meter. She did! She profusely thanked me and said, “I have a job interview, and I’ll be late if I have to get change from a store.” Hopefully, she got the job!

Did I save this woman’s life by giving her a quarter? Doubtful. But it made me feel good that I could help her. And I would like to think she would now do the same for someone else. Who knows? Maybe she’s a scientist and finds the cure for leukemia at this new job. That opportunity might have been lost if she had been late for the interview.

I know what you are thinking–Loretta is being very dramatic today! Maybe this example does push it a little. However, being kind and treating people nicely will positively change your day. Try it; you’ll see.

Mindset is Everything

Lastly, control your thinking, and control your life. There are lots of cliches that go along with this.

• If you think you can, you will.
• Fake it until you make it.
• You become what you think.
• A good day or a bad day is your choice.
• Focusing on the positive creates positive results.

You get the idea. Have you ever tried it? You get up one day and say (out loud), “Today is going to be a great day.” If you keep repeating this to yourself over the day, it will be great. You’ll have trained your mind to look for great things around you. This works even on your darkest days. I know this because it is how I conquered my depression.

In the words of my infamous mother, “There is always someone worse off than you.” She taught me gratitude at a very early age. You can find something to be grateful for no matter what terrible things happen. Admittedly, you may not want to. You might want to sit in your poo, feel sorry for yourself, and play the victim. That’s your choice. I’m not judging here.

Some tragedies occur that are so horrific you cannot imagine having to survive them. Yet, people accomplish incredible feats due to suffering those great tragedies. It boils down to one’s mindset. If you can control your thinking you can control your life. It is possible. I learned this the hard way.

Life Can Change in an Instant

Apologies to those familiar with my story.

My life was remarkable. I lived in a beautiful house in a great community with my husband, two kids, and a dog. I had an executive-level job that I loved, and it paid pretty handsomely. But, late in 2016, everything changed. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and lost my lucrative job during treatment. I had two surgeries, multiple chemo infusions, and seven weeks of daily radiation.

I contracted Sepsis from a kidney stone during cancer treatments and almost died. The chemo made me extremely tired, putting me on Social Security Disability. We needed to downsize our home and learn something called budgeting. It was a devastating period for our family. I had no idea who I was anymore and was in deep depression.

Yes, Advice Can Change Your Life

Luckily, I was in so much pain I was open to anyone’s advice. And the following three pieces of advice I received are responsible for changing my life:

• It’s okay to accept someone’s advice.
• Be kind and treat others how you would like to be treated.
• Control your thinking, control your life.

It has taken me almost six years of using these three pieces of advice to find peace in my life finally. If you had asked me ten years ago where I would be right now, I could not have predicted this. I am not where I want to be yet. However, I am confident I will get there with the continued help of these gems of wisdom.

Have you ever heeded advice that helped change your life? Kindly share it in the comments below. And, as usual, please let me know if anything else here resonates with you. I hope you choose to have a great day today!