The advice you give is actually really good… follow it

What is the most recent piece of advice you gave somebody?

We are constantly giving advice, we can’t help it, as humans we are social problem-fixing machines.

“Don’t worry about it”

“Don’t work all night”

“It’ll still be there in the morning”

“Look after yourself”

“Make sure you switch off”

“Don’t take on too much”

“You should go home”

“Take it easy”

Any of those sound familiar? Whether you’re a manager, leader, colleague, partner, family member, or friend – chances are you’ve handed out a few of these with genuinely good intentions.

I bet you’ve been on the receiving end of some of these too… and what did you do with all that well-intentioned advice from those caring people with opinions you value? Well, you acted on their advice didn’t you - you left the office instantly, completely erased any trace of unproductive thoughts from your consciousness, and embarked on a wellness regime to fully optimise your physical and mental health ready to tackle the next day in prime condition.

Of course, you didn’t. Nobody does.

There’s always a reason not to - one more thing you need to get done, one long shift will make the rest of the week easier, one more deadline to hit.

I recently changed my way of working – I stopped being a typical ‘full time office-based’ person. I’m very lucky to have been able to take the time to really consider how I do what I do. The differences for me have been huge, and not without challenges, but positive overall – I’m finally following the advice I’ve been giving for years.

On reflection, all of the genuinely well-intentioned advice I had received over the years was brilliant and I could have made all of those changes a long time ago – but I was too busy advising other people, or simply busy being busy.

So, what is the most recent piece of advice you gave somebody?

Are you going to follow it yourself?

It might just make a difference.