Honest question to ask yourself...are you asking for too much advice?

Well hello there Mary,

Do you like asking for advice?

If so, you are not alone.

Early in my career, I turned to just about everyone for guidance on:

• Making career switches

• Dealing with difficult managers

• Working with underperformers or slackers

• Asking for a raise and promotion

The quest for advice was both a blessing and a maze.

Here's what I learned:

If you want average, do what others do.
If you want exceptional, do what you do.

I'm sure the advice was coming from the right place.

Asking for advice opens up new perspectives and can guide you through uncharted territories.

However, each piece of advice comes through the filter of someone else's experiences, biases, and individual circumstances.

Some may just not want you to succeed.

And one day, I had my lightbulb moment.

Why am I taking advice from people I don't necessarily want to be?

Or even from people who never even tried or experienced this?

It was all pure speculation on their end.

I don't want to be average.

Average doesn't allow me to get paid my worth.

Average doesn't give me the freedom I want.

Here's how I approach advice now:

1. Seek Alignment
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   ​I only ask for advice for those I resonate with. They need to have career or life philosophies aligned with my aspirations.
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2. Critical Analysis
   ​
   Each piece of advice became a suggestion, not a directive. I get to choose what to implement.
   ​

3. Embrace Experimentation
   ​
   Some paths are not yet traveled. I had to embrace the power of experimentation. Sometimes, the best advice is the experience gained from trying, failing and succeeding on your own terms.
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4. Trust in Self
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   This is the most important. I started trusting my intuition and judgment.
   ​
   ​I am the ultimate decision-maker in my life.

Advice should serve as a compass, not a map. It can point you in directions you didn't consider, illuminate possibilities, and sometimes confirm your doubts.

But the journey itself?

That's yours to chart out.

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Take my advice,

Mary F