5 Uncommon Pieces of Advice That Helped Me Flourish
Hi guys, Welcome to my Ted Talk. I’ve always wanted to do one of these and a list feels like one of the more fitting starts to my writing career. So let’s dive right into the good stuff.
- Convincing myself that I was wrong
Growing up in a toxic environment, I was a victim of excessive gaslighting, so this might not seem like the appropriate habit to digest. It made me unable to adjust and quick to defend my every action through my teen years. My natural-born curiosity allowed me to question the most extensive conventional courses of life, and every time I thought I’d absorbed all the information there was, I discovered I was only breaching the surface. I carried this mindset in relationships, occupations, (of course) education, and everyday life, and it allowed me to gain numerous beneficial traits that are useful today.
2. Quality over quantity, but not over results
I gradually learned this through many of the back-breaking, labor-intensive jobs I’ve worked, as well as positions within organizations that favored business management and administration. Although it’s a concept best used in work-related situations, it certainly possesses its’ perks within relationships and individual growth. You’ll find that quality work takes time quite often, and not many people are capable of producing multiple pieces worth value in a short measure.
As employers, partners and mentors adjust to your level of input x output; it’s essential that you can create alternative methods of producing quality results in a timely fashion. Simply focusing on the results of your collective work will enable you to include and rid of necessary components that offer success with minimal damage to the overall production.
3. Adjusting my “meaningless” habits
Most, if not everything you do in life carries over to your routine habits and personality. Playing high school football, I regularly practiced chewing my mouthpiece. Now, at 21 years old, I’m finding it difficult to cut down on the amount of time I spend grind my teeth. It didn’t seem like something noteworthy at the time, and that’s usually how these ‘meaningless’ habits work. I realized that spending a lot of time scrolling mindlessly through social media or responding to emails before bed were a few examples of practices that affected other areas of my life.
Deleting social media accounts or spending time on more productive apps such as LinkedIn or Apple News allowed me to develop more vital professional skills and cut out irrelevant updates. Making it a priority to respond to emails within the same hour or soon after they were received allowed me to engage in far more conversations, leading to prevalent connections and opportunities. It’s also allowed me to retain expert information and advice through professionals I often contact. All your meaningless habits eventually frame your well-being.
4. Eliminating common polarization.
Realizing there are multiple techniques in a system and that my opinion will never be fact has helped me develop my humbleness and understand and accept numerous perspectives genuinely. It has also allowed me to remain knowledgeable through practice, select the most appropriate response, and formulate the most practical ideas and concepts. Most polarizers are unaware of their actions, and it can be difficult to adjust this general practice. Once you notice that a subject you take an interest in has been primarily divided, it is likely that you’ve unintentionally chosen a side.
Review your recent opinions within the subject and see how equally balanced they are and what areas they differ according to your background. Also, request opinions and criticism from both individuals you closely correspond to and differ from. Compare the results and declare which areas you may need to reconsider. A large part of this alteration requires that you understand why you possess these distinct aspects and what it means to balance the scale.
5. Realizing that I can learn something from anyone
When I was younger, I got to a point where I began to think deeply and had taken far more responsibility than my peers. I became isolated, independent and believed that the people around me could not possibly assist me or comprehend everything I endeavored at that point. I notice that this made me an often negative entity, and I struggled to develop on various measures. What took me longer than I want to admit was that I was merely looking for sympathy and support. I also had to learn to deal with jealousy and envy, as they are common emotions all people experience throughout their lifetime.
I started by forcing myself with optimism and accepted admiration in the life I’d grown accustomed to. Shortly after, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and slowly opened up to others and their advice once more. Doing so made me realize that even though my situation was altered, I still benefited from the direction I’d received from those in a ‘lesser’ position than me. I was humbled, excited, and willing to accept any advice possible for several scenarios. I also observed others and how they reacted to specific situations, primarily in times of extreme joy and sorrow. I took in the things I admired about them and learned from the things that I didn’t. To this day, I continue to do so, even for situations and events I’ve already become adjusted to. Doing so helps me view myself as a lifelong student eager to teach to those in need, all while having the necessary experience and expertise to back me.
This isn’t life advice; I’m not cut out for that kind of responsibility. However, these few small mental notes have helped me develop my occupational career and relationship life. I’ve also made personal strides as a student, especially in my continuing and progressing Communications career. I’ve had the opportunity to connect with and befriend the most well-represented individuals and create opportunities that will allow me to continue to succeed in all aspects of life. I owe it to the many lessons bestowed upon myself and the people who helped me reach such a point. So maybe try it out a bit and come back here to tell me “job well done” or not. Whatever makes you a better person, I’m here for.
