Some Really Good, Bad Advice

Some of the best advice I have ever received almost always began with, “Now this might be termed ‘bad’ advice, but what I would suggest is…”

I was rather skeptical when I heard them, but with time and experience, I found out that they did make sense. So, here’s some anti-advice that some of my friends and I have received and have, over time, found to have been really good advice and something we cherish.

Mistakes aid learning

One of my teachers once told me, “I am really good at giving advice, since I have made a lot of mistakes.” I did not understand it at that moment, but I do know that that’s very true. I used to live so precariously, trying to mind all of my p’s and q’s. But then, I came into college and took on a super heavy workload and realized sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. And, the learning is the most valuable part of life. So, now, I’m not as afraid of making mistakes as I once was.

Taking time off is a good thing

My advisor calls this “sharpening the saw.” Imagine you are a woodcutter, cutting trees in a forest, and you cut at some speed, let’s say “x,” trees in an hour. Soon, your saw blade starts getting worn and your speed of cutting decreases. If you continue, your speed would decrease further. However, if you take an hour to sharpen your saw, you can go back to the “x” trees an hour. Moral of the story: A break is necessary every once in a while so that you can regain your energy and enthusiasm.

Follow your heart

If you think you really are passionate about something different from what you are doing at that moment, do what your instincts tell you. A friend of mine changed majors in the second semester of their junior year. It was a pretty risky decision. At that stage, as a college student, one has invested a lot of time and effort and is almost close to graduating, but, if that’s not what you want to do, you should not. For my friend, it turned out to be a decision that was totally worth it. It’s not always easy, but if you are passionate about it, it’s not as daunting as it seems either because there’s always the satisfaction of doing something that you truly care about.

Your GPA is just a number

I’m quoting my friend directly here because I could not have put this better.

“I was stressing about classes and grades and talking to my friend about it when she said, ‘Your GPA is just a number. It does not show how hardworking you are, or how kind you are as a person. It’s just a number.’ And that has been something I have found to be true ever since.”

You do you

Don’t let others’ reactions or opinions keep you from being yourself. Or from doing what you love to do. From being the person you want to be. You are a unique individual and nothing should stop you from loving yourself and respecting your individuality. Sing the songs you love, wear the clothes you like and be your own crazy, awesome self. You do you!!

I hope you all live each day to the fullest, love the people around you and spread kindness and cheer wherever you go!