The Wisdom of Recognizing Good Advice

Here are three ways to assure yourself that you pay attention to good advice

Listen to those you admire.

There’s a difference between a buddy and an accomplished friend with her thumb on the pulse of business and life. Buddies have a tendency to dismiss strong ideas as ‘pie in sky’, an unachievable dream. Accomplished friends, on the other hand, believe in the bootstrap strategy, an approach that will serve you well. After all, very few good things happen without a rasher of good old fashion blood, sweat, and tears.

Co-dream and set a plan.

It’s too risky, some will say to you; you need money others will cry. Truth is, they might be right, but not right for you. Find someone who will dream with you and also set a plan. You’ll have friends that are dreamers and friends that are realists, but you need to identify the ones that are both and pull them into your process. You already know it’s a gamble and that you might fail. But who needs to be reminded? So choose your mentor wisely and do not waver, because building that dream will be a little like shoveling pea gravel— after hours of backbreaking work, you’ll look down and swear you’ve accomplished nothing, when the reality is just the opposite. 

Don’t be overly modest.

Despite your friend’s original encouragement to follow your dream, it’s easy to look in the mirror and dismiss your own talents. Guard against believing that your friend’s advice was simply a polite compliment. Trust the words, trust the sentiment, and use it all, because it’s fuel for the climb. Many times, successful people see what others cannot see.