The Worst Advice I Ever Got

I’ve been in business as a leadership and team coach for over 17 years. Because of this, people come to me frequently for advice. I love to be of service this way, and I do remind them I do not have all the answers and the advice I give them may not work in their specific situation and just maybe, it might be the worst advice they get.

Again, I don’t have the answers for another person’s life. What works for me may not work for another.

This Thrive Global article talks about The Worst Career Advice people have received. It made me think about the worst advice I have ever received. My list started to get longer as I reflected on this. Here are my top three:

1. When there’s conflict, just walk away. I’m not saying this is number 1 on my list, but it certainly is close. I got this advice from a nun while in grammar school. What it taught me caused me a lot of walking away without dealing with conflict. I never learned the skills of how to handle conflict. When it arose, I avoided it. I avoided consciously creating conflict when a situation called for a shake up. I am still on the journey of how to deal with conflict, but am getting much better. 
2. Keep your nose to the grindstone and you’ll be noticed. This bit of wisdom I learned from my Dad. He would use those exact words. My Dad was a blue collar worker and was very grateful for the jobs he had, especially when he was laid off for one year. I think this advice has caused my career not to progress as quickly asl I desired, as I believed for a long time that someone will notice my hard work. Advancement came only after I began to do a bit of self-promotion and tell others about my accomplishments. Only then did others notice my hard work. People don’t know what you want unless you tell them.
3. If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day of your life. I am living proof of someone who loves what I do AND works really hard at it. The two elements are not exclusive and I believe if you do what you love you WILL work every day of your life. I feel that doing what I love to do integrates my entire life. I'm at the place I yearned to be and the word work does not carry a negative feeling for me any longer.

What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?