I’ve been noticing a lot of experts and thought leaders giving advice on everything from your morning routine, to your diet, to how to raise your children. It all seems to be one-size-fits-all advice. While the advice is well meaning, and it may have worked for them, that doesn’t mean it will work for you. When this advice comes through as “do this, I guarantee it will work,” and it doesn’t actually help you, that can leave one with a feeling of failure, of not being good enough.
I wish all of this “how to live your best life” advice came with a disclaimer. *This is what I tried, and this is what worked for me. But I don’t have kids. Or I have the ability to work from home. Or I have family that lives down the street to help me out.*
Oftentimes when we are seeking out how to change parts of our life, we are already past the point of frustration and just want someone to tell us what to do.
I think it’s important to have a filter to put this advice through. Does what I’m hearing fit into my life? Do I have time to do this? Is this person’s life similar to mine? How does it feel in my body? What does my gut say about this?
What I’ve learned for myself is that no one can tell me to do xyz and I go do it and everything is better. I know that I’m not going to make those changes until I’m ready to. And only when it feels right for me.
I often get to this point by gathering information and seeing how it feels for me. Taking the parts that make sense or that feel doable for me, and ignoring the rest. Sometimes, the information gathering acts as a way for me to get confirmation on what I already know is the next right move for me or for me to get a sense of this is absolutely not the next move for me.
If someone has a massive platform and millions of followers, that doesn’t make them the expert on you. If your best friend thinks they know what’s best for you, or your Mother, Father, sister, brother, cousin, teacher…you are the expert on you. Be discerning about the advice you take. Filter it all through your life and your priorities. Don’t be afraid to do something different or something that people around you don’t understand. You are the expert on YOU!
