Bad Advice You’ve Gotten (And Why It’s Bad)

By Lev Novak

(Do not do what the picture says.)

Sometimes, online or in person, you’ve gotten bad advice. Maybe even from me (sorry for the whole “peanut-butter whisky” thing.) But some of the bad advice stays with us as cliches. To move forward, we’ve got to exorcise the demons of advice past.

1. Be Balanced

Nah.

See, the idea of “being unbiased” is a good one. It really is. But very often it turns into a paralysis of “hearing both sides.” I mean, both sides are at fault, right? That can be true, but it can also be a load of bull you say to avoid committing to what you think is right.

So, I say; believe in what you believe, and count on people who believe the opposite to balance you out. Playing the middle-ground on everything is a cop out, and life tends to average things out anyway. Believe what you believe, and be open to others, sure, but don’t go out of your way to self-censor.

2. Read A Book (To Be Smarter)

Reading is a fine pursuit, don’t get me wrong, but it’s one that people will put on you as a requirement. “Read a book” is a great way to be smug and show off, but sometimes, that’s not the attitude you need to get reading.

Absolutely read, but read for you. Reading a book shouldn’t be a chore you do to be smarter; it should be a natural pursuit of what you enjoy. Like Breaking Bad? Read an awesome book like that. Do you like The Walking Dead? You’re going to love The Road and that’s a classic. It’s also by the guy who wrote No Country For Old Men so you know it’s legit.

See what I mean? Books are your friends, and you should read them for you. And you should enjoy them. Imagine that.

3. Major In Something That Will Make Money

Sure, that’s good advice. If you’re good at that field, you should consider majoring in it.

The problem is that people don’t quite process their own skill level into the equation. For example; I am terrible at equations. While an engineering job would pay more in a vacuum, nobody would hire me as an engineer. That’s because I would break their vacuum. So even with an English major, I’m better off. Because I’d be terrible at another field.

It’s not as easy as following your dreams. Sometimes it’s just about doing what you’re good at.

4. “Girls Love _____”

The advice guys have gotten and given the most tends to be about women. The only thing I will tell you is that women love being generalized blindly.

Any advice you read on the internet about picking up women is invalid. That’s because it was written by a guy on the internet. Guys on the internet are shady at best (like myself) and sketchy at worst. Guys on the internet are the ones who brought you the idea of email scams; are you really going to take their pseudo-psych advice about why women love fedoras?

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