What advice do you wish you had taken?

First Published 3 March 2022

I was on a networking call yesterday where the question posed was ‘what advice would you give your 18 year old self’.  The responses were varied and interesting  (thanks Thea).

But I thought I would put a bit of a different spin on it.

Can you remember a time when you were given advice and you chose not to follow it – yet with hindsight you perhaps wished you had?  Or perhaps advice you did follow and now wish you hadn’t?

I’ve got a couple of these points where I can say “I wonder what would have happened if I…” e.g. took that job, quit that job sooner, bought that other car, quit that relationship sooner, didn’t buy that house, hadn’t bought the shed when I did (that’s an interesting one – massive outlay a matter of weeks before a redundancy notice!!).

And do you know what? 

I’m ok with the decisions I made and the paths I took.  Perhaps I could have taken the paths a bit sooner (without slamming on the brakes or needing to make a handbrake turn!) but that’s life. 

And as my good friend Kerstin pointed out in her answer to yesterday’s question – (and I am massively para phrasing here) had I taken that advice or done something differently, I wouldn’t be where I am now, I wouldn’t be who I am and I wouldn’t have had the experiences I have had – and all that together makes me who I am now.  

So, I invite you to take a mental spin and just ponder the decisions and experiences of your life and note how they have shaped you (and if the mood takes you – feel free to journal it out). 

If there is anything you want to work through do please get in touch – otherwise – enjoy some mental chewing gum.