Our conversation turned to some words of wisdom that people have shared with us in the past and that have, perhaps surprisingly, stayed with us to help us to succeed in the various roles that we have taken on in the evolution of our young careers.

I often feel that some form of advice is dished out to me by just about every person I meet.  I have no intention of minimizing these well-intentioned words, however I will admit that the significance of these words is generally lost.   There are very few instances where I feel that words of advice have really had any significance to me.

Perhaps the volume of advice that we receive is to blame for these words falling on deaf ears.  But then again, perhaps we (and I very much include myself in the collective) need to work on our active listening skills a little bit more.  As my friend put it, It’s amazing what can happen when you put the burden aside and really take in what is being said to you.

I’ve learned that real advice can come from very unexpected sources.  It is often a question of putting my own judgments aside and be willing to take what can often be viewed as criticism since, in my experience, the most significant words have come from those who have made the most astute observations of my behaviour, nature and character.

Whether it’s a matter of digging through the coal for that one piece of gold or picking the piece that means the most to us, it will likely do us no harm to put aside the protective layering that we carry around everyday to shield us from the unwanted and actually take in a little bit of what we try so hard to keep out.