> Everyone who offers advice is just telling you their life story, dressed up as a simple directive. "Work harder" often means they wished they worked harder in some part of their life. Treat it like any other life story: learn the lessons they did, but don't let it become baggage that you irrationally follow.
I don't know how old you are but bravo - it took me a very very very long time to realize this. The converse to this is to always be very transparent and very careful when giving novices advice - when junior PhD students ask me about some kind success I've had I always make sure to emphasize the ways in which I got lucky first and only after talk about how I applied myself.
Edit: and in full transparency, I believe i had this epiphany after at some point listening to the funny poem/song/thing (from the 90s):
Everybody’s Free (to Wear SUNSCREEN): THE SUNSCREEN SONG (Class of ’99)
I don't know how old you are but bravo - it took me a very very very long time to realize this. The converse to this is to always be very transparent and very careful when giving novices advice - when junior PhD students ask me about some kind success I've had I always make sure to emphasize the ways in which I got lucky first and only after talk about how I applied myself.
Edit: and in full transparency, I believe i had this epiphany after at some point listening to the funny poem/song/thing (from the 90s):
Everybody’s Free (to Wear SUNSCREEN): THE SUNSCREEN SONG (Class of ’99)
https://youtu.be/sTJ7AzBIJoI
which has a lyric
>Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
>Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
>From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
>And recycling it for more than it's worth
I'm not one for sentimentality but that nicely captures it.