Take advice from successful people

November 10, 2015 2 mins read
Take advice from successful people

When the time comes to choose between opportunities, younger professionals are often indecisive because they lack an understanding of the industry in which they will be working. During this indecision, the first reaction is to ask for advice from close friends or elder members of their family. So, then, who should you ask for advice if you want to make the right choices and get closer to reaching your goals?

Unsuccessful people often see an endless succession of issues and challenges before they even embark on a project. In their eyes, there is an infinite distance between them and success, and an infinite number of obstacles along the way. They often allow these problems to occupy their field of vision, making them into close companions.

Unsuccessful people are used to investing their energy into problems. They passionately seek out problems, at times even holding onto them and refusing to let go. This sometimes leads their colleagues to suspect that that they have a "chronic dependence on problems." This type of person hardly has the spare time and energy to think about their goals; in the eyes of observers, their head is filled with problems that appear all too real. Whilst others may feel sympathetic, they may not know how to help them—even those who genuinely wish to give advice may not know where to start.

Asking unsuccessful people for advice about success is one of the factors that may lead us to make unwise decisions. At various stages throughout our lives where we lack successful role models, we often, in an act of poor judgement, allow anyone and everyone with experience and qualifications to act as our compass. At points, where we may feel confused or frustrated by certain aspects of our lives, we listen to and absorb opinions from as many people as possible.

Marlon Mai's picture
Marlon Mai
Managing Director, Greater China
mmai@morganmckinley.com