Ask HN: What's the single best piece of advice you've ever heard? - awqrre
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sghiassy
I've always liked this quote by Ira Glass

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of
us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there
is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that
good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste,
the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why
your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they
quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years
of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to
have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are
still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing
you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week
you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that
you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And
I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s
gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your
way through."

~~~
Gustomaximus
> Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of
> this.

Many people who strive to excel feel this always to an extent via higher
expectations on themselves than people around them hold.

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oldmancoyote
I'll paraphrase it because I can't remember how it went. Choose some
interest/activity aside from your career and commit to pursue it for the rest
of your life. Such a sustained effort will one day prove to be of immense
value. If you don't make your choice right now, you never will. I didn't, and
I didn't, and at the age of 70 how I wish I had.

~~~
skdotdan
It's never too late!

Could you put some examples or make some suggestions? I'm looking for a new
hobby, which, apart from being a hobby itself, could help me in other aspects
of my life.

~~~
aj_g
How about climbing? It's awesome exercise, and has been the source of many of
my friends and countless road trips for me.

------
partisan
I have two:

My mom told me once that I am not responsible for the happiness of others.
Prior to that, it was a tremendous burden for me when loved ones were unhappy
and I felt like there was nothing I could do.

The other one is "No matter where you go, there you are". My early career was
marked by short stints at different companies because I was looking for the
perfect work environment. Eventually, I realized that the only constant
amongst those places was me. I now fight the urge to escape whenever things
aren't going how I want them to because, ultimately, I will still be me
wherever I go and it is better to deal with my issues than change the world
around me.

------
nickfromseattle
Know your audience.

Knowing your audience is critical to communicating effectively and impacts
every human interaction you'll have.

Two people with an arbitrary goal having separate conversation with the same
person can have vastly different outcomes predicated on how well they know
their audience.

Some examples off the top of my head:

1) Teaching a novice; understanding their skill level and learning style to
guide how you teach and what you teach.

2) Asking for a favor from a colleague in a different department;
understanding their priorities, pressure points, and professional goals to
position your request in a way most likely to be accepted.

3) Traffic stop; understanding the LEO's concerns to ensure a smooth stop and
preferably a warning for the reason you were pulled over.

4) Giving a presentation; different people care about different things,
understanding your audience allows you to choose the messaging that your
audience cares about and resonates the most.

------
andrei_says_
Don't believe your thoughts.

Stop calling them "my thoughts" \-- observe how they emerge and investigate if
you're the one causing them.

~~~
usgroup
Wow, genuinely interesting but complicated advise. Literally wouldn't know how
to do that but I certainly wish I could attribute thoughts better.

~~~
andrei_says_
You can start by investigating your thoughts with a sceptic mind.

Especially the ones creating emotional response.

For example "I am a failure."

How do I know this is true? Does failing at one or n things classify me as
something?

Would I have failed if I wasn't trying? Was there learning involved?

Do I have a recollection of succeeding at something at least once?

This example is a bit long to show multiple ways of questioning.

Emotionally charged thoughts are more often than not unoriginal and
irrational.

You can also look at Byron Katie's "The Work" methodology.

\---

As for investigating the emergence of your thoughts, simply point your
attention to where a thought comes from when you notice you have a thought.

Like, why am I thinking that I am failure? What happened right before that?
Did I decide to think that thought before I did?

You may discover that most thoughts are repetitive, unoriginal and automatic.
Are they "your thoughts" then if they're just happening to you? Are they
"yours" if they happen to a bunch of people?

And, bonus: do you act on all your thoughts? If not, what decides if you'll
act? Observe these decisions. Do you will them into existence? Are they
happening to you?

"What makes me tick?" Is a question I have curiosity about. These are some
directions to put your attention in if you have this curiosity, too.

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qiqitori
Making mistakes is part of human nature. It's best to expect that a lot of
things will go wrong, items will be lost, deadlines won't be kept, driving
won't be done correctly, your boss won't know that doing $thing will cause
$badthings (including annoyed employees), code will be written suboptimally,
people will say stuff that hurts other people, people who hurt other people
will claim they acted perfectly normally, etc.

------
pmiller2
Have emergency savings, preferably a bare minimum of 3 months' worth of
expenses, available. Depending on your risk tolerance and income stability, 6
or 9 months might be appropriate. It's absolutely amazing the peace of mind
and freedom to take risk that having emergency savings can give you.

------
ErikMC
Go for a run in the morning. Even if you have a crap day, at least you've gone
for a run.

It applies to things other than running, too.

------
TobbenTM
"Always try to be the dumbest person in the room."

Surrounding yourself with smart people is the best way to learn and improve.

~~~
o2l
This is a very interesting way to look at things. I will try that.

------
Gustomaximus
Want to get something done, do a little bit at a time.

\- My grandma... miss you supergran.

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osullivj
Beware charm. Charming, charismatic people can use their charm to mask a
multitude of faults and deceptions.

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ai_ia
Don't take advice from someone, with whom you don't want to trade places.

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new_hackers
Don't be an asshole

~~~
EnderMB
I came here to post "Don't be a dick", but glad to see that someone already
has it covered.

Throughout my career, I have worked with countless people that were happy to
piss off others to get stuff done, and while it might get something done in
the short-term, it damages them in the long term.

It doesn't matter how junior they are right now, that junior developer you
shat all over might be the senior developer that tells the MD not to hire you
when you rock up for an interview after being made redundant. That contractor
you tried to short-change over a delivered piece of work might be the reason
why you are struggling to hire people with similar skills, or the reason why a
company is keen to pursue you for not delivering. That person you harassed at
work might be the reason why people keep leaving your company.

All of these scenarios has happened to me in the last five years, and I'd say
that my career has been shaped by the experienced of others. I'd also say that
it shapes the career of many people. Hell, you only need to see the recent
issues at Uber to see a company that will fail to attract top talent, and
employees that will struggle to work in any team with previous co-workers.

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theslugger
Let it not be said you never got what you wanted because you never asked.

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chauhankiran
I like this quote ( and piece of advice ) :

I would say don’t take advice from people like me who have gotten very lucky.
We’re very biased. You know, like Taylor Swift telling you to follow your
dreams is like a lottery winner telling you, "Liquidize your assets, buy
Powerball tickets, it works!" – Bo Burnham

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pards
"I go first" \- heard it on a Tim Ferriss podcast.

Be the first to volunteer, to put your hand up with a question, to introduce
yourself to others, to open the conversation.

It avoids those awkward moments when a group of people look at their shoes
wondering who is going to respond. It also helped me address my general
reluctance to be the first responder.

------
HugoDaniel
"Don't piss into a power socket"

(in pt):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcI_2zvwejk&list=PL2332BC2EB...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcI_2zvwejk&list=PL2332BC2EBB3870B8&index=22)

~~~
mlashcorp
I guess you don't know your audience ;)

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Casseres
Always ask,"Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Don't just ask once if you can help, everyone else does that. Be the person
who asks again and again. People will take notice and tell others. It's the
quickest way to new opportunities.

------
banterfoil
Living well is the best revenge.

------
jennytodavchych
Relax and answer will come . If you can not make decision - just stop thinking
about it for few days(if it's possible, of course). Answer will come from
where you can not expect.

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dinosaurs
The worst mistake to make is to be afraid to make mistakes.

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oldmancoyote
Few worthwhile efforts are every successful on the first attempt.

Failure is a necessary part of eventual success. It provides improved context
and insights. As a young man, I thought that something must be wrong with me
because I always failed when I tried something new and so I usually gave up.

Guilt has nothing what-so-ever to do with failure.

Failure is just another useful metric.

------
WhiteOwlLion
Health is a precious resource you don't squander. Lack of it can take down
even the richest of men. Steve Jobs.

------
hyperman1
From the Thief II game:

To use thy chisel is to blunt its edge 'gainst the stone. To not use thy
chisel is to waste its edge.

I know it is some drivel invented to stuff out the in-game story, but it
stuck. I tend not to use some nice thing as I might break/waste it, so I use
this text as an occasional prod that it's fine.

------
victorbojica
Learn to rest, not to quit.

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rokhayakebe
Keep your. Humility on the way up. Dignity on the way down.

------
htwillie
Don't take advice from anyone without skin in the game, for they have no
tangible downside to being wrong.

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murkle
"teach them to ride a bike one at a time"

(as parent of twins trying to be "fair" :)

"apologise early"

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craftkiller
Treat people like sovereign nations

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imode
what you want to learn has been learned before a thousand times.

never fear walking on a well-worn path.

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mrlyc
Do what you love, what you are good at and what people are willing to pay for.

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dgranda
Work hard. Be strong. Don't complain.

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alltakendamned
Either you earn or you learn

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alashley
Don't take any advice.

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staunch
Read the classics!

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a_lifters_life
health is your greatest wealth.

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m4ns0ur
Just let it go.

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willhallonline
Smile more. Because it will make you happier and everyone around you happier.
Everything will become easier if you smile more.

