Be careful with the advice that you get.

Who you get your advice from matters a lot more than you think.

I used to take advice (blindly!) from my close friends and family - people that I knew had my best interests at heart.

❌ That’s how I ended up reading economics at Columbia - because it was a prestigious degree that would let me pivot into a high-flying job.

❌ That’s how I ended up working at BlackRock for 7 years - because who won’t want to have such a prestigious establishment on their CV?

❌ And that’s how I tried to launch a VC-backed startup - because I had a glittering career and a VC-backed startup was surely much more “suited” to my profile than a humble SME.

But here’s the problem I was making with each of those big career decisions: I was listening to people with very different priorities and life experiences.

☹️ They weren’t me.

☹️ They didn’t face the same struggles, e.g. I wasn’t that interested in finance which is why I found BlackRock such a struggle.

☹️ They saw a job as a means to an end, I saw a job as more than that. I didn’t want to just keep what I loved to do for the weekends. I wanted a job that I was excited to go to.

Do you see the disconnect?

There is plenty of advice out there.

A lot of them are good, practical and well-intentioned.

But just because that advice is good, practical and well-intentioned, doesn’t mean that it is good, practical and well-suited to you.

You have to understand the context behind the advice.

See why that particular person is giving that particular piece of advice.

And decide for yourself whether that advice is something that you can (and should!) take on for your own life.

Don’t follow advice blindly.

Everyone has their own life to live.

And if that other person isn’t living the life you want for yourself, why would you not take their advice with a grain of salt?

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The above came to mind because I’ve encountered several people who ask me what differentiates me from other career coaches and the honest truth is this: My commercial awareness.

I’ve been in the corporate world for a while, so I know what it’s like to be shackled by golden handcuffs.

I know the struggle that comes with abandoning that life and the questions you’ll face from the people around you.

And I remember how difficult it was to figure out exactly what my dream job would be and how to get it.

It took me a decade to figure it all out.

I don’t want you to have to take a decade to figure it out too.

So if you have any questions/want to make that Big Leap in 2024, just Contact me BLIND.

It’s time to find your dream job!