Bad Advice that Sounds Good in Self-Help Books, TEDtalks, Podcasts, and Motivational Seminars
There’s a lot of bad advice that sounds good in most of the media we consume.
It sounds good because the job of the people who create this kind of content is to inspire people who consume it. If you package and promote anything this way, it’s easy to convince people that it’s good advice.
1. Follow Your Passion
Follow your passion is probably the worst advice that sounds good. If you’re passionate about something nobody will pay you for, you won’t make a living from it.
As Ashley Stahl says in her book, “We’ve heard it all before: “Do what love and the money will follow,” or my least favorite from the self-you help movement, “Follow your passion.” These expressions are often a fast track to nowhere.”
And worse, they are often a fast track to poverty.
For any person who made a fortune by following their passion, you can probably find a dozen who made a mess out of their lives.
2. You can be, do or have anything.
This is not positive thinking. It’s delusional optimism. There are plenty of things you can’t be, do, or have — people who think this set unrealistic goals and chase…
