Advice Gets Good When It Gets Specific

Notice that these more specific expressions of classic life advice all refer to concrete objects and things. They identify a real-life moment where the wisdom would make a difference, and they tell you how to create that difference.

Without a specific application point, a piece of classic wisdom is just a platitude.

It might seem like you need some wiser person to tell you what the specific advice is, but not really. Say the idea of carpe diem resonates with you. You can ask yourself, “How would I ‘seize the day’ on this sleepy Tuesday afternoon in my office?” and a more specific principle might occur to you:Attempt difficult tasks at times when you want to do... See more

Generic, uncontextualized advice is a menace- by definition it attracts the lost and the confused and only makes them more lost and more confused. Even the seemingly most universal, failsafe advice of the ‘work hard’, ‘try your best’, and ‘believe in yourself’ ilk, can be disastrous for certain people. It can merely act as a motivator and energy bo... See more

real wisdom is usually not frictionless. It’s hard to seek out, hard to understand, and something that reveals itself in time. However, if you do have a habit of getting cozy with this type of content, you’re not alone. Three things that will change your life, though:

1. Wrestle with ideas before saving them for later


2. If an idea is truly indispensable,

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