This is about why you shouldn’t take all that advice too serious. Unfortunately this is advice, too.

People tend to give advice in its most radical form. Especially those who are paid for writing about and giving it. It took me a while to understand that.

As your parents were teaching you not to play with fire they probably told you that if you do the house would burn down. Not that in 90% of cases probably nothing would happen. But it worked on you.

Same goes for all the Why successful people get up at 4am kind of stories. The people telling these stories probably got up 4am once. Would you have read the story if it was named Why some successful people sometimes get up at 4am, but mostly go to work like everyone else?

People tell you the extreme, because it is more effective and it eventually sells better. Allow yourself to feel inspired, but don’t feel pressured.

Another problem with storytelling is that it always happens in hindsight. And in hindsight everything seems much more compressed, tighter and eventually more extreme. Ever told someone about that amazing saturday night (you might even called it the best night ever), which was 90% of average and probably 10% of amazing time?

And if you ever are in the situation of giving advice: At least give the advice to balance that advice as well.