Life Lesson Number 5: Never Listen to Bad Advice
Sometimes you get good advice. Stuff like take care of yourself and you are enough. You should always listen to the advice that keeps you moving forward on the right track. Then, there is the bad advice you should close your ears to. These suggestions often come from experts and ring with the voice of authority. Never listen to bad advice.
The problem with listening to these people is they will make you jump the track and send you whirling in the wrong direction. Put your fingers in your ears and travel on, friend. There is no point in stopping there to cop a squat. Don’t linger if they offer you a cold glass of sweet tea. This bump in the road is one of those pitfalls you’ll encounter on your road to get where you’re going.
Never Listen to Bad Advice
Okay, I speak from experience when I offer up this life lesson. One spring afternoon during my sophomore in high school, I sat in the waiting room of the guidance council office waiting for my scheduled appointment. My heart was full of optimism. I figured this guy would know to get me where I wanted to go. My young heart had dreams of going to college. I wanted to be a writer and figured this guy could help get me there.
On a visit to the library, I discovered the Harlem Renaissance poets. Lanston Hughes became my favorite. I fell in love with Gwendolyn Brooks. Her poem ‘We Real Cool’ made me look hard at my life. Then, I moved on to Maya Angelo. I started writing poetry as soon as I learned to talk. These African American poets touched my heart because their words mirrored my life experiences.
Never Listen to Bad Advice
Sometimes you get good advice. Stuff like take care of yourself and you are enough. You should always listen to the advice that keeps you moving forward on the right track. Then, there is the bad advice you should close your ears to. These suggestions often come from experts and ring with the voice of authority.
The problem with listening to these people is they will make you jump the track and send you whirling in the wrong direction. Put your fingers in your ears and travel on, friend. There is no point in stopping there to cop a squat. Don’t linger if they offer you a cold glass of sweet tea. This bump in the road is one of those pitfalls you’ll encounter on your road to get where you’re going.
Never Listen to Bad Advice
Okay, I speak from experience when I offer up this life lesson. One spring afternoon during my sophomore in high school, I sat in the waiting room of the guidance council office waiting for my scheduled appointment. My heart was full of optimism. I figured this guy would know to get me where I wanted to go. My young heart had dreams of going to college. I wanted to be a writer and figured this guy could help get me there.
On a visit to the library, I discovered the Harlem Renaissance poets. Lanston Hughes became my favorite. I fell in love with Gwendolyn Brooks. Her poem ‘We Real Cool’ made me look hard at my life. Then, I moved on to Maya Angelo. I started writing poetry as soon as I learned to talk. These African American poets touched my heart because their words mirrored my life experiences.
Never Listen to Bad Advice
The man in the suit sitting in front of me glanced through the papers he held, cleared his throat, and said, “So, what do you plan on doing after you graduate?”
“Well, I thought I’d go to college somewhere,” I said with the innocence of youth looking at an authority figure for advice.
“Your math grades aren’t good. I see you do well in history and literature, but you still struggle with grammar. You need to face reality. Girls like you don’t go to college. They get married, have babies, and work at Delco.”
Delco Electronics was a part of General Motors, which made electrical components for cars and electronic guidance systems for did work for the US military. I left this pompous man’s office thinking he spoke with the voice of authority.
I did manage to go to college in my thirties. It took ten years for me to earn a degree because I had to navigate kids, work, and life in general. The best thing I could have done for myself would have been to plug my ears to this piece of bad advice.
Never Listen to Bad Advice
The man in the suit sitting in front of me glanced through the papers he held, cleared his throat, and said, “So, what do you plan on doing after you graduate?”
“Well, I thought I’d go to college somewhere,” I said with the innocence of youth looking at an authority figure for advice.
“Your math grades aren’t good. I see you do well in history and literature, but you still struggle with grammar. You need to face reality. Girls like you don’t go to college. They get married, have babies, and work at Delco.”
Delco Electronics was a part of General Motors, which made electrical components for cars and electronic guidance systems for did work for the US military. I left this pompous man’s office thinking he spoke with the voice of authority.
I did manage to go to college in my thirties. It took ten years for me to earn a degree because I had to navigate kids, work, and life in general. The best thing I could have done for myself would have been to plug my ears to this piece of bad advice.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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We all need to tell our girls they are enough. They can take up as much space as they want and need.
Yes!
That was terrible advice and not that long ago. What a jerk! This makes me so angry. And what did he mean, “girls like you”?
It was in the 1970s. I was one of those kids who came for a poor family. I would need help to have a higher education.
That’s so unfortunate. You needed guidance, not classism not sexism.
It didn’t matter what other girls were doing. If you had aspirations in life, you should’ve been guided to those. It’s upsetting what women had to deal with back then.
And you should be so proud to have gone back to college. I go to school with 30-60 year old and they’re not only some of the best students but also helpful. I appreciate a lot of them and the work they’ve done. It’s, of course, stressful to go especially with kids, but it’s still great and commendable.💕
Thank you. i recieved my degree in 2000. It was a struggle, but i graduated with a 3,9 GPA,
Oh wow! That’s amazing! 🙌👏
I was proud of myself.
You should be! I’m not even your parent and I’m proud of you! That’s an amazing accomplishment to get a 3.9!
Thank you.