We asked some folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice they disagree with.

Nachiket Karekar

“Do only one thing that you’re good at, and invest all of your energy into it.” I’ve always been of the opinion that we should explore all of our talents, and choose the ones that make us the happiest. But I also strongly believe in diversifying one’s skill set. In an ever changing world, we need to make the most of our resources and be great at multiple things. If by chance, one of the fields of one’s work doesn’t work out, it’s always good to have the liberty to change our chosen path. Read more>>

Alexander Bozicevich

Specialization. My final year of college I tapped into the alumni network and called several people in creative careers asking for advice. The third alum I talked to ran a production company. He asked me about my goals. I started detailing my efforts in writing, acting, and music. He cut me off. Read more>>

Sarah Gardner

I really love the phrase “slow and steady wins the race”. While I do agree with the sentiment that good things do generally take time to build up towards, you may never “win” the “race”. I think we all have different definitions of what winning looks like for us, and the truth is, we may never attain that picture of success. So, what do we do? What I am learning is to ask myself different questions: Do I love this? Do I believe in it? Does it inspire and motivate? If I gave this up tomorrow, would I regret it? I’m learning to let love and belief in my artistic pursuits be enough, so whether or not I get the outcome I desire, I can be content. Read more>>

Isabella Koretz

That “everything is just going to be ok.” There’s this idea in life that sometimes transfer over to business that problems will essentially just work themselves out. This can’t be more true in the world of professionalism. There are constant fires to put out and they simply must be done. You need to act fast and think critically. Read more>>

Wendy Chin

That you need to have a clear idea of what you’re doing or where you’re headed before launching out, and that you need to have a source of income. My husband Willis and I started Heart & Home for the sole purpose of filling the gaps we experienced as foster parents ourselves. When we started fostering, we knew no one else who was fostering. When our first foster baby arrived, we received no gifts or help (a stark contrast to when we brought home our first biological child). Read more>>

Akira Robinson

Stay the Course! I understand why this advice is often given in the spirit of “don’t give up”, but in my opinion, those two ideas are conflated. Everyone has a different course, and in fact most people on a entrepreneurial journey or any journey will have a series of decisions to make. I would update this advice and call it “manage and own your decisions” to ensure the message is to think critically about the steps you’re taking, owning the results, and changing course if needed. Read more>>

Jessica To

This is an interesting one, because there are certainly more than one conventional advice that I like to disagree with. I believe that we, as human, should learn to not go with the flow sometimes, and it’s totally okay. I believe the problem with with bad advice is this–a lot of advice in the responses were all things most of us have heard before. Read more>>

Tony Lowery

The concept that all “hard” work pays off. The implication of “hard” closely meaning beyond one’s normal capacity or desire, but I can always bet confidently on “smart” work. In my experience, I’ve found that having a well-though out approach is always the best foot forward. Read more>>