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

Andreana Salvemini | Director at Sarabi Media Digital Marketing

I remember someone telling me that you shouldn’t leave a company unless you had worked there for at least a year. This is when I was considering transitioning to a better company after being with my first advertising agency for only one year. I disagreed and told them you should follow your passion and go where opportunity for growth awaits you. It’s been 7 years and I am so grateful I made that decision. I not only grew, made more money, and learned new skills, but it was a stepping stone to meet the right people and gain the knowledge needed to start my own social media marketing company! Read more>>

Daniel Pineros | Director & Editor

Work smart not hard – Even tough the principle of this advice is for people to think of efficient ways to do work, I don’t agree with the second part “Not Hard”. It’s essential to do hard work in order to get anywhere, in fact, I believe that’s the only way you can get anywhere. However, I think the hard work should be smart. Read more>>

Dr. Sidonie Freeman | Licensed Psychologist & Psychoanalyst

Often times, I hear people say things along the lines of “It wasn’t meant to be” or “What will be, will be.” or “Que sera, sera.” and I understand that this piece of advice is meant to help someone accept certain difficult circumstances or hard life events that they believe they have no control over. However, it was Carl Jung who so eloquently said “Until you make the unconscious conscious it will direct your life and you will call it Fate.” Fortunately, we now live in a time where the knowledge of the unconscious as a part of the mind is irrefutable. In fact, according to Sigmund Freud, the unconscious mind is the primary source of all human behavior! Read more>>

Tammy Baghdassarian | Executive Director

Valuing performance and experience over loyalty. Keystone is extremely lucky to have employees and contractors that believe in our mission and goals. When I interview a potential new hire, while I of course take experience into consideration, I put greater weight into considering whether this person will be a good fit for our team, if they are open to learning and pushing back on perceived boundaries, what their long term goals are, and how those align with the company. Staff retention and happiness is vital to not only creates a warm, stable environment conducive to therapy, but also to our business succeeding. I’d much rather hire someone that’s motivated to learn and can grow with us, rather than hiring someone based solely on their resume. Read more>>

Hisham Dahud | Musician, Marketer & Educator

I disagree with the idea that you must focus and be great at only one thing. In today’s age, I really believe the more skills you have – even if you’re only novice at them – the better positioned you are for advancement. The more working parts you can work yourself, especially in the early stages, the faster you’ll get to where you want to be. Over my career, outside of knowing how to write and produce music, I’ve picked up countless other skills that’ve played a massive role in getting me where I am today: Marketing Social media strategy Music business operations Copyrighting Photography Photoshop and design Video editing Camera operation Networking Creative writing Public speaking The list goes on and on. Am I great at all of these? Of course not. But I’m more than competent at all of them, and I’m getting better and better all the time. Read more>>

Wesley Brower | Quality Management Systems Consultant & Co-founder

At some point in your life, you have likely stumbled across a piece of conventional “wisdom” that you disagreed with. For me, this advice was the following: “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.” Even the sound of my keyboard while typing the above, is enough to make my blood boil. As an entrepreneur, I have always loved starting, running, and growing businesses. I love the challenge of taking an idea and turning it into something tangible. I love the sense of accomplishment I experience when business is good, and my customers are happy. Achievement, however, does not come without its shortcomings. To be successful in business, you mustn’t do what you love, but rather, learn to love what you do. You cannot enjoy the fruits of your labor without first learning to tolerate the bad seeds. Read more>>

Tiffany Haney | Plus Size Model & Financial Services Professional

Many people, especially the generations that came before us, believe that in order to be successful, you have to choose one identity and be the best at it. Although that may be true, I think myself and other millennials can agree that these days, not only is it dangerous to rely on one source of income but that also requires that you wear more than one hat. These days, people are more accepting of doing business with someone that they may have seen doing other things. What I like most about my new life is that I can work paid modeling jobs, as well as roll over your 401(k) plan. I don’t know about the next person, but I think that’s pretty dope. Read more>>

Zhara Honore | CG Artist

I think throughout my school life we were directed to act and behave in the way they felt would prepare most for professional success but when I actually got there I found that the working world was a lot more chill than i expected! For example, this idea of always being extremely professional was always pushed, but I found that when i started working, my coworkers and supervisors were some of the most laid back people i had ever met! There was also always this mentality of making your career and work your top priority in life. But I’ve actually found it much more effective to balance work and leisure. By putting importance on my personal life I’ve found it much easier to find inspiration, which has in turn helped improve my work. Read more>>

Amanda Garcia | Dancer, Video Editor & Eyelash Extension Specialist

One piece of conventional advice that I disagree with is when people think timing is an issue. When you get hung up on not doing something until it’s the, ‘right time,’ you will never achieve what you could’ve in the time that you were waiting to take action. I believe timing to be an illusion, and an excuse for when realistically, you are scared of failure or being rejected. There will never be a perfect time to start a new business, take a risk, or learn a new skill. You have to push yourself to take that chance, because honestly no one knows what our future holds. But, at the same time we will never know if we never take that step. I believe you should at least try something before giving up, because it could be a complete success and you would never know if you don’t try. Read more>>

Connie Hung | Founder & Creative Director

Call me old school, but I never agreed with passion chasing or only working at jobs you’re passionate about. I think it makes people forget about responsibility. And also people can have so many different passions – why does it need to be combined with work? Aren’t somethings better kept separate? I think it’s all about finding your own mission and how to apply it in different elements of your life – in building relationships, in work, or in your passions. During my years in Finance, I struggled to find what that mission was because I had kept mistaking what I was looking for as “passion.” But I began to pick up on my own patterns – what excited me, what motivated me, and what didn’t. I realized everything I wanted to do involved making a change and giving back. In 2018, I had the opportunity to soft launch Costanté at a Planned Parenthood benefit at the Marciano Art Foundation. Read more>>