Think of the most successful people you know and the people you aspire to be like. Did they follow conventional wisdom? Did they walk well-worn paths? Most likely, the most successful people are also the ones who blazed their own trail and threw conventions to the wind.
But we’re still much too likely to listen to the same tired advice we’ve heard over and over again when it comes to our career. Oprah probably wasn’t following this kind of advice when she rose to prominence as a talk show host and tastemaker. Mark Zuckerberg clearly wasn’t following the maps left in career advice columns when he started Facebook wearing his signature hoodie.
The most successful people are those willing and able to think outside the box. So why are we still following the same career advice? Here are four pieces of advice you’ve probably heard over and over again, and why it might be time to hit mute:
