I Don’t Like Being Told What To Do

And I don’t believe in “good advice”.

“You should read this book, I’m sure it will help you.”

“And what do you say to that nice lady for having given you sweets…?”

“I think you should quit smoking. I can help you with that.”

“I’ve been to this amazing restaurant yesterday. You absolutely have to try it!”

“In order to achieve peak productivity, drink 3 liters of water after waking up, eat 12 boiled eggs for breakfast, have an ice-cold bath, and then proceed to writing 20 000 words — all of this before 4am. Start today. Do it for the rest of your life.”

Over the last years I have developed some sort of inner radar that starts beeping whenever someone tells me what to do. I have grown a serious allergy to the the expressions “should” and “have to”, and I can recognize pieces of unsolicited advice, even when they wear the subtlest and apparently harmless disguises.

Maybe that’s not how it works for you.

I know that some people feel comforted when their grandma tells them that they are too skinny and then proceeds to fill up their plate with deliciously caloric food. I have friends who struggle with determining their own path, and therefore are always on the lookout for the next piece of…