Less Preachy, Much Better

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I guess it all started when I became friends with my elder brother’s friends at a very young age. They were at least four years older than me, which I believe helped me gain more life experience and made me mentally ahead of people my age.

I also started working when I was 15. That changed my whole perspective on life. When you start working early, you see the world differently. You learn things that school never teaches. You deal with people, handle responsibilities, and realize that life doesn’t wait for you to be ready.

For a long time, I used to be the guy who always gave advice. I thought I was helping, but most of the time, people didn’t really care. I learned that not everyone wants change. Unsolicited advice is useless. It’s worthless unless it’s asked for. No matter how good your intentions are, if someone isn’t looking for guidance, your words won’t make a difference.

I also realized that less is more. People don’t need long speeches. They just need the right words at the right time. I started asking more than I told. Instead of handing out solutions, I listened. I tried to understand where people were coming from instead of assuming I had all the answers.

I once came across the quote: Practice what you preach. That hit me. I started focusing on practicing more and preaching less. Advice is easy to give but hard to follow. So I stopped talking so much and started working on myself instead.

I’m not an expert. I’m just someone who has suffered. That’s why when I do give advice now, I try to be humble and down to earth. No one likes to be talked down to. People connect with honesty, not superiority.

Looking back, I see how much I’ve changed. As Rumi once said: "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."