Everyone has an opinion, and they will usually share it with you whether you want them to or not. Ask 10 different people how start your own business, and you will get 10 different opinions.

The same goes for asking advice on how to get in shape, how to find a good deal in real estate, how to make a good sales pitch, how to throw a good party, how to make a good website, how to etc…

So what is good advice and what is bad advice? Who should you listen to?

One of the most important things I ever learned is this: only take advice from people who have already done what you are trying to accomplish.

It’s fine to listen to people you meet, theres no reason to be rude, but don’t put much faith in what they tell you unless they’ve already done it themselves.

I think if you take a hard look at where you’ve been getting most of your beliefs about building wealth for example (parents, teachers, friends, media), they aren’t good sources by this standard.

Let’s say that your goal is to be worth $10 million. Are your parents worth $10 million? Was your economics professor in college worth $10 million? Is your buddy Steve at work worth $10 million? Is the person who wrote that article in Forbes magazine worth $10 million?

Robert Kiyosaki makes this point about who you should listen to in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

It’s amazing how often you run into someone who is just itching to tell you why you’re wrong. Be careful about who you take advice from, or you could very easily end up just as unsuccessful as they are.

Where have you been getting advice in your life?