Be careful when you look to someone for guidance on living your life. Lots of people think they know how life works and how you can live most effectively but plenty of them are struggling hard behind the scenes. Not everyone who says they have the answers actually does and not everything in a book is worth following just because it’s written down.
Before you consider whether or not to take someone’s recommendations, look at whether or not they’re following their own advice. If they are, see how it’s working for them. The true test of any recommendation comes when it’s put to work. What’s good in theory isn’t always good in practice. If someone repeatedly fails to practice what they preach or seems to be miserable as a result of following their own advice, then what they are prescribing probably won’t work out any better for you.
We don’t see the world as it is. We see it as we are. Someone who is holding onto a lot of negative emotions and programs is going to have a negative outlook. As they go about their day, they’ll notice every little annoyance and miss out on the good stuff. In contrast, someone who has let go of their negative emotions and is running instead on positive programs is going to have a positive outlook. They’ll see nice stuff everywhere they go and whatever negative stuff they encounter will roll off their backs without sticking around to make them miserable long after those moments have passed. As you listen to people talk once you’ve gotten to know them and their personas have faded away, you’ll be able to tell whether they’re running on positive or negative programs. The things they talk about, how they talk about them, their general outlook on life (ie believing “life is suffering” vs knowing that life is what you decide it is), and how drained or energized they seem to be will all tip you off as to the lens through which they are seeing the world.
Stick to listening to people who have their lives together. People whose relationships are solid, who are in good shape emotionally and psychologically, and whose list of people they’ve helped to live better lives begins with them. Those who talk a good game but can’t walk their talk aren’t worth your time. They can’t even save themselves so how can they save you?