Podcast Summary
The importance of perseverance and good advice: Good advice isn't always easy to follow, but it's worth persisting in pursuit of a big goal, even if it takes time and effort and doesn't yield immediate results.
Good advice isn't always easy to follow, even when it seems like the best thing for us. Angela Duckworth and Steven Dubner share their most memorable pieces of advice in this episode of No Stupid Questions. For Steven, it was an unexpected suggestion to start a podcast with Angela. For Angela, it was an experience with a kind-hearted barber named Bernie Duskowitz when she was a young girl. Bernie took her fishing, but they caught only small fish. Despite her initial disappointment, Bernie taught her a valuable lesson: sometimes it's worth persisting in pursuit of a big goal, even if it takes time and effort and doesn't yield immediate results. The experience stayed with Angela and influenced her approach to life and work. Overall, this conversation highlights the importance of perseverance and the value of good advice, even when it's not easy to implement.
Understanding Opportunity Cost and Prioritizing Big Wins: Recognize opportunity cost, make calculated risks, and prioritize bigger opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Recognizing opportunity cost and being willing to take calculated risks are essential for personal and professional growth. The story of the fisherman's advice to focus on catching the bigger fish instead of wasting time on smaller ones resonated deeply with the speaker. This concept, known as opportunity cost in economics, is often overlooked because it's harder to measure the options we didn't pursue. Similarly, the advice from Stella Adler, passed down through generations, emphasized that our ability to make good choices is our greatest talent. By acknowledging the importance of opportunity cost and embracing the power of our choices, we can maximize our potential in various aspects of life.
Finding the right story instead of the best choice: Life's decisions aren't about finding the absolute right or best choice, but rather telling a story we can be proud of. Trust intuition and align choices with values.
Life's decisions aren't about finding the absolute right or best choice, but rather telling a story that we can be proud of. Professor Kaye Merseth shared this advice with the speaker during their college years, and it has stayed with her ever since. This insight was particularly helpful for someone who was struggling with career choices and family pressures. However, it's essential to note that not all advice is equally effective, and unsolicited advice may not be as valuable as sought-after advice. Research by Lauren Eskos Linkler shows that many interventions don't work, and people often don't follow unsolicited advice. The key is to trust our intuition and make decisions that align with our values, ensuring that we can look back on our choices with pride.
Giving advice can benefit the advisor: Giving advice can motivate and encourage the advisor and lead to insightful, research-backed strategies for the advisee.
Giving advice can be more beneficial for the person giving the advice than the person receiving it. In an experiment, high school students were asked to give advice to their peers instead of receiving it, and the results showed that the students who gave advice had higher report card grades in the following marking period. This suggests that the act of giving advice can be motivating and encouraging for the advisor. Furthermore, the advice given by the students was surprisingly insightful and aligned with research-backed strategies for improving academic performance. This finding challenges the notion that only receiving advice can lead to growth and highlights the value of sharing knowledge and experiences with others.
Consider the source and relevance of advice: While seeking advice can be helpful, evaluate the source and applicability to your unique situation before making a decision.
While receiving advice from others can be valuable, it's important to consider the source and relevance of the advice. Oscar Wilde once said that he only shares good advice because he never uses it for himself. This highlights the fact that there is no quality control of advice, and its situational relevance can vary greatly. People who frequently give advice may not always be the best sources, as they may have incentives that make their advice less valuable. However, if someone asks for your opinion, it's a different story. A listener named Jo wrote in with a dilemma. She wants to become a veterinarian but has been advised against it due to the high debt associated with veterinarian school. Despite this advice, Jo's gut tells her to pursue her dream. The paradox here is that people may give good advice but it may not align with what feels right for the individual. Ultimately, it's important to weigh the advice of others against your own instincts and circumstances before making a decision.
Trusting your instincts vs advice from others: Consider advice but trust your instincts, reflect on its merit, filter out irrelevant advice, and develop a strong inner compass
While it's important to consider advice from others, especially in the context of learning and personal growth, it's equally important to trust your instincts and make decisions based on what resonates with you. The speaker emphasizes that this is not always a straightforward process, and that disagreements between your own perspective and that of an advisor or mentor can be particularly challenging. In such cases, the speaker suggests reflecting on the advice and weighing its merit against your own intuition. However, the speaker also acknowledges that this can be a complex and domain-dependent process, and that the best approach may involve filtering out a significant portion of the advice received while retaining the most valuable insights. Ultimately, the speaker advocates for the development of a strong inner compass that can help navigate the often contradictory advice and opinions that come our way.
Thinking outside the box and embracing unconventional ideas can lead to high returns: Unconventional ideas, like focusing on educational initiatives instead of regulation, can yield unexpected success. Surprisingly, many Americans enjoyed studying math during school.
Unconventional ideas, which may not be immediately obvious or popular, can yield high returns due to their uniqueness. Angela, who is currently reading the writings of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, emphasized this point during a conversation with the hosts of No Stupid Questions podcast. She also mentioned that interventions, such as the Food and Drug Administration's attempt to encourage Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables, are more likely to be successful if they focus on creating programs and educational initiatives, rather than regulation. Additionally, despite the common perception that most Americans dislike math, a significant number of people actually enjoyed studying the subject during their school years. These insights offer valuable perspectives on the importance of thinking outside the box and embracing unconventional ideas.
The Hidden Side of Podcast Production: Understanding the intricate production process behind podcasts reveals the dedication and hard work of the teams that bring engaging stories to listeners.
Key takeaway from this episode of Freakonomics Radio is the importance of understanding the production process behind podcasts. The hosts may seem confident and assured, but behind the scenes, they often wonder if anyone is actually listening. Despite these doubts, they continue to delve into the hidden side of various topics, bringing intriguing insights to their audience. The Freakonomics Radio Network, available on Stitcher, is a testament to their dedication and the power of curiosity-driven storytelling. While we may not always realize it, there's a team working hard to bring these episodes to our ears. So the next time you press play on your favorite podcast, remember that there's a whole production process happening behind the scenes.
