The Only Two Pieces of Advice You’ll Ever Need
There are two kinds of people who can almost always help you achieve your goals, whatever they might be.
Advice columnist Abigail Van Buren, circa 1958.
Photographer: Hulton Archive/Archive PhotosAs a writer, podcaster and economist — not necessarily in that order — I receive numerous emails asking for advice. People ask for my opinion not only on economic questions, but also about what kind of job they should get, if they should return to school, whether they should marry a given person, how to plan a wedding, which books they should read and, yes, what is the meaning of life.
I am reluctant to hand out advice, if only because a) I don’t even know these people, and b) a proper answer is usually context-specific. Nonetheless, I think there are two pieces of advice that are appropriate for almost everybody, in response to almost any question. Here they are. Maybe I should just send all future requests for advice a link to this column.