I was down with Covid the other day, and it was bad. At some point, I was wheezing. I sought whatever advice and recommendations my friends gave me.

One common suggestion is to drink more water and to sleep well.

That’s a great idea! Or at least, it sounded like one.

And so, I decided to drink lots of water before heading to bed to get some sleep.

Except for the fact that I had to wake up every 2 hours to answer nature’s call.

This prompted me to reflect. What kind of advice sounds good in theory but is impractical?

Here are some of them:

1. Follow your passion – As inspiring as this sounds, it overlooks the practicalities of life. Sometimes passion might not align with market demands and might not be a viable career choice.

2. Never give up – There is a difference between persistence and stubbornness. The general idea of never giving up is great. Sometimes, things don’t work out, no matter how much effort you put in. And it is important to recognize when to pivot.

3. Stay true to yourself – Authenticity is important, but there is a time and place for everything. There is a saying that “honesty is the best policy”, but it is more accurate to say that even the best policy has to be implemented at a good time. The ability to adapt to new situations while not compromising core values would be more valuable.

This piece might sound like an advice. The question is, should you heed it?