Advice Or Affirmation?

“You have to become undeniably good at something. Nobody ever takes my advice, because it’s not the answer they wanted to hear…but I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’ If you are just always thinking, ‘How can I be really good?’—people will come to you.” -Steve Martin, memoir Born Standing Up

What sticks out to me the most from the above Steve Martin quote is “nobody ever takes my advice, because it’s not the answer they want to hear.”

If you ask and receive advice from someone who’s uber-successful in your desired field, why wouldn’t you take it? Or at least try it for a set period of time?

Which begs the question…Are you really seeking advice? Even if it’s a cold comfort.

Or are you just seeking affirmation of a prior belief and confirmation of what you’d like to hear?