Take writing advice from the opposition

Hanging with a different flock can open your eyes.

Online article writers should not only anticipate opposition, they should embrace it and learn from it. Some of the best writing advice I have ever received has come from people with different points of view. We all have belief systems we get stuck in from time to time (or all the time). Taking advice from the opposition can pull us out of that rut.

Birds of a Feather

Rather than hanging with the same old crowd, why not branch out a bit? If you're a serious bookworm, make some funny friends. Are you perpetually positive? Try hanging out with someone depressed and surly. Surround yourself with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Taking advice from the opposition might bring up some suggestions you hadn't thought of. Online article writers keep their ideas fresh and varied by having diverse friendships.

Take Advice from Strangers

Want a really different form of advice? Try asking people you have never met. How do you do this? Well, it's pretty simple for online article writers. You spend your whole day on the web. How about a post on Facebook or Twitter? Your fellow writers are usually willing to offer their opinions. Maybe someone with an opposing viewpoint will see your post as well. I get some of the best ideas from people I've never met who see thing differently than I do.

Take Advice from 'Winners'

Instead of envying successful online article writers, learn from them. Don't be too proud to admit they may know something you don't. Sometimes the best advice comes from writers you have absolutely nothing in common with. They might give you a different angle or just a new way of getting things done more efficiently. Taking advice from the opposition sometimes means swallowing your pride for the sake of self improvement.

Take Advice from 'Losers'

Does this sound like bad advice to you? Think again. How do we learn best in life? By falling down, right? Sometimes losers are the real winners. Everyone falls down occasionally. Everyone makes mistakes. Almost everyone learns from those mistakes too. Online article writers who stick with it and turn themselves around might have a thing or two to teach you about the pitfalls of your chosen career. So go ahead and take advice from the opposition. They just might teach you a thing or two about online article writing.

This article was previously published by this author on a now closed Yahoo property.