What's the best advice you've been given?

 If someone asks me years from now, "What's the best piece of advice you've been given?", I will definitely have an answer for them.

Up until six months ago, I'd always heard things that are useful, or seen people I admire in interviews say things that can be noted down, but nobody had every said anything directly to me that had impacted me or my life to any degree.

However, last October, after one of 16 nights of a run of a city play, I was sitting in a pub with some of my cast members having a fairly angry (text) argument with someone.

Obviously I couldn't see it, but I expect my face looked like a wet weekend and one of my cast mates leaned over and asked me what was wrong. I explained and he offered me these words of wisdom:

"Don't waste time caring about people who don't care about you."

At which point I put my phone down and haven't spoken to that person since.

I don't think I can express how much healthier things have been for me since I have really taken this on board, how freeing it is, how little energy I'm wasting now. I used to be someone who really would care.

I wouldn't go out of my way to make someone like me, but it they didn't appear to like me, I would want to know why and it would weigh heavy on me for a long time, often until I actually found out the reason - which could be an intrinsic part of my personality and that would hurt.

But it's not their fault they didn't like me. I don't like a lot of people! So now I don't worry about it. I am myself and have a lot of people who love me for it so I don't spare a thought for the people who don't or might not.

I've stopped worrying about whether someone is talking about me behind my back. (It makes something as simple as clothing choice a lot easier in the morning too, let me tell you!) I'm using my energy for more positive things.

And in the career I'm choosing to embark upon, having a thick skin is very much advised, so it can only be a good thing to be able to distance myself from people who don't care.