I think it's safe to say that all of us at some point in our lives have received some really good advice that not only helped us, but also has stuck with us long after it was given. And recently, I stumbled upon this old AskReddit thread where user rayane_Xd asked this question: "What is the best piece of advice that you've received?"
The thread went viral, as thousands of people replied with the best advice they had ever gotten. Here are some of the top and best comments:
1. "My dad once told me, half-jokingly, that, '"Live fast, die young" doesn't work if you don't die young.' He has a bunch of health problems now due to not taking care of himself when he was younger. It really opened my eyes to how the way I treat my body now will have repercussions decades in the future. After hearing that phrase and seeing his health issues accumulate, I've started eating much healthier and exercising more frequently."
2. "In college a mentor told me, 'The habits you establish now last you the rest of your life. If you think you’re too busy now to prioritize your mental and physical health, establish hobbies, engage with friends, just wait until you’re working full-time trying to balance it all.' She was right, the things I prioritized then are the easiest to maintain now, everything else still takes a back burner."
4. "Treat things as an opportunity not an expectation. If you’re expecting a certain outcome then you’ll generally be disappointed, but if you are looking at it as an opportunity for things to go one way or another you’ll usually be happier with the outcome and not stress over it if it’s negative. It’s a lot easier to see silver linings or benefits in things when you’re not expecting the outcome to be a certainty and you’ll be a lot more appreciate of said outcomes when you’re not already starting at a benchmark."
5. "Compete against yourself, not against others. Stop trying to compare yourself to other people because you will always find someone who is better at something that you do or who is more successful at whatever career you've chosen. Instead compare yourself to the person you were yesterday/last week/a year ago. Look at that person and ask yourself, 'Am I a better, more skilled, more complete person than I was back then?'"
6. "You don't have to show up to every argument you're invited to."
7. "Be the person you needed growing up."
"Why you gotta do me like this? I was having a good morning and then you had to go and violate my feels.
But FTR, this is so true and something I've based my life around without really explicitly putting words to it."
8. "You wouldn't care what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do."
9. "It will still be here tomorrow. Wisdom from my boss on having a huge to-do list at work and not stressing over it. Get done what you can today, what you don't finish will be there to work on tomorrow and you don't need to take the mental baggage of having a big to-do list home with you."
10. "Control the controllable, let the rest go."
—[deleted]
"My mom always said, 'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you look at it.'"
11. "Don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm."
"One of my all time favorite sayings, and so true. I used to try an please everyone, now I know to take care of myself first and foremost. If you have anything left over after taking care of yourself, that's when you can help others."
12. "Unless you're a rockstar in your field, your connections at work are most likely going to present the best opportunities for you down the line. Networking matters."
13. "Take the time and make the effort to figure out your boundaries. I wish so many people did this."
—[deleted]
"Set boundaries and expect them to be respected. When they are violated make it clear that that was a violation."
14. "Sucking at something is the first step to being OK at something."
15. "If you want to be successful at any job, you need two out of these there things; show up on time, be nice to people at your work, and be good at your job."
"Yes as someone with a chronic pain disorder this has saved me many a job. I've always made myself indispensable to make up for my higher than usual absences. I always cover shifts and pick up extra. Most times someone will cover for me because I always do for them or if they can't my bosses won't get too mad because I'm always the one coming in."
17. "Don’t recall where I heard this but...'If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.' The people who you surround yourself with, especially in your young adult life, will have a profound impact on the rest of your adulthood. Surrounding yourself with driven and intelligent people will influence you positively."
"YES! I freaking love this. You can’t climb higher if you’re sitting at the top of a ladder."
18. "If you wouldn't let the people you despise live in your house, why let them live in your head?"
19. And finally: "Decisions about work should be the most selfish ones you make. You are selling them the remaining days of your life, don’t undervalue them."
You can read the full thread of responses on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.