Let's be honest: Life is tough, and sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way, even when others advise us to do something differently.
So when I saw Reddit user u/IndianaC0NES ask: "What’s an important lesson you learned the hard way?" I thought it would be helpful to share their advice, so, you know, we try to avoid doing these things in the future. Here's what they had to say:
1. "Do not spend like there’s no tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and it won’t be pretty."
2. "Never have kids with someone you don’t want in your life forever."
"Also, ensure that they also want you in their life forever."
3. "Dental care is expensive!! Never be lazy with oral hygiene."
4. "If something feels wrong, it likely is."
5. "Don't let love blind your eyes, red flags are real."
6. "Not everyone has the same heart as you do."
7. "A falling knife has no handle."
8. "Just because a person with authority tells you to do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do."
9. "Your family doesn't always have your best interest at heart."
10. "Money doesn’t exist until the deposit hits your bank account and business promises mean nothing until legal documents are signed."
"I'd like to add that the strength of a legal document is dictated by one's willingness to sue."
11. "Always take a chance to tell someone you love them. To give them a hug. Never end a conversation with a harsh word. Both for the same reason. You never know if you will get to see that person alive again. I learned both those lessons from each of my parents."
12. "$1,000 is not a lot of money to have but is a lot of money to owe."
"A hundred dollars is simultaneously a lot more than I thought it was as a kid, while also being a lot less than I thought it was as a kid.
(The quote is a cliche for a reason: it’s true.)"
13. "WEAR A HELMET. It's an easy safety precaution you can take when rollerblading, biking, skateboarding, scootering, etc. And it can literally save your life. I went all through the '90s thinking helmets were lame, and I fell while rollerblading in my 30s and got a subdural hematoma. I wasn't going fast but the momentum from how I fell just slammed my head into concrete."
14. "It's possible to make no wrong moves and still lose."
"That is not a weakness. That is life"
15. "Stand up for yourself. If you get in the habit of letting people walk all over you, it'll be extremely difficult to reverse. Even if you're not confident, just fake it till you make it!"
16. "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Shit happens and it doesn't really need to have a reason. Sometimes you will be the bad guy, and sometimes, you will be the good guy. It happens."
17. "You are not your emotions. You are an awareness who observes them."
18. "Being the smartest person in the room isn't always a good thing."
"If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room."
19. "There are always other jobs out there. Don’t stay in a shitty one just because you think no one else would hire you."
