Advice. Sometimes we need it, sometimes we don't wanna hear it. And sometimes, the best advice for someone else might not be the best advice for you.
"You don't have to do a job that you are passionate about. You don't 'have to follow your passion.' I think that's bullshit. It's great if you want to, but it's also just as valid to get a job that pays really fucking well so that you have enough free time and money to actually do what you're passionate about."
It didn't take long before others started chiming in with their own favorite pieces of "unpopular" advice, and although some might seem controversial, they're also pretty eye-opening. Here are some philosophies you might want to carry with you into 2021 (or not! It's completely up to you!).
"The 'friend zone' doesn't exist. I'm specifically talking about people who are 'stuck in the friend zone' or 'trying to get out of the friend zone.' Because if that's how you're treating a friendship, you're either lying to the person about actually wanting to be their friend, or manipulating them into being in a relationship with you. You can have a crush on someone you're friends with, but that doesn't mean you're 'stuck in the friend zone.' It just means you have a crush on someone you're friends with."
"If it's not a 'FUCK YES,' it's a 'FUCK NO.' Let's start with a small example: You're clothes shopping and you find a top. You're like, 'should I get this?' If you're thinking, 'Yeah, I'd wear this on a Tuesday if it's not raining and I feel like my arms don't look fat that day,' don't get the top."
"When I say I hate the idea of forgiveness, people don't love that. It's so ingrained in our culture. Somebody does something to you, and you're supposed to forgive them and 'be the bigger person,' and I think it's just a scam. I'm not forgiving anything. And what's this assumption that I'm walking around holding in anger? Not necessarily. Likely what's happened is that I learned my lesson, because you did something that was unforgivable, and I won't forgive it, and I won't forget it. But I'm going to walk away, and remember what you taught me."
"Not everyone is trying to play you. Just let somebody love you."
"If you're under the age of 25, stop dating to marry. So many of us take this crucial period in our life when we're supposed to find out who we are and grow as a person and waste it because we're trying to be good enough for other people to love us."
"Start meditating. Start doing it now. Ten minutes a day can change your entire life. When you can practice being present with yourself in a non-judgmental state for 10 minutes a day, you can carry that everywhere else with you."
"If you're out and a guy approaches you and won't leave you alone, you can just bark. Like, really viciously start barking like a dog. I do it all the time, and honestly, 10/10 times they're on the next flight out."
"Don't listen to your parents, unless you want to be doing the exact same thing they're doing at their age. Go find someone who's doing the thing you want to be doing, and listen to them. Their advice about money, work, relationships, etc. is going to be much more useful, because they have what you want."
"You're young, but you're not invincible. Just because you're young doesn't mean that death won't be creeping at your door or one of your friends' doors. So — especially to the guys out there — tell your homies that you love them. Tell your best friends that you love them, because you never know who's going through something and when you might lose someone."
"Tattoos don't actually have to have any great deep meanings behind them. If you want to get a tattoo because you like the design, that's a good enough reason to get that tattoo."
"If you have to make a choice and you don't know which you prefer, flip a coin. You don't actually have to do what the coin tells you to do, but if you flip the coin you're gonna get a result and your heart is going to tell you what you actually wanted. So do it."
"Apologies? I don't accept them. I accept changed behavior. Sitting there telling me that you're sorry doesn't mean shit to me. They're just words. Actions speak louder than words. Change whatever it is that caused you to need to apologize. Period."
"If you think you're seeing a red flag within the first couple of dates, you're not overthinking it! It's a red fucking flag! Follow that flag! It'll be a problem for the rest of your relationship. They don't take months to manifest, they'll reveal themselves right in the beginning."
"Do it. Do it right now. I think about all the times that I stood over a casket and remembered all the plans that we had, but we never made the time to actually do it. Something was always more important. If there's one thing I've learned after five decades on this planet, it's that NOTHING can be planned. You can't predict. People die, things happen, jobs go south, money gets spent. Do what you WANT to do."
Do you agree or disagree with any of these pieces of unpopular advice? Tell us in the comments below!
*TikTok transcriptions have been edited for length/clarity.