If you are seeking to better yourself, you need guidance. Luckily, there are countless sources of wisdom to draw from, sometimes found in the most unexpected places, too.
So when we stumbled across a few Reddit discussions where people have been sharing the best advice they have ever received, we decided to do our part and spread the word.
#1
If you wouldn’t let the people you despise living in your house, why let them live in your head?
Edit: yeah, I get it, sometimes is not that simple. Some persons are in hard situations because of their parents and can’t leave the house. Honestly for these kind of situations you only can wait and be strong.
And if you can’t, seek for help from other persons. Don’t let it drown you.
Image credits: anon
#2
Don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm.
Image credits: NInjas101
#3
You don’t have to show up to every argument you’re invited to.
Image credits: Someonetobetoday
#4
“Once you learn something, no one can take it away from you”.
It really resonated with me, since I grew up with instability and uncertainty.
Image credits: KeeleyCumming
#5
Control the controllable, let the rest go.
Image credits: anon
#6
Nothing is awkward until you convince yourself that it is.
Image credits: euandolan
#7
Take the time and make the effort to figure out your boundaries. I wish so many people did this.
Image credits: anon
#8
If you lend someone your pen for a minute, don’t give them the lid. You’ll always get your pen back.
Image credits: TannedCroissant
#9
Marriage isn’t 50/50. It’s 100/100. You don’t split duties and responsibilities. You both give your all, regardless of how much your spouse is giving.
There will be times when they won’t give as much, out of sickness or sadness or whatever reason. Instead of feeling like they should do more, just pick up the slack. There will be times when you can’t do your share either.
Dishes need doing? Do them.
Instead of asking whether they’re doing enough, ask if you can do more. Serve them. Give them yourself. If both people do this, it will be a happy marriage.
Image credits: time2evns
#10
Remember when you are fighting with your partner it is not you vs them. It’s you both vs the problem. Doesnt matter if one of you is right, fix the problem.
Alternatively, I was told once, after considering myself a fairly honorable man, when I did something wrong, a friend told me “being a good man isnt a thing. It’s a journey”.
Image credits: 03throwaway03
#11
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.
Image credits: kpiork
#12
If you want to be successful at any job, you need 2 out of these 3 things; show up on time, be nice to people at your work and be good at your job.
Image credits: msgme123
#13
Close your mouth and open your ears, nobody hears if everyone is talking, you’ll be amazed at what you learn.
Image credits: tisonlymoi
#14
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.
Image credits: ohshawty
#15
“You wouldn’t care what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do.”.
Image credits: ohyeahimember
#16
Be the person you needed growing up.
Image credits: me_at4am
#17
When i was a kid my dad told me four important words. Know when to quit.
#18
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift” -Master Oogway.
Image credits: Python1662
#19
“When dating, and wondering if you’re ready to marry someone, ask yourself ‘would I be with this person if I were blind?’”
Given to me by one of the greatest, most humble men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Image credits: Jacob_The_White_Guy
#20
If you define your life by the things you own, then the things you own own you.
Image credits: anon
#21
It wasn’t advice per se, but whenever I was going through a tough situation, my parents would always say “it’s temporary”. Whatever hardship I’m going through is temporary. It has helped me so much to put things in perspective. I’m trying to help my boyfriend right now by telling him that his job is abnormally hard right now but that it’s temporary and in a couple of weeks it’ll be back to normal.
Image credits: myheart21
#22
Measure twice, cut once.
I actually sometimes recall the moment my uncle told me that in a conversation when I was maybe 13 or 14. I think we were talking about it literally, cause I did have a woodworking class in school at the time.
It has helped me be more cautious when doing certain things though. Like when doing a task where I can’t redo it if I f**k up, I’ll be super super careful at each stage to be very aware of what’s going on.
Image credits: arealhumannotabot
#23
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.
Image credits: whereegosdare84
#24
Someone once showed me a table that if you start investing $100/month from age 18-30, by age 65 you’ll have way more money than if you you invest $100/month from age 30-65.
Start working on that compound interest while you’re young.
Image credits: AllGarbage
#25
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.
Image credits: Babalon33
#26
Nobody else’s opinion truly matters, because they are not the one living in your body.
#27
Never write a letter and send when you are angry. In fact, don’t write anything down that likely will come back and bite you on the a**e. Be circumspect when faced with rage and for f**k’s sake say please and thank you.
– My Mum.
#28
Always know their will be a second kid on a bike coming around a curve after the first on a road while you are driving.
#29
“Either you can accept your situation or change it.”
I had a really tough time making friends freshman year of high school, and I’d come home crying to my mom every day because I was so lonely. She let me cry for a bit and then told me this. The next day I went to school and started talking to people, because I figured I had nothing to lose. I apply it to so much now, either I have to fix what’s bothering me or I have to accept it and move on, wallowing around feeling sorry for myself was unhealthy and not beneficial in the least.
#30
Get it in writting.
#31
Walk with purpose.
#32
Buy a plunger before you need a plunger.
#33
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.
Image credits: MasterVader420
#34
If you’re going to do it wrong, you might as well do it right.
Image credits: Brass_and_Frass
#35
The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.
Start there.
Image credits: anon
#36
Always underpromise and overdeliver.
Image credits: PersonaNonGrata3301
#37
Being an electrician working in industries: “trust no one.”
If the process operator is convinced that the power is shut off, go and see it for yourself.
If a trainee tells you he has tightened all and any bolts and screws, go and see it for yourself.
If your foreman sounds convincing enough that the materials for the job are ordered, go and see it for yourself.
It’s a philosophy not for sowing mistrust, but to ensure you can do your job properly and safely.
Image credits: NiteAngyl
#38
“Don’t be an idiot.” Before I’m about to do something I think, “would an idiot do that?” And if they would, I do not do that thing.”.
Image credits: RocksOnPoint
#39
Stop forcing s**t, just let it happen.
#40
Sucking is the first step to being ok at something.
#41
At my graduation party, we had those little advice cards that people write on and the put in a box for the graduate to read later on. My grandmother’s was the simplest, but it’s also the only one I kept and still turn to frequently. “Do what makes you happy”.
#42
If you can afford to pay a professional to do something, you do it.
That way, if something goes wrong, your wife can blame them instead of you.
My late father-in-law.
#43
When my dad passed away someone told me, “I’m sure you hear a lot of people saying how sorry they are and stuff like that. So I won’t tell you that, I will tell you this. Your dad may have passed from this world but he’s still alive in your memories, alive in the people’s lives he’s influenced, talked to, and met. He’s alive in you, your family, and your friends. He’s alive going forward because he’ll influence your future kid’s lives, he’ll influence your life going forward. Your will to live might be broken right now but you have to for your dad, your mom, and your family. Keep his memory alive because a person dies twice. Once in the real world and once when they are remembered for the last time. Make sure that last time isn’t in your life span.”
That really helped me through some dark times.
#44
Wear a condom.
#45
If you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.
#46
Always keep the utilities, lease, and vehicle in your name, and have a bank account in your name only. That way, no matter what goes sideways in your relationship, or how badly, nobody can put you and your kids out, turn off the heat or water, etc.
#47
I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are — Mewtwo.
#48
We judge ourselves by our reasons and others by their actions.
Try to remember this when someone judges you for something you did or before judging someone else for their actions.
#49
An old guy once told me “once you reach 60, never waste a boner or trust a fart.”.
#50
Someone told me to ask myself, What is the best use of my time right now?
#51
It may not be advice, but it was the best dose of tough love I had ever received. So maybe it was advice in some cosmic sense.
I was home visiting my dad and alma mater. My ex-fiance finally texted me that day to officially end our relationship. To make a long story short, it was a 3-year, toxic relationship that really took me through the wringer. I kept the relationship on life support up to that point, and quite frankly, the relationship changed me into an extremely anxious, fearful dude. I finally had enough – I wanted her to be the one to end it after everything that had transpired. She did so through a text of all things.
I was getting ready to go to a bar with my best friend to drown my sorrows and drink to a brighter future. My dad isn’t normally one to get involved in my relationships, but as I got ready to leave, my dad stopped me and grabbed me by my shoulders:
**Dad:** Son, I love you, and you’re one of the strongest men I’ve ever known … but whenever you meet a woman, you turn into a wet bag of s**t. You need to really think on that, and get back to who you are before you even think about getting involved with another woman.
I remember being stunned and pissed off all at the same time, because I knew he was right. It was what I needed to hear at the time, and I took a solid two years to heal and get to know myself again.
Without that bit a tough love, I’m not sure I would have made the same decision.*Edited for typos.*.
#52
Love, trust and respect is what you need in a quality long term relationship. ALL have to be present and they have to be MUTUAL. (My mum).
#53
Never give out money you expect to return.
#54
Act like a doormat, don’t be surprised that you get stepped on all the time.
#55
ALWAYS check for milk before you pour your cereal.
#56
I got one that’s less “deep” than the others here.
“$1 saved today is worth more than $1 saved 10 years later”.
#57
1. Hold your own standards high and the standards of the people you surround yourself with higher. That way you avoid wasting time on people who wouldn’t treat as great as you treat them.
2. Always surround yourself with people who are better than yourself, more intellectual, more athletic, quicker etc., that way your peers challenge you to improve yourself rather than you begin to believe you are the best you can be.