Random life advice - All

The best advice that was ever given to me was by my mother. I've followed it my entire life, and they're words to live by: Don't burn your bridges.

It's that simple. You can always walk away, but always walk away knowing you can come back if you need to. You never know what life will throw at you, or whose help you'll need down the line. Even when people have totally wronged me, I've bitten my tongue and left vengeance in karma's hands.

My own personal advice: If you have a dream follow it. Even if you fail, you'll be able to walk away knowing you gave it a shot. You don't want to grow old regretting what you'll never know.

And yes, I chased a dream and failed. I don't regret that decision, and I don't resent the outcome.

Stay away from people who aren't nice to you. Don't worry so much, it all works out. Travel light.

As much as I hated learning this as a child, I really have come to be thankful I learned it: Listen, watch, and try to figure things out on your own. It's a valuable lesson because, while society is setup so that we help each other out, it's better to be of help for someone else who needs it than to be always asking others for help. I don't hate people, but the people I generally dislike are those who are always asking questions that they could have solved by: a) Listening and watching b) Googling it, or c) Taking the time to figure things out on their own through other means. I'm perfectly fine with people who are at the end of their ropes and need to ask a question they can't answer or don't know how to ask that question, but not with the people who try to seek help at the first sign of trouble.

My personal advice:

Focus on experiences in life. Not objects or possessions. If you get a influx of money in, go travelling; and not to see the sights. Sights are boring. See people and do things you either never thought of doing or things you already enjoy. One of the things I hate most are pictures. When you bring a camera on a trip, you're always looking for a time to use it; to take that snapshot that you think will remind you of a certain time in your life. You get distracted from the experience, and those pictures go to waste. Leave the camera at home. Focus on that experience--good or bad, it'll teach you either way. And I'm not saying throw out your shit, but value what you have or what you need. Don't go buying that hot, new iPhone when yours works just fine--that's $600-1000! That's a goddamn plane flight anywhere in the world!

And, unless you have some large complication in your life disabling you from doing so, you're never too old to start travelling.

Got the night off? Forgo television--the great mind number. Go see a friend, have a beer, chat about shit. Anything. Maybe even literally shit. Go see a movie, talk about it afterward. Read poetry, make fun of it or get into a in-depth discussion of it. Go for a walk, a run, a hike, a drive together. Whatever. Interact with people.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

If your heart feels really heavy and awful about doing something, DON'T.

If your heart lifts with joy, DO it.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

16 Lines of Dubious Advice

It’s a peculiar
sort of peril,

this promise beholden
to flesh and fate,

that pinions our limbs
to soil and state,

imparts its secrets
far too late.

So winnow the pleasure
from what is impure,

delight in the
dangerous and the obscure,

distinguish with care
between brazen and brave,

and don’t trust a man
who has dug his own grave.

Quit with grace.
The best revenge is success and good living.

I dated a two-timing jerk of a man. Cheated on me (with a friend!) and did other nasty things. I learned he was away for the weekend with another woman instead of on a business trip. I packed up his things into boxes neatly. I didn't keep anything of his.

The "mistress" showed up on my doorstep the next day. "I was away with ****** all weekend. He's with me now."

I went inside and handed her one of his boxes. Then, I gave her a big hug and said, "Sweetheart, you can have him." One by one, I brought the boxes out and she huffed and puffed them into her pick-up truck. (He only had about 7)

She drove off and flipped me the bird.

A friend of mine saw her at the bar. Apparently, she was complaining about me. Her complaint? "CB is just too damn nice." (Saying "Nice" like the F-word)

6 months later, I landed my first publication at an RPG company that the ex idolized. He saw my name in print and sent me a nasty email out of the blue. "Who's d*** did you suck to get that job?"

Go figure.

Always remember -- righty tighty, lefty loosey.

Force yourself to do things that you don't really want to do. At least once, just so you can be sure you really hate it. I regret not doing some things I'm sure I would have hated, because I still missed out on valuable life experiences. The very nature of being well rounded is occasionally doing stuff you hate.

Read the directions. All of the directions. First. Before attempting to do anything. I mean it. Unless the directions are from Ikea, in which case do not read the directions if you want your marriage to survive.

If you really want to do something, you will do it (or die trying.) If you really want to do something, and you are not doing it, ask yourself why. You may figure out that you don't really want to do it. Or you may figure out that you are wasting your time on other projects. Listen to yourself.

Plan ahead.

Do not blame me if you failed to plan ahead.

It's not Obama's fault you failed to plan ahead, either.

From Mr Evans, who taught maths at the Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur:

"Fair is what you pay on a bus, and bears no relation to Life."

(I just realised it's more effective as spoken-word advice. Works well for the under-13s.)

ETA: Stop with the PMs and reps about fare/fair. I know. I made an executive decision. It's just how it works.

Go where you're led and bloom where you're planted.

Chris P said:

Go where you're led and bloom where you're planted.

Click to expand...

very nice

Don't waste your time feeling overly self-conscious. So what if you can't dance? Do it anyway!

Don't write things in anger. And if you do write a sharply worded email to someone, let it sit overnight before hitting send.

The three pieces of advice I try to live by:

-A person who's nice to you but not nice to the waiter is not a nice person.

-Take afternoon naps.

-Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

When I was in ninth grade, a speaker came to our Home Economics class to talk about working at the phone company. She handed out little yellow keychains when she left. They were shaped like a key, and had printed on them: The Key to Success is Self-Discipline.

I spent many, many years ignoring that. I did not want to believe that a major component to a successful life had been handed to me on a dorky yellow plastic keychain in high school.

Unfortunately, as the years have passed and my wheels have spun, I've become more and more convinced that the key to success is, indeed, self-discipline. The self-discipline to find something you want to do and stick with it until you're good enough to get paid for it. The self-discipline not to take the easy way out or goof off when things get tough.

The door to success has many padlocks on it, not to mention some deadbolts and chains. Self-discipline is not the only key you'll need. But it sure gets you closer to opening the danged door.

Brightdreamer said:

When I was in ninth grade, a speaker came to our Home Economics class to talk about working at the phone company. She handed out little yellow keychains when she left. They were shaped like a key, and had printed on them: The Key to Success is Self-Discipline.

<<snip>>
I've become more and more convinced that the key to success is, indeed, self-discipline.

Click to expand...

Well, that may be true - but have you considered that The Key To Success might be a little yellow keychain?

mccardey said:

Well, that may be true - but have you considered that The Key To Success might be a little yellow keychain?

Click to expand...

I hope not... I lost track of the thing a few years back.

ETA: On a whim, I went digging for it... and actually found the thing! There may be hope for me yet!

Self help books don't have the answer. (Unless you're the author and the question is 'how much money can I make from this?')

Eat more vegetables.

Don't pick your spots.

-All of these are based on one or more specific instances, and may be less applicable to life as a whole.

+Don't bring chloroform into the Doctor's office.
+Never discuss politics on facebook.
+If it says MSG free, it's going to taste awful.
+Very small dogs fit in the microwave. Don't turn it on.
+Very small men fit into bath tubs, which makes cleaning up the blood a lot easier.

Maze Runner, what a delightful thread!

Mine is: There is always hope.

It's all fun and games until the Visa bill comes....

This will pass. It sounds stupid but it gets me through all my embarrassing moments - the knowledge that it'll dim and be forgotten within a couple of days.

So what if it does? I have a tendency to assume the worst thing that will happen is the WORST THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN and I'll never recover and I'll explode and oh god why was I born, so it helps me to think "so what?"

How often do you think of other people? I tend to assume that everybody is looking at me, judging my hair, my clothes, my attitude, that one weird/insensitive thing I said. To be really pretentious, it's a David Foster Wallace quote: "You'll worry less about what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do", but also think about how little YOU do. Are you really sitting there judging everybody else?

Words of wisdom from my father:

If you're going to do something (small or large) that will improve your life in some way, start immediately. The sooner you make the improvement, the sooner you can begin reaping the benefits.

Never lie to yourself.

When all seems lost, put your glasses back on.