One second. One moment. One decision.
They can change... everything.
Change happens with and without notice. Life happens instantly, so we have to learn to keep up.
These are all lessons we learn too late. We need more wisdom when we're younger.
We can make our lives better from the smallest decisions without knowing. But, let's start knowing.
Life will be the better for it.
Redditor ChrisVIII wanted to discuss the best ways to make living better, in the most simple of ways.
They asked:
"What improved your quality of life so much, you wish you did it sooner?"
Pay attention in school.
Don't drink and drive.
Two very small and life altering decisions I wish I could've done better.
Walk Away
"Walking. After years of trying to run, I simply started walking. 5-7 miles a day in good weather. It is literally life changing in terms of mental and physical health." ~ Merlin560
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Adopt...
"Adopted my block. (adoptoneblock.org) Instead of being sad about trash everywhere, I go out a couple times a week with a grabber and a bucket and just clean it up. Fresh air, a chance to connect with neighbors in a positive way, eyes on the street, neighborhood looks nicer and feels safer, zero downside."
"Adoptoneblock might only be in Oregon, but a picker is like 20 bucks for a good one (I recommend Arcmate brand; they're metal inside and last forever) and 5-gallon buckets are everywhere. Even if you only do the block around your house, it makes a huge difference. Imagine if every block got adopted." ~ binkkit
"helping people out"
"I stopped saying yes to things I didn't want to do." ~ VinnyRuns
"Holy sh*t me too! I used to do hair and eventually once I was working for myself I would say yes to literally everything all the time. Including 'helping people out' and stuff like that. I loved making people happy but I eventually got more and more miserable and ended up with a pretty heavy drug addiction."
"A bunch of years later and some really helpful therapy and I work a job that I actually love and no longer do hair for anyone other than my girlfriend or very close family. Only took 16 years of doing something I didn't really love to finally break and make the changes I needed to get what I want out of life." ~ arcaneresistance
Sail Away
"Taking a yearly vacation. My family never traveled growing up so I didn't know what I was missing out on but I have a good paying job with time off benefits and my wife and I have been taking a vacation every year since we got married, even if it's just something simple the time away from the usual day-to-day does wonders." ~ brshimp
Push No
"Turning off all push notifications except for essentials like financial apps or important contacts." ~ cyan_reynolds
Giphy
I'm learning so much already.
And HOW do I turn off those notifications?
Swallow
"Swallowed my pride and got a blue collar job. For almost 20 years I followed my mother's advice, work inside so it's warm when it's cold outside and cool when it's warm outside. Now I deliver packages outside and the weather doesn't bother me. I have no boss on my shoulder and I can do my job however I want." ~ veldrinshade
Restful Nights
"CPAP machine. If you snore at all, you owe it to yourself to get a sleep study and see what is going on. It literally changed my life getting one. I went from constant caffeine throughout the day just to function to feeling rested for the first time in years. Especially if you are overweight like I am, your heart is stopping multiple times an hour as you struggle to breathe while snoring."
"It sucks getting used to the machine (especially if you have to wear the full face mask), but man that first night of actual deep sleep will be life changing. I cannot recommend it enough and I have convinced at least 5 people that I know to get one and they all say the same thing, should have done it years ago." ~ bonez59054
The Top View
"Quit my job and moved to the mountains. I realized I cared more about what I did with my free time than whatever work I did, so I got a job where my SO and I wanted to live. We live in a cute mountain town now and every day watching the sunrise at home gives me 1000% more happiness than anything ever in Illinois." ~ starciv14
Water and bedding are essentials to happy living.
Don't be afraid, you can always start doing better now.
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While creating music is a specific skill set, however, not everyone is capable of doing it.
Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor RefrigeratorDry495 asked:
"What is an extremely common thing that others can do but you can’t?"
It's cruel how the mind can seemingly play tricks. These are some mental capabilities envied by others.
Decisions, Decisions
"make up my fking mind."
– ITTrillionaire
Short Term Memory
"Remember what was said within the past 5 mins."
"ADHD isn't easy to deal with."
"I need to upgrade to AD4K."
– Draiko
Let's Focus
"I have a very hard time doing mentally taxing work with other people around. Lots of nights and weekends."
– patricksaurus
Now, Look Here
"Keep eye contact while speaking to someone."
– AidilAfham42
"Same here. I wish I knew how to fix this, maintaining eye contact with someone for more than a second or two is like holding my hand under hot running water, I can only do it for so long until I have to pull my hand away."
– LayClespool
The Mind Wanders
"Keep a hobby. Everyone I know has at least one hobby if not multiple. Sometimes a lifelong passion."
"Meanwhile I can't stick to one for more than two weeks."
– schwertfisch
The name of the game is: Let's Remember People's Names.
And You Are...
"Remember names."
– Ronotrow2
"I was told that when you get introduced, you use the name in the first 5 sentences talking with them."
"I tried that. Now they look at me as I am a weirdo and I still can't remember names."
– comicsnerd
Who Did What To Whom?
"I can watch 6 damn seasons of some show, and still won’t be able to tell you any of the characters names."
– COMRADEBOOTSTRAP
The Anxiety
"Yep, same here."
"I dread people saying 'Aren't you going to introduce us'. No actually, I may have known these people for years, and could tell you all sorts of things about them, but to remember their names I'll need to go check my phone."
– carlovski99
Let's get physical. If you can.
Get Down
"Kneel comfortably, goddamn knees."
– craigmaddiehopsital
"I see people just sitting on their kneecaps and I'm like how."
– PRIC3L3SS1
Taking The Plunge
"Dive into water. It's not that I'm bad at it. It's that I just can't make myself do it."
– Molly_Michon
Fitting In
"Wear ear buds."
– extod2
"And here I thought my ears were just deformed or something. I see people walking around, doing activities, heck my teens do chores with them in. All the bending, jostling, turning of the head, and they stay in their ears. I can't move or they'll fall out."
"Hell, they'll fall out in a few minutes even without moving. I've tried several different kinds over the years, have concluded my ears are just not normal, and gave up on the earbud lifestyle."
– Fang_Jolima
Some People Just Have This Power
"Snap my fingers."
– sdsxnx
It seems most people are good at recognizing faces.
Even in a pandemic era where we are surrounded by masked faces out in public–where they are required or recommended–people seem to easily acknowledge others with their eyes and know exactly who they're seeing.
I'm not that person.
Friends I haven't seen in a while may recognize me when they bump into me, but I apparently have a puzzled look on my face as my brain tries to analyze their face.
After they identify themselves, I squint a little and then pull off an unimpressive performance, explaining to them how my mind was elsewhere at the moment they spotted me but I knew who they were all along. I never do. It's embarrassing.
It takes a while, but eventually, I come around.
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