The Absolute Best Decisions People Have Ever Made
Reddit user Kai6180 asked:'What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?'
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." ~ The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Life is full of choices. Each one we make can send our lives in entirely different directions.
Sometimes our decisions work out for us and sometimes disaster ensues.
But let's focus on the positive.
Reddit user Kai6180 asked:
"What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?"
Relocating
"In 2012 I got an offer from Amazon. It meant leaving Arizona and all my friends and family to move to Seattle. I stressed about it for a long time and finally decided to take it for a year and then move home."
"Met a girl my first week here and married her 5 years later."
~ Lotan
Trusting Instincts
"I found [what I thought] a US Army grenade simulator as a kid. It had a pull string."
"I held it and was going to pull it but changed my mind. Instead I tied it to tree and got more string until it I had about 10 feet."
"It blew a hole in the pine tree about the size of pie tin and about 2 inches deep. The cops came. I would have lost my hand or worse."
"The year was 1968."
~ enkiloki
"Changing my major."
"I have so much more motivation for school now that I actually love what I’m studying."
~ user8203421
Isn't It Romantic?
"I don't give a f'k if it’s cheesy, but proposing to/marrying my wife."
~ Derekeys
"Right there with you, buddy."
"If this answer is cheesy then call me Mr. Rella."
~ GreenManTenTon
"Was going to say same. 34 years happy."
~ Factsaretheonlytruth
"Accepting an accidental friend request from the woman who'd eventually become my girlfriend."
~ warlordwinters
"I agreed to snap with a girl who texted me first on an Online Dating site last December. Just reached 8 months with the woman that will most likely become my wife."
"I thought she was a bot or something when she first texted me."
~ Murphy338
Setting Goals
"A bit over a year ago, I decided it was time to lose weight. Now, I had the yearning to lose weight before that, because being fat sucks."
"But I got a haircut that looked really good and I looked in the mirror and it was as if I were seeing myself for the first time. I looked at myself and thought 'I could be pretty. I really could. You know what? I'm going to give this an honest try'."
"So I did. I researched the hell out of weight loss, began calorie counting and I am proud to say that Ihave lost 127 lbs... so far."
"Now it isn't even a matter of 'Gee, will I ever reach my goal weight?' It is a matter of WHEN."
"My whole life has changed, and 95% of those changes have been positive. I have met a version of myself I never knew existed. And it is f'king beautiful."
~ Rearldeen34
"At 30 years old with a wife and two kids, go to college."
"My standard of living dramatically improved after graduating."
~ Spud9090
"I’m 36 and in my second year."
"My daughters will know a better life than I had."
~ mrw4787
Moving On
"Leaving my ex. We were horribly toxic together and I'm so much happier now."
"Give yourself time to grieve and process. Even when it's the best decision, the pain from the loss is still there. It will be ok. A new kind of ok."
~ HeyJoe459
"Needed this, just left a very one way relationship where everything was about her and now I am free but still hurts to lose that talk every single day aspect."
~ 1trickana
"Leaving and going no contact with my abusive family."
~ tvcxsxalty
"Congratulations on that, ❤️ people have no idea how hard that is."
~ loveloveyourself7
"I just did this. I knew I had to get away from them. COVID made things worse."
"I hired a company to help me fix my credit and I bought a house in a small town in a different state."
"Right now the heat is keeping me indoors but once fall comes it's going to be heaven."
~ BookmarkThat
"Right there with ya'."
"I feel much more relaxed."
~ ActualFirelord
"Divorcing my husband just short of 50 years!"
"No more negative influence."
~ jennifer3333
"My aunt divorced her husband after 38 years and she has been a new person ever since."
"You can tell the weight was lifted."
~ rb928
Facing Addiction
"Stopping drinking alcohol."
"Today I have my life back and I am very grateful."
~ Outrageous_Duty_8738
"Getting sober from alcohol - 1,290 days but who’s countin!"
~ slycooper89
"Quit smoking and drinking, started to exercise!"
~ PeachFuzzTamer
"I quit drinking and smoking on the same day about 14 years ago....it was a rough couple of weeks..."
~ Psychological-Joke22
Waiting
"After college I started interviewing for graphic design jobs, and I realized 'Oh, this would be excruciating corporate bullsh*t'.”
"I had a moment in time where I knew I needed to decide between a miserable “grownup” job that pays well after a few years, or just working wherever and focusing on enjoying life."
"I wanted to live life, not devote myself to joyless adulthood and a career. I ended up meeting a lot of awesome people, including close friends I still hang out with a decade later, and making countless memories I cherish."
"Recently I started focusing on making more money and being a serious adult, and it feels like the right time for that."
~ UStoAUambassador
Unconditional Love
"Getting a Golden Retriever puppy.
"That was 11 years ago and now I have 3. So much happiness and love."
~ the_best_taylor
"Animals help in ways I don't think some humans really understand."
"My girls [cats] act like they hate me but they are always there for me...for one minute."
~ Flamesclaws
Like we said, life is full of choices.
So which ones worked out well for you?
Things That Scream 'I Make Terrible Financial Decisons'
Reddit user Mysterious_Fudge171 asked: 'What screams "I make terrible financial decisions?"'
How people manage their money can be a very contentious issue.
Some people have an air-tight budget, which they wouldn't dare stray from, even if they aren't even close to living paycheck to paycheck.
Others don't worry too much about how they spend day in and day out, even if they are still aware of how much they have in their checking and saving accounts.
Then there are those who love to spend money and are very good at doing so, but the concept of savings and a budget seems to escape them.
Often finding themselves confused by being in over their heads in credit card debt, despite the thousand dollar shopping spree they went on last week.
"What screams 'I make terrible financial decisions' ?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"Burning friends by asking for 'emergency' money, (based on some fake story), that you will never repay."
"Yes, oddly specific."
"Yes, all too common."- urkldajrkl
Children Are Meant To Have Hand-Me-Downs, Right?
"My neighbor can’t buy her kids school shoes."
"But has custom rims and wheels."- Comfortable-Rate497
The Military Is not Known For Being Lucrative
"A Private in any branch of the military buying a Dodge Charger."- Lukanian7·
dodge GIF by Off The JacksGiphyRe-sale 101?
"My ex SIL went to Walmart and bought a sh*t load of nail clippers, files, polish, and anything to do fingernails with."
"I asked her what the hell she planned on doing with all that."
"She told me she was going to start a flea market."- Buddyslime
If You Have To Ask, I Can't Afford It
"When you ask them how much they paid for something and they only know the monthly payment amount."- jiggeroni
Payday!!!
"Making impulsive decisions right after getting paid."- daisiesandpoetry
Pay Day Money GIFGiphyCoffee Is Where Some People Just Won't Compromise
"I know someone who is always struggling with money."
"Then I found out he has individual cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee delivered to him (via third party apps of course) while he's working at home."
"You know, instead of making a pot of coffee for yourself."- MrFishpaw
Warped Priorities
"Can't pay rent on time, but never misses a night out."- jessie_monster·
Makes Perfect Sense...
"A family member of mine has been begging money from everyone."
"He says they don't have enough money for food / rent / fuel for his wife to get to work or for tires."
"We own a tire shop, and offered him a set of used tires for $40 if he will help mount them (it's a job he's familiar with)."
"He said he didn't have $40."
"He goes to my sister in law and says he needs to make money for tires."
"She starts paying him daily for doing some remodeling work for her."
"He informs her on day 3 that he won't be available for the next two weeks because he is going on vacation to new Orleans."- Desperate_Camel_4159
car help GIF by Bubble PunkGiphyOnly The Best...
"Having the top of the line everything with a minimum wage job."
"Unless you are an unlicensed pharmacist on the side."- Ellieoconnor
Savings Accounts Exist For A Reason
"Every time you get a chunk of cash, you think you have to find a way to spend it."- Sponess
And They Don't Worry About It Getting Scratched Or Stolen...
"Expensive flashy car in the low-rent apartment complex parking lot."- Kedosto
car gold GIFGiphyJust One Click...
"Getting into debt to buy luxury products online."
"The vast majority of luxury customers aren't millionaires, they're regular people who earn below 6 figures."- lehmx
Moochers Gonna Mooch...
"When you have a 150k 'allowance', a free house and vehicle and you're still dead broke for 4 -5 months of the year."
"Sound specific? It's my entitled piece of sh*t uncle."- bhenghisfudge
They Notice...
"Fancy pickup truck with bald tires."- grondfoehammer
Chevy Truck Ipofshow GIF by Off The JacksGiphyWhen presented with a large sum of money, it is hard not to immediately think of how you plan to spend it.
Often forgetting how nice it would be to have it sitting in a savings account, should you find yourself coming up short on rent or bills.
After all, who can truly enjoy fancy things if you know you can't afford them?
One bad decision can have detrimental consequences.
Sometimes, we might be oblivious to the cataclysmic decision we made.
Other times, however, we know we may have done something against our better judgment, but don't think it will matter in the grand scheme of things.
Only to realize we were wrong much too late.
The only thing that can rival experiencing your life being ruined in the blink of an eye, is witnessing others do so, and being absolutely helpless in the situation.
"What is the fastest way you have seen someone ruin their life?"
Honesty Is ALWAYS The Best Policy
"I'm a lawyer."
"Another well respected lawyer in my jurisdiction was involved in an absolutely huge property settlement involving dozens upon dozens of deeds, side agreements, financial documents, yada yada yada."
"The whole lot (presumably involving literally a hundred or so signatures) had been signed off by her client."
"In the early hours of the morning - having no doubt slaved away for untold hours getting everything ready for the settlement the next day - she must have realized that she had missed getting one signature on one minor document from her client so she faked it."
"I can see the pressure she was under and how she probably thought 'it doesn't matter, my client would have signed it anyway and only didn't because they overlooked it, no one will ever notice'."
"Someone noticed and she went from high paid property lawyer to never being able to practice again, just like that."
"People occasionally ask me to sign things off, as a lawyer, and suggest I overlook minor irregularities such as wanting me to witness a signature even though I didn't actually see the signatory sign."
"Then they get all offended and act like I'm being a stick-up-the-a** perfectionist when I won't do it."- princhester
Wear A Helmet.
"A close friend of my best friend grabbed his eight-year-old son's new skateboard and took off down a hill in Georgia."
"Hit a rock, landed on his head and had permanent brain damage."
"He lived years before he mercifully died."
"Had to be restrained the whole time because the damage made him erratic and violent."
"Wear a helmet!"- Figgywithit
Big Money...
"Watched a guy gamble $30k away in a night and then cried about losing his life savings and security had to get involved and escort him out because he started to get angry at the dealers because all they could offer him was free night stays at the hotel for playing so much but he wanted freeplay at the tables/slots and they refused."- jadenwydbro
Revenge Is Seldom, If Ever, Worth It
"I had a friend that had a promising career got upset and went into full road rage for a woman who forgot to turn her blinker on and he slightly bumped her back bumper on the freeway causing her to lose control and flipping over and killing the driver and her two daughters."
"Oddly..it was all caught on his car dash cam and a trucker with his own dash cam that was behind him."
"He is now doing 40+ years in prison."- vargo911
Luck Has A Way Of Running Out
"Watched a buddy spend his entire life savings betting on the Paulo Costa Vs Adesanya."
"I begged him not to do it and he lost his and his wife’s entire 60k nest egg."
"She left him immediately with the kids and now he lives at his moms house."
"He had been betting on prize fighting for a short while and winning."
"Nothing outrageous and heck I even bet with him on a time or two because it was smaller bets 1-200."
"He had been winning probably made a few grand not sure how much but he was always saying he won and showing off his bets."
"So I can confirm he had been winning and his luck was pretty impressive."
"As far as I know he doesn’t gamble anymore and is just trying to rebuild his life."
"He lost his wife but does spend a lot time with the kids."- Cmsmks
What A Way To Begin...
"Arrive at work on their first day as a temp at around 10am, caught stealing the bosses wallet at 12:30, taken away by Police at 1pm." - Reddit
Look To The Skies...
"Saw a pilot without instrument rating take off into IMC conditions (instrument-meteorological conditions is a flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by instruments rather than use visual cues to maintain controlled flight)."
"He had his whole family on board."
"Weather was closing in."
"He agreed that it was impossible to get home, but wanted to make it to a larger municipal airport so they wouldn't have to stay in a motel."
"The fuel attendant and a bunch of old veteran pilots hanging around the airport office all said they'd drive him to a nicer place, but he thought he'd have a better chance of getting out the next day from the other airport."
"Conditions weren't that bad when he took off, but we all agreed later that no one without instrument rating would/should have flown that day."
"So the last time anyone saw that whole family (pilot, wife, two adult sons) alive was all of us watching him take off and fly just under the cloud base to do a 'scud run' in the direction of the nearest muni."
"They crashed in full overcast ten miles out."
"No survivors."
"All told, it probably took fifteen minutes for this guy to make the worst- and last- decision of his life."
"This was over 30 years ago, but it's haunted me ever since- what could/should I have done differently that might have convinced him to not fly?"
"I was a newbie pilot at the time, but even I knew it was a bad idea."
"There were at least three other pilots there that day."
"Did he feel ganged up on?"
"Could we have appointed the most grizzled straight-shootin gravel-voiced veteran to take the guy aside and give him a 'I'm not your dad, but' talk?"
"Should we have tackled him and taken away his keys?"
"Called the cops?"
"What would we even have told them?"
"I've long since come to terms with it, but there are still the occasional moments where I feel like I failed."- gaspronomib
We've all done things against our better judgment.
Sometimes, however, it's essential to really think about the consequences of doing so before proceeding.
As one bad decision might be all it takes.
"Never dip your pen in the company ink."
An age-old cautionary saying urging people not to get romantically entangled with their coworkers.
Doing so used to be illegal at many companies, whereas now it's grown to become a bit more commonplace, and often results in some cases of wedded bliss and happily ever afters (as demonstrated by The Office's Jim and Pam.)
Of course, when entering a relationship with a coworker, be it a one night stand or a committed, multi-year relationship, there is always the risk that it might not end well, resulting in your being forced to see your ex every day at the office (Bridget Jones anyone?)
"People who slept with a coworker, what happened after?"
Well, That's A Success?
"We became friends and she donated a kidney to me lol."- Headbobby
As If Nothing Had Changed...
"Got married 2 years later."
"'Co-worker' can mean different things and different circumstances, for instance:"
"Our company had 130,000 employees world-wide."
"Our group was housed in a building with 1,000 employees."
"We were not in each other's chain of command."
"It could have been somewhat awkward if it did not work out, but not awful."
"It did work out."
"Later on, saved money by carpooling!"- SyntheticOne
The Office Laughing GIF by NBCGiphyJust Couldn't Fight The Chemistry
"We were both working as actors in a small film, cast as romantic leads."
"She noticed I got tense when we had to kiss... and suggested we go on a date to practice kissing."
"We played mini-golf and practiced kissing."
"Then we continued practicing in her car in the parking lot after the mini-golf place closed until a cop came to investigate."
"Then we got a hotel room and practiced other stuff."
'I guess I'm a slow learner because she's still giving me remedial lessons."- Jake_Science
Nothing Personal, One Hopes..
"She had to fire me."
"Poor performance."- bilvester
Consider Long Term Goals First
"Fun."
"Highly recommend if you have a job."
"Do not recommend if you have a career."- bluegiant85
Renee Zellweger Office GIF by Working TitleGiphyOn To Bigger And Better Things
"Dated discreetly and after four years we got engaged."
"We then both told our supervisors we were leaving in the summer."
"At our last meeting as they were doing their good bye lunch for both of us with about 30 coworkers, they had us say a few words."
"I went first and said I was moving to a new city."
"Then it was my fiancés turn and she said she was also moving to that city, with me, because we’re engaged."
"It was glorious."
"We are happily married for 13 years and have an awesome daughter."
"Life is goooood."- lmc227
Jealous Much?
"I had a supervisor that I really hit it off with and had great chemistry."
"As soon as they found out we were dating, she got fired and immediately found a better job."
"We've been married for almost 13 years now."
"I feel I should clarify a little bit while still keeping the details as vague as possible because quite a few people worked there."
"She was my boss in the sense that if she told me something needed taken care of, I was expected to take care of it."
"She didn't actually have the power to fire me if our relationship went south, but she probably could have gotten me fired if she had been that type of person."
"We worked there for two years before anything remotely physical happened."
"Our lunch breaks lined up."
"After a few conversations, we became friendly and started spending most of that hour shooting the sh*t with each other."
"I was crushing on her hard, but didn't think she'd be interested in dating one of the janitors, so I didn't say anything in an effort not to make things weird at work."
"One day I let it slip to one of the other janitors that I had a crush on her."
"He thought it would be hilarious to immediately go and tell her what I said."
"The next day, she asked me if I had really said that."
"I was really embarrassed but admitted that I had said it."
"She basically told me she was feeling the same way and gave me her number."
"11 months later, we were married."
"There were two guys in upper management that had asked her out and been rejected."
"Their egos obviously took a hit when they found out she chose me."
"She was fired after being blamed for someone else's mistake."
"Then they refused to show the proof that she was the one responsible."
"It was bullsh*t, but it only took her two weeks to find a job that paid a lot more."
"Once they did that to her, I immediately became a terrible employee and openly talked sh*t about everyone in management until they really had no choice but to fire me."- Imahorrible_person
Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained
"We did it a couple of times then both went on with our lives."
"It was just something we both wanted to do temporarily."
"Neither one of us wanted it to be serious or long-term, and so it wasn’t."- Listening_Heads
No Regrets Whatsoever
"We moved in together, got engaged, bought a house and had a baby."
"Don't let a job get in the way of your life."- AllSonicGames
Who'd Have Guessed...
"I slept with my boss back in 93."
"She instigated it."
"She’s sitting beside me."
"30 years later and two adult kids."
"Worked out!"
"I should add we did NOT care for each other at first. It was definitely not a case of 'will they, won’t they' but more of a 'will he quit or won’t he?'"
"Funny how life works."- Uncle_Bug_Music
Proceed With Caution
"Fun while it lasted, but very awkward after."- BrianH-84
Love cannot, and should not be denied, even if it is a coworker.
Anyone looking for a one and done, however, might want to look beyond the walls of your office.
Unless you like constantly being reminded of your past mistakes.
Parents Who Cut Off All Contact With Their Adult Children Break Down Why They Did It
All parents want to support their children.
Of course, when they grow up and fly the coop, they can't always help them out of every pickle.
But every so often, when their children find themselves in a bad place or are struggling financially or emotionally, most parents will help their children out without a second thought.
Until that is, their children begin to take advantage of their generosity or find themselves getting into trouble a little too often.
It's situations like these where sadly, the best thing parents can do to help their children, is to cut ties, either temporarily, or in extreme cases, permanently.
"Parents who have gone No Contact with your adult children, what happened?"
Substance Abuse
"Sigh."
"He’s an addict who kept stealing from me."
"I had to draw a line."- Readsumthing
"I went no contact with my daughter."
"She had serious drug and alcohol issues."
"I had to lock up my prescription meds."
"She was also mentally ill but refused to take meds to treat it."
"Illicit pills."
"Yeehaw."
"Prescribed pills."
"Nope not gonna take them."
"I finally drew the line when she threw my suitcase at me while visiting her and threatening to kill me."- KrankySilverFox
Untenable Demands
"Our mentally ill son told us we had to do exactly what he told us to do (and could not push back on his requests or even explain our point of view), or we would never see our grandson."
"It was emotional terrorism."
"We told him those conditions were unacceptable to us, and he went no contact."
"Shortly thereafter, his wife divorced him, won custody, and encouraged us to continue building a relationship with our grandson."
"Today, our son wonders why we will not come to family events (and just 'ignore each other') when he is around."
"He set clear boundaries (no contact), and we still believe in respecting those boundaries until he tells us otherwise."- nielsondc
Rocky Relationships
"My brother basically has no contact with my parents."
"Basically it boils down to him getting divorced and remarried after 20 years and then demanding they never talk to the ex ever again (they got along well) and immediately accept and shower the new wife with love and affection even though the first couple interactions were her telling them how crappy they were as parents and how they didn’t love him."- Hopeful-Translator70
"So, I’ll tell this as a third party."
"My wife’s mother and her sister had a falling out."
"It was a slow burn."
"I’ve been part of the family for close to 25 years now and my wife has told me stories of how her older sister and their mother didn’t get along well."
"Couldn’t tell you who instigated the fights or anything, but my wife told me on many occasions the two of them would get in to shouting matches, objects would get thrown, things like that."
"My mother-in-law, until recent years, could be very difficult to get along with."
"My wife’s sister has a very Alpha, bullheaded personality."
"Not just when dealing with their mother, but you could see it in how she treated her (now ex) husband and their children."
"I’m not certain which straw broke the camels back but their already turbulent relationship was further strained when her sister moved several states away and took the kids with her, virtually never to been seen again."
"It’s been over 10 years since their move and I want to say her sister has come to visit maybe twice?"
"This past Christmas my wife and I went to see her mom and while visiting, her sister was brought up in conversation."
"Her mother said, 'I can tell you, she’ll never step foot in my home again'.”
"But didn’t elaborate."
"I don’t think there was ever anything like drugs or legal troubles involved, only two really dominant, aggressive personalities that clashed virtually every time they met."- Deftallica
Difference In Beliefs
"My wife and I recently made the very painful decision to completely cut all ties with our oldest son because he has become a dangerous believer in that Qanon sh*t."- GlooBloo92
Unworthy Partners
"My grandmother just did this to my aunt. It's because she doesn't approve of her new fiancé."- jdog_014
A Simple Minded Grudge
"My older brother went NC with my dad first."
"Reasons are mostly my brother."
"He's got mental disorders and never went to therapy to fix them."
"Then he went NC with me since my mom enables my brothers toxic behavior."
"Basically sponged off my mom and demanded money from her and my poor mom gave in."
"When my brother had a son, I finally wanted all of us to meet him and reunite (we all live in different states. Bro in Cali, parents in Ohio and Me in Washington)."
"When I paid for everyone tickets to visit me in Washington my brother flipped out since my dad was coming so he went NC on my mom.'
"Again let me emphasize my parents and I have done nothing my brother has very toxic behavior and will hold grudges for million years."
"I truly believe he has undiagnosed autism and he was bullied so badly back in Ohio where we grew up from school he's scorned and blames my parents which isn't their fault."
"Dad pretty much gave up trying and my mom keeps trying especially to see her grandson but my toxic brother keeps us NC."- Wesmom2021
No Reason At All
"My ex went NC with our son."
"He kicked him out of his house when my son turned 18, even though he had medical needs and no job."
"'Dad' called to tell me that he did it, and to strongly recommend that I kick him out, too."
"Not because he had done anything wrong, just because."
"Of course I didn't, because I don't believe children are disposable objects and I couldn't see what he was supposed to learn while living on the streets and eating out of garbage cans."
"They had some sporadic contact after that until his dad remarried and moved out of state."
"Now my ex (thankfully) hasn't called in about 6 years."
"My son still lives we me because he can't work and you can't live off only $1200 in monthly disability payments."
"That man was very toxic and abusive to us and we both have PTSD from living with him."
"Knowing he won't be calling either of us ever again is a huge relief."- Xylorgos
A Lamp
"She was physically violent, lied, threw things at me, stole from me."
"But the final straw was she wanted my lamp and was moving out."
"I said no."
"Left."
"Came back to lamp gone."
"She screams she didn't take it, how dare I accuse of her something she didn't do and called my mother and sisters to complain how I accused her of stealing."
"They called and harassed me about accusing my daughter of stealing and that I needed to apologize."
"A week later, in the garage, in the far corner under a box was the lamp."
"She admitted she did it and I still needed to apologize because she didn't steal it." - Reddit
Cutting off ties with your children, or any family member might feel like an utterly unfathomable thing to do.
Unfortunately, sometimes the first step toward forgiveness and recovery is letting go.
Have you ever had to cut someone out of your life? Let us know in the comments below.