Important Lessons People Have Learned The Hard Way
Reddit user IndianaC0NES asked: 'What’s an important lesson you learned the hard way?'
We've all had to learn something the hard way or at a super inconvenient time.
But because we're always learning new things, of course there will have to be some things that we learn later, rather than sooner, no matter the consequences of learning it too late.
Redditor IndianaC0NES asked:
"What's an important lesson you learned the hard way?"
Money Management
"Do not spend like there’s no tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and it won’t be pretty."
- cpu5555
Permanent Partner
"Never have kids with someone you don’t want in your life forever."
- pntszrn74
Make It Official First
"Money doesn’t exist until the deposit hits your bank account, and business promises mean nothing until legal documents are signed."
- FriscoFrank98
Know Your Limits
"Learn when to stop drinking and call it a night."
- Gadrilor
Trust Your Gut
"If something feels wrong, it likely is."
- drzed47
"This is closely related to, 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.'"
- remag_nation
The Importance of Dental Health
"Dental care is expensive!! Never be lazy with oral hygiene."
- the_rice_life
"And dental problems are EXTREMELY PAINFUL."
- Next-Confection3261
Be Careful Who You Share It With
"Not everyone has the same heart as you do."
- Accomplished_Hat2770
Be Wary of Bullies
"Not everyone is a good person. Some people actually want to see you fail. Stop oversharing. These nasty people will use it against you."
- Ko_ogs72
"My brain still can't comprehend someone being a d**k for no reason."
- Arny520
Recognize the Red Flags
"Don't let love blind your eyes, red flags are real."
- Fxk07
"And: No one is worth sacrificing your self-respect for."
- Waltzing_Methusalah
"It sucks when you’re halfway to learning this lesson before you even realize it. It’s so important to know your boundaries and respect yourself with the diligence required to walk away from people creating toxic patterns in your life, even or ESPECIALLY before you have the full picture to work with."
"We all know it’s heading south long before these things have terrible consequences on oneself/life. At a certain point, it’s too late to escape unscathed. Self-respect and what amounts to the ‘sunken-cost dilemma’ NEVER go together in relationships."
- brashbabu
The Likelihood of Success
"It's possible to make no wrong moves and still lose."
- Tropicsenshi
Family Ties
"Your family doesn't always have your best interest at heart."
- OhMyGodBearIsDriving
"Sometimes, family are just a bunch of bad people who are biologically related to you."
- noorofmyeye24
Wear the Helmet
"WEAR A HELMET."
"It's an easy safety precaution you can take when rollerblading, biking, skateboarding, scootering, etc. And it can literally save your life."
"I went all through the 90s thinking helmets were lame... I Fell while rollerblading in my 30s and got a subdural hematoma. I wasn't going fast but the momentum from how I fell just slammed my head into the concrete."
"HELMETS SAVE LIVES."
- Shortiie5115
Proper Eye and Ear Care
"Here is my PSA about eye protection. You only have two eyes and many injuries are not repairable. I have a completely s**t vision in one eye because of an injury and I'm constantly paranoid about something happening to the good eye. Wear safety glasses folk, it's important."
- ipsok
"And ear protection. You do not want Tinnitus."
- farmerofstrawberries
Love Your Loved Ones
"Always take a chance to tell someone you love them. To give them a hug."
"Never end a conversation with a harsh word."
"Both for the same reason. You never know if you will get to see that person alive again."
"I learned both those lessons from each of my parents."
- Edgezg
Self Advocate
"Stand up for yourself. If you get in the habit of letting people walk all over you, it'll be extremely difficult to reverse. Even if you're not confident, just fake it till you make it!"
- MISTERDIEABETIC
As humans, we will never stop learning and taking in new information, but there are, of course, some things that we wish we could have learned sooner or through an easier path.
But at least now that we've learned these lessons, we can share them with others, so they might not have to take the same path we did.
Have you ever found something out or learned something new that you wish you had known earlier in your life?
For me, I wish I learned earlier in life that reading underneath your covers with a flashlight will ruin your sight. I fear I’ve done irreparable damage to my eyes.
Redditors have admitted there are lessons they learned too late in life as well. In fact, they admit there are some lessons that everyone learns too late in life.
Curious as to what those lessons are, a Redditor asked:
“What do people learn too late?”
Take Care Of Your Body
"To protect their ears, you don't want to live with tinnitus for the rest of your life because you were exposed to a loud noise once"
– NapoleonBlownApart1
"Learned this one too late. I can ignore it most of the time, but some nights."
– TerrisKagi
"Take care of your teeth."
– BecomingSavior
Communication
"Setting and respecting boundaries, how to give a genuine apology, and other such communication 101 skills."
– Deleted User
"Yes! Boundaries, 100%. It's not rude or selfish (or unladylike!) to treat yourself with respect."
– takethetrainpls
"The apology thing is huge. I'm starting to get the impression most people don't know how to give a real apology (or just won't)"
– griddigus
"Not communicating with my wife almost destroyed my marriage. I’m finally learning to tell my wife how I feel."
– Thee-lorax-
Write, Write, Write
"The importance of writing skills for formal contexts."
"Writing is an important skill in nearly any field and the more a career advances the more important it becomes. The lack of adequate writing skill often holds back a career."
"Yet many people squander their opportunities to learn writing because they think their class assignments are empty busy work and they figure their skills in spoken English and informal text messages will carry over when they need to write for work"
– doublestitch
Love While You Live
"That the cliche "you never know when it's the last time you'll see to someone" should absolutely be remembered for every occasion. My best friend just died in a car accident this past Saturday, and the last time I saw him we got in an argument and he left and we didn't speak after that. I'm destroyed by it"
"I do have a great support circle outside of this, but all these replies and condolences really shows the empathy complete strangers can have"
– Jew-Barrymore
"My grandpa passed away two weeks ago from cancer. We flew to Saskatchewan (where he lives) and managed to see him. I talked with him and gave him a hug. Before we left, I had the felling that I was never seeing him again. I snuck back into the room and gave him one last hug and told him that I will miss him. He died 6 hours later. I’m so grateful for whatever it was that told me to see him one last time before we went home."
– m4tt1111
Digital Privacy...
"What not to share on the internet."
– DetectiveBowtie
"Everytime I see my Facebook memories I die a little bit on the inside"
– ronyty
...And Professional Privacy
"Or at work. Co-workers are not friends!"
– MsSchadenfraulein
"I just worked with a lady this past weekend and told her I'm trying to bid to another department. It's more money and a much easier job to do for 12 hours."
"Within the next 2 hours she was arguing with my boss about something and tells him that he's the reason why everyone is trying to bid out and I'm going somewhere else."
– Decyde
Laziness Doesn't Pay
"Sitting on your @ss all day is not good for your health at all."
– poopellar
"rolls over onto stomach instead"
– ugglee_exe
"Sitting is the new smoking.”
"It’s silly, but seeing as how my heavy-smoking mother passed away and I sit a lot during the day (work, commute, hobby) that sentence motivated me to become more active (go for walks, runs, and to the gym)."
– Shinobiii
Just Say No
"That "no" is a complete sentence. Don't get in the habit of auto-launching explanations and defenses - oftentimes, the people listening will ignore all that anyway and just hear "but here's an opportunity to dissuade me, look how hard I'm working to get your approval to say no to you!""
– grammarchick
Purge The Toxicity
"The value of walking away from someone toxic in your life, even if it is your parents and family. If you are thinking of it and are scared and have somewhere where you can land in a safe place, then do it. It hurts like hell for a long while, but it gets better and one day you realize how peaceful your life is and you find you only miss the family you wish you had had."
– irishmuminacoldland
"Yes. Also, find a support net but for your own sanity, just avoid the topic with people who are curious. Not many people understand and will try to talk you into making up with your family."
"It's so hard in the beginning but it gets much easier. You find your own people, create your own families, and your own peace."
– bascelicna123
In A Rich Man's World
"Interest rates, credit cards, credit score, money saving techniques, 401K. In other words anything that keeps you from being trapped by poor money management."
– TheLivingBubba
"How to manage their finances."
– KreamoftheKropp
"Lesson #1: $1000 is not a lot to have, but it's a lot to owe."
– 2020Chapter
Pilot Your Own Life
"That's being wrong and changing your mind is actually nothing to be ashamed of."
– SA_DrOpossum
Never Too Late
"That it's never too late to learn."
– j4yf3rb
I sure hope that's true. The one thing I've learned is that there’s still so much left to learn!