Those who have regrets from going down the wrong path had plenty to share when Redditor imheretoscrolll asked:
"What was the worst decision of your life?"
It was better late than never for these Redditors.
A Pileup
"I feel like I can't really find that one 'worst decision' because my life until now is just a snowball of slightly bad decisions piling up."
"Don't quit school cause it's boring, get you driver license, and don't take things for granted."
"And don't waste money when you can't afford to !"
– BigWhiteCrow
Wasted Time
"Probably that 20 years of nonstop drinking and drug use looking back and trying to understand how I made that same decision everyday is sad got myself together now at 36."
– FixingandDrinking
Plans On The Back Burner
"Waiting to get into culinary. Wasted a lot of time going a traditional route of getting a degree and should have done it right after high school than waste 10 years bumbling about."
– Calm_Memories
Bad financial decisions came back to haunt these consumers.
Going Nowhere Fast
"Getting caught up wanting to be flashy in a fancy car at 19. Please learn about interest rates and depreciation if you've never bought a car before. One of the worst financial situations you can be in is stuck in an upside-down loan with a high interest rate and can barely make payments on it."
– michaellicious
Firing On All Cylinders
"I bought a brand new Audi A4 when I was 20. My first car, went in by myself, no f'king clue about negotiating and just desperately wanted the car. Got completely hosed by the dealers, paid sticker price plus ALL the extra bullsh*t add-ons, low jack, acid rain protective coating etc etc they made it seem like they weren't options, just wrapped up in a nice balloon loan at 9% interest, had me feeling like I got a great deal! I'm sure they were high-fiving in the back office. I was a dream customer. Not even sure how I qualified for that loan w my income."
"Pretty much all my $ went into the monthly payments on that car and it ended up constantly breaking down and behaving like a piece of sh*t, transmission died after warranty expired and eventually sold it to CarMax for $2,500."
– foundsomeoldphotos
People talked about decisions involving relationships with others.
Matrimonial Miss
"Getting married to the wrong person."
– Limp_Distribution
Losing Touch
"Losing contact with the people I cared about because 'I'll just message them tomorrow instead.' Tomorrow never came and now the relationships are dead."
– pajamakitten
Fools Rush In
"Kinda falling in love with wrong person."
– KishMishShishkebab
Parting Ways
"After about 4months living together we amicably split. Best for her, her kids, and me. No hard feelings, she was lovely and a great mom, but I needed some growing up to do."
– -Alter-Reality-
Value Of Friendships
"During my late teens, I missed the funeral of my best friend’s brother. To all the kids out there who are open to learning empathy but might not understand ityet, BE THE PERSON WHO IS THERE FOR YOUR FRIENDS. Folks just want a shoulder to hug; do what I couldn’t and be a presence for your mate(s)."
– RuggedExecuteness
Many of my regrets are not following up when dispensing the all-too-familiar line, "let's get together."
We all do it. Many of us never make the effort to set aside time to commit to meet up with people in spite of our good intentions, and the phrase diminishes in complete sincerity.
The worst example is when the person you told you wanted to meet with them is no longer with us.
While that has not happened to me personally, I did lose touch with good people in my life that have moved across the continent or too much time passed and the window of opportunity to relate to each other closed–leaving me drowning in thoughts of "coulda, woulda, shouda."
Look, we're all busy. But the next time you promise to meet with someone, it's worth delivering on that promise. Because the regret from not doing so can weigh on you, heavily.
"What is life’s biggest "trap" people fall into?"
Perseverance Can Be Overrated
"'The sunk cost fallacy'."
"The idea that you shouldn't give up, you should stick with it, because you've already put in so much work and would be throwing it away."
"Sometimes, you need to cut your losses and move on, and most people struggle with accepting that."- MyNameIsRay
The Dangers Of A Shopping Spree...
"Credit card debt."- GoodRighter
You Can't Force Love
"Getting into relationships with people they're not compatible with, just because they are lonely or because everyone else is doing it, or because they don't think they can ever do better."- JaronK
wine charles GIF by Stan.GiphyYou Stop Saving Money After A While
"A bunch of little traps called 'Subscriptions'."
"I always wondered where my money was going each month until I stopped nearly all of my subscription services."- ThatIowanGuy
Life Is More Precious Than You Think
"Thinking 'I have plenty of time left'."
"In the worst case, you die tomorrow, no matter how old you are."
"Can be a car crash at 16 years old, bursting aneurism at 30 or getting shot at 55."
"Or, not less scary, you grow old, and are then too old to do the stuff you told yourself 'one day'."
"Travel the world when you retire?"
"Catch a common illness like heart diseases etc."
"And nope, a thousand things you can't really do or enjoy."- voxeyeb727
Sometimes You Just Have To Move On
"Staying at the same job for too long."
"I made that mistake, now I'm paying for it."
"It doesn't help your future job prospects having only one or two things to show on your resume and it's extremely specialized."- Milnoc
Tired The Office GIFGiphyTry To Open Your Mind
"Identifying too strongly with your thoughts."- yallneedtherapy
Patience Is A Virtue
"In traffic jam: 'I'm going to change lanes, this one is going faster'."- acdes68
It's About The Goal, Not How Long It Takes To Get There...
"Thinking that you need to be at a certain point at a certain age in your life."
"As long as you have a goal and you are working towards it, you are fine."
"Don’t fall into stress, anxiety, depression over an imaginary race."- sunflowersuger
Sometimes You Must Listen To Your Bank Before Your Heart.
"Wanting stuff 'NOW' and being willing to go into debt to get it."- Monk1e889
Give It To Me Want GIFGiphyIt's easy, if not completely impossible, to fall into at least one of these traps multiple times a year.
However, while we should at least be somewhat conscious of avoiding these traps, being constantly afraid of falling victim to them should be avoided at all costs.
After all, "a life lived in fear is a life half-lived."