People Reveal The Worst Mistakes They've Ever Made
A Redditor asked: 'What is the worst mistake of your life?'
We've all made mistakes.
Most of the time, these mistakes don't have major consequences in our lives, such as putting salt in our coffee instead of sugar, or taking a wrong turn and adding a bit more time to our journey.
There are some mistakes we've made in our lives, however, which we spend nearly every night regretting and giving anything to go back in time to change.
Perhaps the most unnerving thing about these mistakes though, is that we didn't even begin to think we were making a mistake at the time.
"What is the worst mistake of your life?"
A Penny Saved...
"Not putting money away for savings early enough."
"Start early!"
"Make it automatic!!"- NecroJoe
animation saving GIF by MOOTGiphyEducation Should Be Practical, Not A Bragging Right...
"Working my a** off getting 3 useless degrees."
"I fell into the trap of believing that high grades and multiple degrees = good, stable, high paying jobs."
"Lmao."
"Looking back I can’t believe I was so naive."- Kla1996
"Choosing the wrong major in university and now I'm stuck in my career."- AmbitiousPanda9806
"Going to college when I didn't know what I wanted to do. Went because it was 'what we were supposed to do'."
"I went to a magnet high school, so we were never educated about professional certificates or given the tools to start our own business."
"We were just shuffled into college, because we were a 'gifted' school. I even distinctly remember one of our teachers pointing to some of the construction workers out the window and telling us 'that's what happens when you don't go to college'."
"Now I have my degree, way to much f*cking debt and im not even working in the field I got my degree in."
"Thanks brainwashing!"- Quave11
Studying K-Pop GIFGiphyThere's A Great Big World Out There...
"I have many, but the worst could be isolating myself from the real world to the point I started to experience symptoms of psychosis."- negocpu4·
Not Everyone Is A Team Player
"Trusting a supervisor and believing that people at my job will 'do the right thing'.'- Properclearance
A Decision Never To Be Taken Lightly
"Getting married."
"Or 'marrying the wrong person' would be more accurate, I guess."
"We got married in 2001 and just divorced in April, but I left her (for the last time) in 2015 after getting solid proof that she had been cheating."
"She now has 4 kids by 4 different guys."
"Three of them born while we were together and just 1 is mine."
"Tip of this depressing iceberg, unfortunately."- Parabola1979
Season 10 Nbc GIF by One ChicagoGiphyIt's Never Too Early...
"Not buying a house when I was 8."
"I’ll never recover from this."- DiscombobulatedPay51
You Never Know Who You Can Trust
"Letting my mother have complete control of my finances when I got my first job."
"She stole everything from me."- XxieatoutnunsxX
Ulterior Motives Are Sadly Real...
"Trying to help people that didn’t deserve it."- baldeagle1337
if youre sure that will help season 8 GIFGiphySome Bad Habits Are Hard To Break...
"Smoking my first cigarette."
"No doubt."- sicilian504
When You Know You're in a Bad Situation, GET OUT!
"I thought if I was positive and receptive I would be able to climb and earn like my boss did."
"Wasted 7 years making 8 bucks an hour under a boss who made 108/hr (one hundred eight, no typo) at a grocery store. plus Sunday pay."
"He and I found out together that the union let corporate pull the ladder up behind them a decade before."- VAShumpmaker
Never Take A Good Situation For Granted
"Being mean to my wife and son when I was younger."
"We got married at 18 and I was just immature and was always taking my job home and just getting upset over really nothing."
"We’re still married after 32 years and over past several years I have come to realize how lucky I have them in my life and will do anything for them."- VerticalMARS-72
90 Day Fiance Hug GIF by TLCGiphySeeking Help Is Not A Sign Of Weakness
"Years of untreated mental illness."- goodgirlgonebad75
Always Practicality First
"Not paying off my mortgage 17 years ago when I had the money."
"Instead I used it to renovate my house to add two bedrooms and a den."
"At the time I thought it was more important for each of my four kids to have their own room (they were sharing two each before then) and a bigger family room."
"I’m kicking myself because had I used the money to pay off the mortgage instead, I’d have had an extra $3000 a month in my pocket."
"I could have saved up that money and extended my house a few years later."- Keithninety
Sometimes we don't realize we made the wrong decision till it's far too late.
But looking back can't change what can't be undone.
All we can do is look forward, and move on.
We've all made decisions we regret.
Thankfully, sometimes these decisions result in little to no consequences or can be easily fixed with some time and healing.
In other cases, one error in judgment might have permanent ramifications: causing an effective end to a friendship, irrevocably damaging your financial situation, or even resulting in permanent physical damage.
In some more serious cases, these mistakes might even result in someone's life coming to an end.
All heartbreaking scenarios which could have been easily avoided with a little more care and consideration.
"Who destroyed their entire life by making one mistake?"
Check Your Surroundings First
"I once worked as a personal assistant for a person who broke his neck due to diving into snow that was a little too hard."-tubzz2
A Wasted Career
"Boban Jankovic, basketball player."
"Copied from Wikipedia : 'Janković thought he scored a basket on a drive to the hoop while being guarded by Panathinaikos player Fragiskos Alvertis'."
"'However, the referee Stelios Koukoulekidis, called an offensive foul on him'."
"'It was Janković's fifth foul of the game, which meant that he had fouled out'."
"'In reaction to what he believed was a bad call at a crucial moment of a very important playoff game, Janković slammed his head hard against the padded concrete goal post'."
"He permanently damaged his spinal cord and was unable to walk for the rest of his life'."- bryanmills33
NEVER USE YOUR PHONE WHILE DRIVING!
"Near me there was a serious traffic collision."
"Several cars and 2 trucks."
"3 people died when one truck ploughed into stationary traffic at around 50mph."
"The crash and resulting fire was so horrific 2 people were only identified by their dead dog on the carriageway."
"It was microchipped."
"It was on the BBC news and have been documentaries about it."
"The truck driver was on his phone."
"He was charged and is now in prison."- Tabby_Tibs
How Could It Have Possibly Been Worth It?
"That dude who ate a slug as a dare."- valcallis
Violence Is Never The Answer
"Respected cardiothoracic surgeon tells a guy to stop smoking right outside the hospital doors."
"Guy turns around and punches him a single time in the head."
"King-hit, or coward punched, whatever you want to call it."
"He falls to the floor and hits his head a second time."
"On life support for four weeks."
"Nothing left to save."- Reddit
You Never Know Who You Can Trust
"My father."
"Years ago he started a trucking company with his best friend at the time."
"The HQ of the company was in a neighbor state, a six hours drive or about 40 minute flight."
"And for some reason, my dad just wouldn’t visit his company."
"Even with my mother pressing him to actually take care of his business, he would alway say he trusted his friend and since he only did the accounting for the company he only needed the reports his friend would send him."
"Long story short, his 'best friend' scammed him out a million bucks, driving both their company and my family to complete bankruptcy and f*cked off to live in some tropical paradise."- theapothecarium
Some People Get What They Deserve
"Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer."
"He avoided arrest for 30 years, then, in an apparent need for attention, began writing to the police, basically mocking them for never having caught him."
"He asked the cops if they would be able to trace a floppy disk if he sent one to them."
"They said no."
"He sent it."
"They traced it."
"They arrested him and he's in prison for life."- President_Calhoun
There Are People Who Can Help You
"Doing fentanyl once destroyed my life for 3ish years."
"I was a complete shell and zombie. almost died too, overdosed 4 times."
"Lucky i got my sh*t together and will be 5 months sober in two days."- mission_mayhem
Some Risks Are Worth Taking
"I'm 49 years old, that context is relevant."
"When I was in college, a friend of mine started a company with a professor."
"This company was basically the first social network, I won't list its name here."
"This was in the early 90s."
"He offered me a job as employee number 4 or 5."
"I didn't know what the hell the internet was, let alone understand the concept of a social network."
"I knew he wasn't going to pay me much. I turned him down."
"Three years later, that company was sold for $190mm."
"They still only had a few employees."
"Every employee had equity and every employee made millions by age 25, including several other friends."
"I was a junior employee at an insurance company when I heard."
"Gah."
"Several of those people have gone on to very successful careers in technology and private equity."
"They were all basically set for life because of a quick decision they made at age 21."
"I've had an excellent career so far, I haven't 'destroyed my life'."
"But I think about this frequently."- hiro111
There's A Reason Stealing Is A Sin
"I knew of a girl who thought it was a good idea to steal a good sized amount of drugs from a guy she was partying with and then attempt to board a flight with it."
"She got caught by customs and ended up doing time."
"Dumb."- mrnoire
Couldn't This Be Viewed As Self-Defense?
"Friend was having a beer in a tavern."
"Some guys came in and started messing with my friend."
"He moved seats twice and then got up to leave when one of the guys threw a punch."
"My friend threw ONE punch back and the guy he hit landed in the ICU and wasn't expected to live."
"Friend was sitting in jail waiting just waiting for the guy he punched to either die or recover."
"Turns out the guy he punched recovered."
"Friend took a reduced charge of aggravated assault...a felony."
"One punch."- Noelle305
Actions have consequences.
Though we all have some trouble controlling our impulses every now and then.
But sometimes a short pause and a deep breath is all it takes to prevent us from making a mistake we'd regret for the rest of our lives.
Our day-to-day existence consists of making a myriad of minor decisions.
"Should I get out of bed now or hit the snooze button?"
"Should I do cardio or focus on weightlifting this week?"
"I love this holiday Merino wool sweater that's on sale but do I need it?"
We don't even think about some of the daily choices we make because most are inconsequential.
But sometimes, we may not even realize until after the fact that some of our decisions weren't necessarily well thought out.
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.
People who are usually good with their money have that one coveted item they're willing to break the rules for and shell out the big bucks.
But in some cases, after the impulsive purchase is made, regret sets in.
Did the buyer really need the merchandise? Or could they have spent more time looking for a different version of the item to get a better deal?
Regardless, those who wound up having buyer's remorse weighed in after Redditor Flowerlock asked:
"What is something you regret spending a lot of money on?"
Sometimes, you wind up throwing money away.
Four-Legged Liability
"So I bought a camel at an auction one time. He was expensive but the damage he did around the farm was worse. Destructive, stinky creatures…but they’re so weird you just have to love ‘em."
"Looking back I probably should’ve spent my money on literally anything else 😅"
– FancyPickle37
Reclaiming Life
"Drugs! I spent thousands of dollars over the 10 years of active addiction. I not only paid with cash, but also paid with my life, health, relationships and more. Totally not worth it at all. Coming up on 3 years clean and sober!"
– Maleficent-Wave-2134
Supper Club
"Going out for dinner so much. I get into modes where I eat out almost all the time, then realize I've spent $1,000 or more in less than a week on dining out."
– Actual_Experience_78
Ring Value
"Honestly? My wife’s engagement ring. I spent a pretty penny on it despite her begging me to go cheap our entire relationship."
"I know she loves it anyway but the money could have been better spent towards our wedding or our house."
– WorleyInc
Redditors meant well and had high hopes.
It turns out the let down wasn't worth the pursuit.
Miseducation
"Law school. I was a lawyer for 14 years. Hated most of it. Wrecked my health overworking. Still owe on my student loan too."
– Synthwoven
Chaotic Nuptials
"My wedding. I'm not a very social person so basically it was a $20k silent panic attack surrounded by 120 people, half of whom I don't even know. If I could go back in time with this knowledge, I'd do a $20k elopement and travel together for a few months or something."
– highly_uncertain
Fleeting Fashion
"Clothes for special occasions."
– InternationalOil2586
Health Risk
"Cigarettes, it's not a lot of money but sitting here thinking about, you're literally buying poising and killing yourself."
– postnutts
These consumers took their chances and found luck wasn't on their side.
Rolling The Dice
"I've spent so much money on board games."
"I should play."
– aintnufincleverhere
Swing & A Miss
"Golf clubs. I still suck like before."
– No_Photograph_2039
Taking A Chance On Love
"Christmas presents for my high school girlfriend only to find out she had been banging multiple dudes while we were together. F you, Emily."
– cptnredbeardo
I can't help but think of the excited partygoers who shelled out a ton of cash to attend the 2017 Fyre Festival, which famously wound up being a major scam after it was postponed and eventually canceled for insufficient security, food, and accommodations.
Unfortunately, nothing could prepare what awaited them on the island.
Thankfully, 277 ticket-holders were expected to receive approximately $7,220 in refunds, thanks to a US federal court settlement.
They say ignorance is bliss.
For example, finding out about a what a person enjoys in their spare time that isn't necessarily something you would find relatable could be enough to alter your perception of them.
Or discovering something about your current significant other's past that you strongly object to–even though it didn't happen while you were dating–can be enough for you to call it quits.
Sometimes, you wish you never knew about these things, but once the information is out there, you can't get the toothpaste back in the tube, you know?
Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor SoozlesNoodles asked:
"What do you regret finding out?"
There's a reason why some family history is better left in the past.
How I Left Your Mom
"I didn't meet my dad until i was 15. It was in secret since my mother wanted nothing to do with him. Within the first 3 sentences exchanged, he felt the need to tell me that i was conceived on a beach in July during the last time they had sex. I was the product a going-away f'k in a relationship doomed before my conception. He followed it up with 'We were good at two things, me and your mom. Fightin and f'kin. Unfortunately we were fighting more than we were f'king so it stopped being worth it.'"
"10 years later and this is still how i get my family history."
– Gilgamesh9311
Reason For Divorce
"My dad informed me when i got back from Iraq that I was the reason he and my mother got a divorce. I never really wanted to join the military anyways, and it f'ked me up big time. They had financial troubles and my mom sent me care packages quite a lot. Apparently, that put them into bankruptcy, and if I hadn't joined it wouldnt have happened. I just wanted to get out of that house because it was like I didnt exist."
– Pandaclops
Redditors share some dark truths about their families.
Cause Of Death
"My mother died in a car accident when I was three. I found out from a newspaper article years later that it was her fault. She wasn’t paying attention and crossed the yellow line and ended both her life and that of the person in the other car."
– anon
The Big Secret
"That my mother knew she had cancer a year before she told anyone or rather, a year before she was 'diagnosed' after I literally forced her to see a doctor for her then extremely distended stomach."
"I was under the impression that we told each other absolutely everything because up until that point, we did. I found out the truth a month after she died when I’d requested all of her cancer-related paperwork from her oncologist."
– RxQuine
Unhappy Mother
"Mom telling me on regular basis when depressed that she wishes she would fall asleep and never wake up. Don't tell a six year old this, damn."
– Cal-cu-later
These Redditors prefer not knowing about the kinky sides in the family.
50 Shades
"That my younger sister has a high rank in a local BDSM club..."
– _dmsyr_
The Pain Threshhold
"When I was about 14 my mom took me to a tattoo shop to get her nipples pierced. While the procedure was happening, she turned to me and said 'your Dad bites harder then that'.....I could have lived without that info"
– Aliciana2
Debaucherous Daddy
"That my father cheated on my mother on a regular basis... not a cool thing to learn when you're 15 and don't know if you're mother knows or not."
– anon
Gotta Love Reddit
"My brother's girlfriend's NSFW reddit account. It's supposed to be a couples account. So you might guess the horrors I saw in there."
– doorknob_knob
Splish Splash
"What my sister and her boyfriend were doing in the bubblebath."
– EliteHoney
I appreciate transparency in people but within context.
If someone has a disturbing history, I'd rather not know about it.
Do you feel the same way?