Dwelling on regret for too long is no way to live. The past is already gone. The only thing we can do is change the present. The healthiest advice any of us can embrace is move forward and work with the time that is left. However, you can acknowledge mistakes or admit to wishing that we should've done more with the time that has gone by. That's the best way for us to learn and make the most out of what's ahead.
Redditor u/radical33 wanted to hear what regrets people have about life by asking.... What is your "I wish I had started doing that earlier in my life"?
Health First!
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Eating healthy and exercising. I'm 40 and have all sorts of issues due to an extremely poor diet as a child.
Don't be like me, start now. It's easier than you realize. nutznboltz2003
QUIET!!
Wearing earplugs at loud concerts/shows, and during band practices. I have a slight ringing in my ears when it's quiet that I think could be the start of tinnitus. Just got fitted for custom musicians earplugs yesterday, so hopefully it doesn't get any worse. anthony0895
Penny Pincher....
Saving money. I grew up pretty poor, and my family had a "spend it while we got it" mentality. Never learned how to properly budget and just starting to work on it in my mid-twenties. ratchmond
I'm sort of in the opposite side. I grew up poor so I don't do anything for fun or go places because I am petrified something will happen at some point that will cost me a lot of money so I don't want to spend it on anything. Gorilla_Presser
Slumber.
Getting reasonable amounts of sleep. my_future_wife
This is a pain. I always find something interesting to do 10 mins before sleep. I'm also difficult to put to sleep, so 6-5 hours is the most I can sleep. SassiesSoiledPanties
Clean Breathing....
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Stopped smoking. I have asthma due to smoking now :( gemmynid
Having asthma is way better than having an oxygen tank. Congrats on quitting dude it's tough to say the least. zachzsg
Zero F's to Give!
Not caring what people thought of me as much. drayd38
I think this comes with age. The older I get, the less I care. I'm 42 now, by the time I'm 60 I'm pretty sure I'll actually give zero f**ks. cinnamon_troll
They usually aren't thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves. Or what other people think of them. Nosedivelever
Be Wise....
Learn how to learn. I never had to learn for school. I was smart enough to get through school without it.
However, it came back hard when I went to college. _eg0_
Musicality.....
Playing an instrument. ErisIvyBlack
Same! I started at 27. I reckon it might be a decade of practice before I can pull it off properly - it seems like such a long time away, but I figured that I'm going to turn 37 regardless; might as well be a 37 year old who can play the violin instead of a 37 year old who can't.
That's what I'm trying to tell myself when playing pieces effortlessly seem very far away, haha. confuzzled9018
Don't Stop!
I wish I had stuck to literally any hobby since my early 20s. I've flitted about between all sorts and not getting good at anything.
I think the biggest one was drawing. I drew so much as a teen. Sure, most of it was wonky anime, but I was starting to branch out into more Marvel/DC style too. It made me happy to just draw whatever I felt like, but I stopped because my parents and teacher kept giving me crap for not doing "proper art." Totally killed my motivation, and I didn't keep it up after I moved out.
Even without any formal teaching, just imagine what 10-12 years of bumbling my own way through sketching could have got me. Oh well. I'm trying to pick it back up again now. KHeaney
The Life List...
I turned 30 in Oct... And boy do I have a long list of these! All the "I'll fix it when I'm older" things that, well, I'm doing now because I'm older!
-Quitting smoking (15 years of it, done since August)
-working out (I look better and feel better)
-run/cardio (see the first point for why I didn't)
-just doing the damn dishes.
-have savings
-not being high everY second I wasn't working. It's amazing how much time there is in the day.
Now, to be even, I'm glad I DIDN'T have a salaried job before now. I experienced a lot of life so far, and now I'm excited for the "responsible chapter." clemens014
War Face GIF
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Apparently, their sense of humor has no bounds. Curious to hear from drill sergeants online, Redditor darkstalker1000 asked:
"Drill instructors, what is the funniest thing you have seen a Private do?"
The following examples were utterly humiliating, but valuable lessons were learned.
Longheld Punishment
"Had 2 guys get in a fight in our bay during basic. The drill sergeant made them hold hands and pretending to be on a date all week. Only time they could let go of each other's hands was rack time. They ended up becoming pretty good friends."
Confusing Paycheck
"Ex British Army officer here."
"A corporal went on a nine week mortar course and was accommodated (obviously) while he was away. It turned out he knew one of the DS teaching the course and was invited, regularly, to dine and drink in the Sergeant's Mess."
"The month after coming back from the course, he brought his payslip to me with a puzzled look on his face and, embarrassed, explained he didn't understand what it meant and could I help him?"
"It emerged that the Sergeant's Mess had a chitty system - you didn't pay for your drinks at the time, but signed for them and the total bill was deducted from your pay."
"This legend had managed to drink more than his monthly salary both months he'd been away and his payslip was a negative balance."
"I'm sorry Smith, I'm afraid you owe the Army £235 ($327.50) this month."
Asking For An Advance
"Former European Anti-Air Trainee here."
"Recruit spent his first check on alcohol and sex workers, asked his commander for next months check in advance the next day. Instead of having a good excuse prepared to actually succeed in that proposal he blankly told him in front of 80 other recruits why he'd need it."
Eye-Level Reprimand
"I saw a guy post about how he was like 6'3 and his DS was like 5'2, so whenever he messed up the DS would go up to him face to chest and yell 'Elevator!' and the guy would bend down to eye level with the DS and say 'Ding!' and the DS would proceed to look him in the eye while he chewed him out."
Some experiences were downright hilarious.
The Stain
"Not an RDC, but in boot camp I was over the laundry crew. One recruit sh*t himself because he thought he couldn't leave his rack after taps. It was funny at the moment before I realized I had to wash it."
– ScootaFL
Ambush Training
"This was the funniest f'king thing I ever read from u/odomotto"
"Recruit fired all his blank ammo during 'ambush training.' He crawled in ditch opposite where the aggressors were, and started throwing rocks at them. DI came running in middle of the road blowing his whistle and screaming 'what the f'k are you doing?' Recruit screamed back, 'throwing hand grenades drill sergeant!' Without missing a beat, the DI screamed 'out f'king standing.' And walked away."
"My sides hurt and I was wheezing laughing so hard at this when I first heard it!"
These punishments made no sense. And that's why they're memorable.
The Replacement
"When I was in basic, a kid we called 'Albino' shot off a blank round accidentally in the field. The sergeants were pissed and took his weapon away and replaced it with a broomstick for the remainder of the week in the field."
"Man I remember some dude didn't put the sheet on his bunk the right way and had to wear the sheet as a cloak and go to all the other barracks dancing around sing about how he was the 'Catch Edge Fairy' or something. It was pretty silly, he owned it though. He was doing twirls the whole time. This was Navy bootcamp."
– Konebred
Despite how they are depicted on film, drill instructors are people who care.
Like, Beals – a drill sergeant at Fort Knox, Kentucky – who said:
"We provide more than just physical, mental and emotional guidance for them. You are a father, a preacher, a financial advisor, a counselor-you provide so many different services to the Soldier that the regular public doesn't see on day to day basis."
"They see what they see in movies and what they hear about by word of mouth. But you are fulfilling so many roles other than just being a trainer and teaching an individual how to be a Soldier in the Army."
And occasionally, they are having a laugh at the crazy things their trainees do.