Have a piece of advice that really resonated with you? These people do!
Knowablers share the most profound piece of advice they’ve ever received.
1. Better parenting.
“No child in history has every voluntarily starved themselves to death” told to me after a difficult feeding time with my toddler. Just provide good food and they’ll eat if hungry. No need to make special child friendly meals or chase her around with a chicken nugget. My life got so much better after learning this.
Tom
2. You got to believe in yourself.
“Always remember, my dear – people would rather see you down than up.”
I was 17 and just starting work, he was nearing retirement. I thought it was just the cynicism of an old Scot at the time, but now I know the truth of it.
Lois
3. Something to keep in mind.
“The days are long, but the years are short, so enjoy the days while you have them.”
Basically, in the moment, it’s really hard to be happy about a toddler screaming and throwing food at you, but before you know it they’re getting married. So enjoy them while they’re little. And your job may be hard now, but in 50yrs you’ll be walking with a cane so enjoy your ability now. And you might hate that your spouse leaves dishes in the living room and socks on the bedroom floor, but when they’re gone, you’d give anything to have that back.
Christine
4. Good teacher.
My 8th grade homeroom and art teacher told me a few things (story continued on the next page…).
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One, without confidence you will never succeed. Always be confident in what I did. Two, that it was refreshing to see a young woman who didn’t need or wear makeup and not care what others said to the contrary. To this day I strive to be confident in all things and I never wear makeup.
Jenifer
5. Not about the money.
My sister told me, when you decide what you want to do for a living, make sure it’s something you would do for free. I had been volunteering in my sons classroom and loved it. I enrolled in college the next week. Became a middle school math teacher.
Karen
6. Travel when you can.
“Travel while you have the money, you will regret it if you don’t when you’re older.” My dad told me that when me and my friend were thinking of booking our first parent free holiday abroad. We were thinking of doing something easy like France (we’re British, France isn’t far) but when we mentioned we would one day like to do Japan dad asked why not do it that year? We had the money, he spewed the mentioned advice and we booked it and had an amazing time.
Heidi
7. Do what you love.
I’d always kicked around the idea of becoming a nurse but had never pursued it. One reason was because the schooling took too long. I was having a conversation about it with someone (I forget who, possibly my husband) and they said to me “The time is going to pass anyways. In a few years you can either end up where you want to be or exactly where you are now.”
I’ve been an ER nurse for almost 2 years now and I absolutely love it.
Carissa
8. Good guy dad.
Maybe not profound, but it’s my favorite advice (story continued on the next page…).
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My dad always says, “Don’t ask for permission, just beg for forgiveness.” Sounds a little weird, but it’s really helped boost my confidence and led me to take more risks. Sometimes the risks I take pay off and sometimes I have to ask for forgiveness, but I don’t have any regrets!
Tricia
9. Socrates and Jerry Springer.
A search engine offered this quotation by Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” My ex-husband saved Jerry Springer talk shows and watched them all, even re-runs. I told him the people on that show never once examined their own lives. We all know and work with people who most likely never bother to question themselves. I figure if you question your own motives, if you ask yourself, “Why’d I do that and would I do it again?” If you check yourself before you wreck yourself, you are proving that your life is worth living.
Jim
10. Look before crossing the road.
“Even those who believe in fate look both ways before crossing the road.”
I don’t know if he made it up, but it’s something my physics teacher reminds the class of at intervals.
Annabel
11. Heal.
Let it go. Heal. Because if you can’t, these things will haunt you for the rest of your life and this will be as good as it ever gets.
-When my ex husband was sentenced for domestic assault and unlawful imprisonment
Alecia
12. Change the focus.
I volunteered to work on a suicide hotline and enjoyed it, even though it was at times extremely intense. Not every call that came in was a suicide call, most people just wanted someone to hear their struggles. But one night a woman called in and the woman I was volunteering with took it and I listened in which was standard practice (story continued on the next page…).
The caller was ready to end her life as she said she had an exact plan and the means in which to carry it out.
Suddenly, my volunteer partner was quiet for a moment and then she said to the woman, “let me ask you a question; what all are you planning to cook for Thanksgiving this year?” This was in August so the holiday wasn’t that far off. I was amazed as the caller started to share her Thanksgiving meal plans, totally forgetting her anxiousness and the want to end her life. My volunteer partner had totally taken her emotionally and spiritually to a positive place and time, and the call ended with grateful tears and promises to get help and support for herself.
So, this story for me reminds me that life is for celebrating and doing for others when sometimes all you want to do is feel sorry for yourself or turn away from everything.
Carson
13. Good thing to keep in mind.
There’s no point in hating someone for so long eventually it becomes an obligation a burden and instead of forgetting you force yourself to keep remembering that person so it’s better to forget them then keep them in your mind.
Carlos
14. Good advice, mom.
“Whine less, Do more,” My mom says it a lot, it taught me that even if we’re stressed, sad, or lazy we still have to do things and complaining won’t just make problems disappear.
Davide
15. Paying the bills.
My uncle told me “we’re all just doing jobs to pay the bills”. No one is better than you or more important, just different skills that make the whole happen.
Barrie
16. Do what you want.
If there’s something you want to do, do it because you never know when you won’t be able to anymore. This has proven to be very true.
Laurie
17. Spend the money.
“Anything that goes between you and the ground, be it shoes, tires, or a bed, spend the money.” From the book “Things you dad never told you”.
Ernest
18. Pick your battles.
Pick your battles. If it won’t matter 10 years from now then it really doesn’t matter now.
It really does cut down on stressing about things if you ask yourself will it matter in 10 years.
Christie
19. Actually bad advice.
The advice I followed turned out to be the worst advice- “Just tell people what they want to hear and they’ll leave you alone.”
Susan
20. Direct advice
My friend pointed out that I [used to] one-up people a few years back, so I cut it back as best I could. It’s helped me immensely both professional and personally. Thanks for being direct and good looking out! Even if it was like ripping off a bandaid.
Kelly
21. Let others help.
Are you overworked? A perfectionist? Let others help. Delegate. They may not do it as good as you, but they will do it good enough.
Rich
22. Gift and a curse.
Not advice so much as a turn of phrase ‘With the gift of hindsight…’ Said to me by a counsellor in my early 20’s when I was battling severe anxiety and depression after coming out of a very emotionally abusive relationship.
It made me realize that I could turn this devastating experience into a positive one because it had taught me so much about what I don’t want in my life.
Looking back on what I had come through and survived could make me stronger and better rather than a broken mess.
Mel