Parenting,Social Issues,CuriositiesSEP 20, 2023

30 “I Wish I Knew This Earlier” Blunt, Yet Honest Pieces Of Advice From 40+-Year-Olds

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“You want to know the one truth I’ve learned in all my years? Life’s too hard to face sober.” – Octieve San, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

There, I helped! [smug face]

In all seriousness, getting advice is always helpful. Yes, it should be taken with a grain of salt, and not all advice is necessarily great or even decent. But even if it is crummy advice, it might just help put things into perspective, or give you a reason to laugh about it. So, win-win.

And maybe these tips from Reddit might be of use to you as older generations (everyone over 40) share the pearls of wisdom they’ve acquired throughout the years with the younger peeps of the internets.

More Info: Reddit

#1

30 “I Wish I Knew This Earlier” Blunt, Yet Honest Pieces Of Advice From 40+-Year-Olds

I’m not quite 40, but my advice is: get the f**k off TikTok

BobBelcher2021, Solen Feyissa

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190points

#2

40 isn't old

tralphaz43, Maria Helena Mazuroski

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189points

#3

Don't fall into the trap of thinking everyone else your age has something that you don't and you feel hopelessly behind and like a failure.

Once you're out of school, there are no timelines anymore. You are not supposed to do anything by any particular point in your life. Everyone is different.

You are not supposed to have had X number of sexual partners, had X number of relationships, be married, have a kid, own a house, have a dream job, or figure out your calling in life at any particular point - if at all.

Life is very long and you will have many chances to do things.

Make your own path.

zazzlekdazzle, Einar Storsul

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187points

#4

You're not special, no one cares what you do and the sooner you can accept it, the sooner you can be at peace with yourself.

Anom8675309, Christopher Sardegna

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180points

#5

Stretch everyday or at least more then never. Stay limber and flexible because once it is gone, it’s almost impossible to get it back.

jjovenr, Tamba Budiarsana

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177points

Bored Panda got a chance to speak to one of the submitters in the original post, and that is u/unabtaniuam.

In their submission, unabtaniuam took a very zen approach to advice, pointing out a number of universal, yet spot-on truths: life is short, be grateful, and learn to live in the present for the past is a mere memory now and the future is only up to our imagination at this point.

They cap off their thoughts by saying that folks, instead of accepting negative self dialogue, ought to observe so as to learn from it. In turn, "you are braver than you believe, smarter than you think, stronger than you seem and loved more than you know."

#6

You aren't going to get rich as an influencer or become a professional gamer. Get educated and get a job.

stumpytoesisking, Axville

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176points

#7

take care of your knees and back.

TrailerParkPrepper, Karolina Grabowska

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169points

#8

It’s okay and healthy to sit in silence. Put down your phone, leave your earphones in your pocket, and just be. It’s important to not constantly be stimulated.

yourpaljax, Andrew Measham

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165points

#9

Don't cheap out on a mattress, pillows or shoes.
Cut back on the sugar.
Do NOT bring work home with you.

bastardo1313, Tim Samuel

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157points

#10

Cut s****y people out fast with a sharp knife. There are so many f*****g people on this planet, why give second chances? Also, family are friends you didn't get to decide to bring into your life, but should be held to the same expectations as non family members. So many toxic family members saying "but were family..."

burningpetrol, Annushka Ahuja

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127points

In our interview with u/unabtaniuam, they elaborated that their advice comes from a difficult time, one that involved overcoming an addiction on their own.

"This is what helped me pull out of the lows in my life. I’ve always been pretty positive and had a deep understanding that there is more to life than the daily trivialities. Who helped? Eckhart Tolle, Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Spiritual gurus and yogis."

#11

Avoid "toxic positivity" people. Actually, try to avoid all toxic people, "toxic positivity" is just a bit harder to recognise. It is ok to be not in a mood sometimes.

Ehehehen321, Amadeo Valar

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117points

#12

Take photos around where you live; streets, buildings, forests, etc. Because everything will look different in 20 years.

zook54, Bảo Minh

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111points

#13

Don’t waste time being the person other people think you should be, and instead be the person you want to be

GrimeyScorpioDuffman, Kamaji Ogino

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91points

#14

Love life it is short. Be grateful for everything. The biggest burden you’ll carry are your own thoughts. Learn to live in the present, the past is just a memory and the future is just your imagination. You don’t have to accept the negative self dialogue, be the watcher of those thoughts and learn to let them go. You are braver than you believe, smarter than you think, stronger than you seem and loved more than you know.

unabtaniuam, Марина Вотинцева

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85points

#15

Save your money

Coldeethel, Karolina Grabowska

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83points

u/unabtaniuam focuses on a number of themes in their original thought: life and death, the burdens of time, thoughts, and negativity, just to name a few. But, according to them, the key is here is to tackle the negative and the critical.

"The critical judge in your head does not tell the truth and it does not have your best interest at heart. Recognize it and don’t accept it."

This then ties in well with the idea of observing it and learning from it, all the while negating its influence over the mind.

#16

Your dreams are not static. It's ok to decide the dream you had at 15 is no longer for you

DonnaJScot, Amina Filkins

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81points

#17

Don’t “wait to get in shape”

Start working out however is enjoyable to you so you avoid health risks later. Don’t wait to have to lose 30 lbs

STARoSCREAM, Fortune Vieyra

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79points

#18

Take care of your teeth. It's nice to have high standards, but it's even better to have a friend with you and not be alone.

VapoursAndSpleen, Shiny Diamond

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76points

#19

I'm 56. You don't have as much time as you think you do. Don't waste it, don't waste a single f****** day. Do something everyday even if it's just something for yourself. Drink plenty of water and use sunscreen. Donating blood doesn't hurt that bad. Doing something you like for a living is more rewarding than doing something that pays even exceptionally well. I've done both and the former is preferable in my opinion. I'm rambling too much coffee😳😳

TimRenick, Szűcs László

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75points

#20

Fail more.

Fail all the time.

Set yourself up for failure.

Because what you will learn is that failure is not some horrible catastrophe, it's actually a part of a process of getting better at something or getting what you want. And going ahead into failure is often how you find yourself unexpectedly succeeding faster than you expected.

And the more you fail, the more you immunize yourself against the fear of it so you can get more of it. Failure is something you actually *need* in your life to really get the things you want.

zazzlekdazzle, Andrea Piacquadio

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71points

Lastly, we asked if giving advice, whether to young folk, or anyone, really, is truly challenging. And u/unabtaniuam pointed out a concept that's very true with a lot of folks:

"I have found it is easy for me to give good advice from the heart. But at the same time hard for me to follow it for myself."

There is this idea that it can be difficult to follow your own advice because you are much closer to your own problems. And so, not only are you more aware of the context and nuances of it all, but your emotions are often also more powerful in clouding your judgment. But advice for others comes easier and more naturally as we are more distant from these factors, and thus can approach it with a clearer mind.

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