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31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
CuriositiesJUN 9, 2026

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives

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We should never be scared of making mistakes. If you’re learning a foreign language or acquiring a new skill, it’s going to be impossible to improve without experiencing some failures along the way. The good news is that almost every error we make is reversible.
But if you really want to speedrun ruining your life, there are a few things you can do to make things much worse for yourself. Netizens on Reddit have recently been sharing the most efficient ways a person can ruin their life, from marrying a terrible person to committing a heinous crime. We sincerely hope that you’ll see these replies as serious warnings, rather than challenges, pandas. But it’s your life, and if you want to burn it to the ground, well, now you know how!

#1

Underrated but doom scrolling.
39points

#2

Elect billionaires.
38points

#3

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Waste too much time wishing for a different past.
36points

#4

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Have a kid with the wrong person.
35points

#5

Credit card debt. Get in too deep and it’s almost impossible to get out.
31points

#6

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Show up on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert, with a co-worker you're sleeping with (just ask the former Astronomer CEO and their former head of HR).
30points

#7

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Tweet about getting a NASA internship with lots of swearing.
pops992, @NaomiH_official.
Report
28points

#8

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Cosigning a loan for someone you're dating. Took me about three months to get into that mess and four years to get out.
27points

#9

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Gambling.
25points

#10

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Speeding.

Guy I knew was late 20s. Successful professionally, personally and in all factors of his life.

Decided one night he was gonna drive 200km/h on a residential street with his friends and totalled the car in a crash.

Barely survived with lasting injuries. Lost his job and k****d his friend in the passenger seat. Now is looking at possible prison sentence.

Many such stories exist.
25points

#11

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Driving drunk.
24points

#12

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Ignoring a weird symptom for months because you're scared of what the doctor might say. The not knowing feels safer until it isn't.
23points

#13

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Self doubt.
21points

#14

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Excess. Too much of anything is a bad thing.
21points

#15

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
So many of these ways are so slow.

Just go outside and fail to do a backflip properly on the concrete. Life instantly ruined.
20points

#16

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Date (and marry) someone horrible.
20points

#17

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Dui. Ask me how I know.
A lot of fines, career change, the social stigma, gf left me etc.

Some things changed for the better though! Lost a lot of weight since getting sober, have a much more clear mind and overall just was able to realize how much of a jerk I was when drinking. Got closer with god and my own peace. I’m in a better place but boy were there some DARK moments along the journey ngl.
20points

#18

31 People Reveal The Mistakes That Cost Them Years Of Their Lives
Having kids.
19points

#19

Giving in to intrusive thoughts.
19points

#20

Isolating yourself and becoming a recluse... though not many of us do it on purpose.
19points
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