Almost every day we hear about ways to improve our lives, whether in the form of asked or unasked advice, or as an outcome of thinking. But it’s not that simple. Making a decision of whatever kind can be a daunting task for a person who doesn’t like to step out of their comfort zone.
Some people, however, dare to try something new, whether it’s watching Avengers Endgame or moving out of their parents' home thanks to the hype that pushed them forward. “What actually 100% lived up to the hype?” someone wondered on Ask Reddit, and 24.1k upvotes and 10.1k comments later, we have some very interesting and illuminating responses. Turns out, not always are our expectations shattered by reality.
#21
Harry Potter - I still remember the long lines on the release day for Deathly Hallows. The books couldn’t have had a better ending
62points
#22
Dungeons & Dragons.
I lived with a friend at university who -- back in the days of 3.5e -- would suggest every weekend that we played a game. I had no interest in spending my Saturday afternoons pretending to be an elf or whatever-the-f**k you were supposed to do when you played. *No, thank you.*
Then I actually tried it a year or two ago, and it's dope. Sit around with friends, talk some s**t, eat some cheese, drinks some beers, kill some imaginary goblins. With three months I was DMing, and now I have more dice than I know what to do with and a folder on my desktop devoted to all the games I know I'm never going to get around to playing, all because adult scheduling is the true BBEG.
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61points
#24
First time I loaded up Google Earth on a tablet I knew I had officially reached ‘living in the future’ status.
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57points
#26
Hawai'i. It has been hyped as a beautiful worry-free paradise. But when I went there, it was a beautiful worry-free paradise. 10/10 would go again.
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54points
#27
Visiting Japan. Used to be kind of a weeb when I was a teen but that phase died out when I grew into my 20s. My SO and I planned a trip to see my brother and his Japanese gf just to stay in touch even though I would have rather loved to see Florence or Marrakech instead but boy oh boy was I wrong. Japan really brought the kid inside me out again. (edit: even though I couldn't care less about anime)
50points
#29
Smart devices, but especially smartphones. I remember watching the keynote in 2007 and thinking this was just an Apple gimmick. Twelve years later and theres no way I’d willingly go back to not having my smartphone; I wouldn’t be typing this right now.
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50points
#30
Visiting Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins. It was amazing. They don't tell you that there are just random llamas grazing on these ancient stone terraces. Or that there are huge blue butterflies everywhere. Or about the tourist city that has sprung up around the ruins of Machu Picchu. Or about how crazy the city of Lima is.
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45points
#31
The original Star Wars films. Didn’t get around to seeing them till college, and just made my roommate watch them for the first time.
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44points
#33
Camping in Australia.
I come from Europe, and a lot of folks go to Australia after high school. My friends who were there loved it, but all I always took from the conversations with them was, that they worked crappy, underpaid jobs, to live in a van in a country where everything tries to kill you.
After I finished university my GF made me go with her, and I was so not hyped. Turns out I have never seen a more beautiful country with such a nice infrastructure for camping. I would say it was the best 6 weeks of my life so far.
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37points
#34
My wife’s deviled eggs. She talked these things up for months when we first started dating. Her mom talked about them, her dad, her sister, everyone in her family loves them. Then I ate one. It was life changing.
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36points
#36
My very first trip to Manhattan.
My sister and I booked a 10 day stay at The Roosevelt in Midtown. We land at LaGuardia from Dallas and the airport employees were super friendly when they saw me in my UT Dallas hoodie; I even got a hug! Like, what?! So we go out of the terminal and the car service to Manhattan calls us to let us know they overbooked and ran out of sedans and SUVs....so they sent a stretch limo to pick us up!
The trip was full of lucky turns. We got very last minute front and center seats to the Radio City Rockettes for $60 each!
The city just lived up to every expectation I had since childhood. I love it.
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33points
#37
The Instant Pot - at least for me. I use that thing all the time. Totally worth every cent and I turned my family onto the Instant Pot as well.
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31points
#38
Jurasic Park Helicopter Tour of Kauai Island in Hawaii.
It's about $400 for 1.5 hours, but it's one of the most life changing things I ever did with my dad. Out of one window, you saw wales break the surface, and then you zoom around the island in and out of cliffs and rocks and mountains and dozens of mini waterfalls, and then you land a few yards from where the Jurassic Park helicopter pad used to be, and you walk up to the 500 foot falls. It's really just an amazing trip to see.
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27points
#39
Rick and Morty. I hated the idea of the show, thinking it would be another poorly animated comedy with terrible humor.
Boy was I wrong.
Watched all 3 seasons in 4 days EXACTLY. And I am NOT a binge watcher
26points
#40
The Nintendo Switch. I hadn’t bought a Nintendo system since the Gamecube. I wasn’t thrilled about the Wii or the WiiU, so I was hesitant to buy in to Nintendo’s new system when it was announced. I bought it and was 100 percent back as a Nintendo fan boy. That system is fantastic. The fact that it is both portable and a home console is amazing to me. And yes, it is underpowered compared to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but it makes up for it in its versatility. Also, I can turn it off instantly and come back to exactly where I left off. Brilliant
25points