We’ve all heard those so-called “words of wisdom” that are supposed to make life better—but sometimes they do the exact opposite. What’s one popular piece of advice you think is just plain terrible? Let’s hear the bad advice we should all stop taking!

#1

"You can be anything you want to be if you try hard enough!" No, you cannot. Y
Depending on what you want to be, you may not be athletic enough, or smart enough, or lucky enough.

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Hollerfloozy
Community Member
1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or born in the right circumstances. Or the right opportunities. Oh? You make your own opportunities? Ok, how did you do it? Inquiring minds wanna know.

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    #2

    Forgive and Forget. Nope, I'm remembering, plotting, and will bring it up again.

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    #3

    The lie that you can't love someone else until you love yourself. How does that advice help anyone?

    And, as anyone with depression or s******l thoughts can tell you, it's categorically false

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    Hollerfloozy
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    YES!! Thank you! Love myself? Seriously? That will solve my problems.. well why didnt I think of that.. Let me make love to a mirror and I'll be right back with all the answers.

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    #4

    “Life’s not fair - you just have to accept it.”

    My mum used to say this a lot, and I never agreed. No, I don’t have to accept sexism, bias, inequality etc, because that’s just the way it is. I’m going to fight it and scream about it instead, because if lots of people do that, then maybe things will change.

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    Vix Spiderthrust
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes. "Life isn't fair" - we know. It is our job to make it fairer.

    #5

    So many, often parroted here from Reddit posts, but I get particularly annoyed by anything about how to stop procrastinating over unpleasant tasks that start with "just". From "just do it now" to "just do ten minutes of it, it won't seem to bad then".

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    Hollerfloozy
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sometimes there is more to it than just not wanting to do an unpleasant task. There are mental health issues, hang ups, trauma related issues. Sometimes I look at a pile of clean laundry and I'm transported back into places I don't ever wanna be again. So the "Just" folks can "just" shut it.

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    #6

    You cannot discipline autism away "before they grow and it "sets" in". You can't bleach-bath it away. You can't pray it away. You can't change their diet and boom they are cured. Stop peddling these lies before they hurt even more innocent people. You googled ignorance is not a suitable replacement for actual knowledge and medical training.

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    Sue
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You can help them learn better habits & coping skills. There are different levels, and while you can't cure it (yet), you can give them tools to help them succeed.

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    #7

    I've heard people say that there's no reward for being a good person simply because it's right. But the thing is, being a good person, doing good, that's the reward.

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    #8

    Go to college. It's a waste of time for a low paying competitive job. So, go to trade school. Be an electrician or plumber. Those trades will never go away

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    nottheactualphoto
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    College isn't always a bad idea. It's also not always a good idea. Amazingly, it depends on your specific situation.

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    #9

    Anyone saying "calm down" when I'm upset.

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    #10

    "You should be open-minded about everything." No, you don't. It is okay to shut out certain topics, especially those that tend to make tempers flare.

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    #11

    Go be a lawyer when u grow u up (🤮)

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    #12

    Get your "base tan" by getting badly sunburned. Then get even more sun exposure as frequently and for as long as you can (or use a tanning bed, even) for a "healthy" look.

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    Sue
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've never heard anyone say to get sunburned to get your base tan. Just doing it lightly. But even that will damage your skin.

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    #13

    All the advice that tells you to excuse a partner’s toxic behavior — even if it’s because of childhood trauma — is mostly nonsense. In most cases, those “reasons” are just excuses for crappy behavior. And if it is really about trauma, it’s up to that person to want to heal. You can support them, be empathetic, and walk beside them… but you can’t save an idiot who doesn’t want to change

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    #14

    "Look on the bright side..."

    This is problematic for a couple reasons:
    1. Maybe it's best if we learn to lean into the difficult and let ourselves feel all the feels... after all, couldn't we all do with developing some healthy coping skills for dealing with emotions that bring us discomfort and experiences that aren't pleasant? The rain cloud still exists inside that "silver lining" whether we want to see it or not, and ignoring it doesn't prevent us from getting wet.
    2. This is neither a compassionate or empathetic response. It is dismissive.

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    #15

    The hardest thing to get over in life is yourself.

    This is true for Pandas, though.

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    #16

    What would Jesus do? I prefer what would Chuck Norris do?

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