People Share Life Advice They Received That Turned Out To Be Really Useful (35 Pics)
Interview With Author
Ah, life advice! It’s that wonderful thing that we just looove handing out (but hate listening to). Among all the pleasures in life, handing out life advice to a friend or even a complete stranger on the internet has got to rank among the top 100, for sure. And there’s hardly anything better than giving someone advice that we ourselves should be following but aren’t, am I right, dear Pandas?
For instance, I know so much about eating healthily, it’s ridiculous. Do I practice what I preach? Heck no! However, this list is about surprisingly good advice. Advice that’s useful. Timely. Concise. And, frankly, just spot-on. Internet users started sharing all these golden nuggets of wisdom after LA-based TV writer Amanda Deibert created a viral Twitter thread. Bored Panda reached out to her about her thread and you can find what she told us below.
Scroll down and upvote the advice you think is the best and be sure to share some of your own pearls of wisdom in the comment section below. But beware: even though these tips are useful, far from every bit of advice is good for us, as we’re about to find out.
More info: Twitter | AmandaDeibert.com
Image credits: amandadeibert
This post may include affiliate links.
My parents taught me that too. "If you can't afford to give it away, you can't afford to loan it."
It’s better to have your nose in a book than someone else’s business. Periodt ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ
Amanda told Bored Panda that the thread had a lot of great advice and "a wealth of amazing wisdom." In her opinion, the reason why we're so great at giving advice instead of listening to it is that it's easier to see situations clearly for other people.
"When it is our own life, we also have to deal with our own emotions and attachments and habits. I can easily see something with detachment when it isn't my own issue. I think it is actually incredibly difficult to detach and really look at your own life," she explained.
We were also interested to get Amanda's opinion on how we can learn to follow our own advice better. After all, quite a lot of us know what we should be doing better in life but aren't following our own tips despite knowing they're good.
"I think change is difficult and scary and most good advice revolves around change. Actually, that was one of my favorite bits of advice in the thread: not making a decision is a decision... and it's the easiest one to make. I think the best way around it is to remember that. Good things are difficult and take work, but sitting back and allowing life to just happen is a choice."
‘Inc.’ points out that successful entrepreneurs “know the value of listening to advice from others,” however, they suggest having a “buyer must beware” type of mentality. In other words, you can’t switch off your mind and follow someone blindly: you might end up in the middle of the woods with no road in sight.
For instance, ‘Inc.’ suggests keeping a keen eye on the context in which the advice was given: are you at a boardroom or a bar? Also, keep in mind that far from everyone is out to help you. They might give you bad advice to slow you down or send you spiraling in the wrong direction. (Yup, corporate life can be brutal.)
You don't have to be liked by everyone, just as you don't like everyone you meet! :)
Furthermore, you really should be wary of unsolicited advice. Always ask yourself: what is this person’s motivation? What do they gain from me following their advice? Is there any substance to it? Is it self-serving? Do they simply like hearing themselves talk? When you really start digging deep, you’ll find that there are few diamonds in the rough among the lumps of coal. But the gems you find—they’re priceless when polished with practice and proper application.
The thing about advice is that there’s no panacea, no single cure-all tidbit of wisdom that’s going to apply to everyone equally. Some relationship advice is going to be fantastic for somebody going through a break-up but not for someone in the middle of a marriage crisis.
Besides, if you stay in that marriage you're teaching your kids that this is what marriage looks like and all the stuff your spouse is doing is okay.
Which is why I left my alcoholic, depressive, won't take meds, husband. :)
Load More Replies...
Better to have loved and divorced than to be stuck with an idiot forever! (✿◡‿◡)
I thought my parents had a happy marriage, or at least one that wasn't full of drama. But when my mother was on her death bed she opened up about how unhappy she had been. It not only changed my opinion of my parents, but also of marriage.
I am going through this right now... I had to leave because I didn't want my boys to think of abuse as the norm. We are friends now, and he is a great dad. He was an awful and abusive husband. Now my boys can grow up respecting us both.
My ex-husband was financially controlling and psychologically abusive; he's a better dad than he was a husband.
Load More Replies...
I sometimes say to people “What advice would you give your child/sister etc”. It gets them really thinking about the situation especially from a different point of view.
I stayed with an abusive wife for the kids for too long, because if the children. I worry that it has taught them it's normal for men to be treated badly in a relationship, but I could not leave them with a person with untreated BPD to bring them up. They are doing OK at the moment, but neither are in relationships. It's not a black and white decision. I have a degree of PTSD after the relationship, but the feeling of relief when I wake each morning and she is not in my life is huge.
I am sorry you had to go through this! :(. I am glad you were able to get out. It was definitely the right decision. ❤️
Load More Replies... 
Never accept being treated in a way that you wouldn't want your children to experience as adults. If it is not good enough for them then it is not good enough for you.
My son thanked me after the divorce because his dad and I stopped fighting. We are really good, supportive friends, just a friggin lousy couple. Mysteries abound...
when I left my husband I wanted to show my children that that kind of behavior was unacceptable.
Made kind of the same argument to my ex. He wanted to stay together for the sake of our daughter, saying how traumatic it would be to come from a broken home. (His parents did "for the sake of the children" & basically hated each other. They'd been married 45 years when I met him & the tension was palpable). I literally laughed in his face. "So - it would be better to raise a child in an environment where her parents can't stand the sight of each other instead of being raised by two happier parents who just don't live together? How'd that work out for you?" We filed a few months later.
Your right to go. It not only protects you, It'll protect the kids and pets too. An abuser never gets better until they really want to and put the work in to make it happen. that , if they change may take years. Move on . . . Oh! And take the kids.
If you stay you are showing your children that you don't matter and you don't have respect for yourself.
Kids can also tell, even when you're doing your best to hide problems for our sakes.
This woman was in an abusive marriage and wanted to leave, but hesitated because she didn't want to hurt her children who did have a good relationship with her husband. The friend told her to imagine what the kids would feel if she did stay and they found out ofter they had grown up that she stayed in an abusive marriage for them. The implication is that the children would be horrified to know that their mother stayed in a horrible situation to make them happy.
Load More Replies...
Similarly, specific dieting advice might work for a small handful of pro-athletes, but it might be barely effective for someone looking to lose weight. It’s all about weighing in and evaluating each bit of advice separately. What works for someone else might not work for you and vice versa.
However, we can over-think things and we might get analysis paralysis if we only think about which advice is good for us without actually testing some of it out. At least some experimentation is necessary for us to determine what tips and tricks work for us and which ones are best left for someone else.
Depends on the company and the person you answer to, sadly. Many bosses do want to be asked about every little thing.
The problem is that most of us have an opinion about most things. And it can be… difficult to see the difference between somebody’s opinion masquerading as advice and actual advice that the person has applied in their lives and found success. So asking a few follow-up questions is always a plus. Best-case scenario? You go in-depth and fill that noggin of yours with even more useful knowledge than you thought was available. Worst-case scenario? You find out that the person hasn’t been following their own advice and is only speaking on a theoretical level.
wasn't there a study done investigating a correlation between severity of criminal conviction and time since the Judge's lunch break?
Speaking of which, isn’t it amazing how bad some of us can be in following our advice? We know what works. We’ve seen it work. We’ve doled out the advice to others and watched it work miracles, but we still won’t cut back on our sugar intake/go for nature walks/try meditating every day. Sometimes, it all comes down to just doing it because our minds can (and will) find every excuse known to humankind just to keep you in your comfort zone.
When I run for President in 20 or so years, I’m going to go for the philosopher angle. Hopefully, the difference between me and the other candidates (and previous presidents) will make people at least stop and think. I don’t want to win, but if I can just make two people closer or make one cop stop and think before he shoots, that will be worth everything.
This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has written about TV writer Amanda. We’ve already featured her threads in articles before, including about a seemingly ordinary-looking house listing that’s actually got tons of mannequins posed inside, as well as her thread about women sharing all the ways they protect themselves while running.
Some days when you can just barely show up are because of the day before. But show up! Today is the day to start making your happy ending. Until the day they put you in the grave, is never too late to have one.
Just make a decision. If it turns out wrong, learn from it. If it turns out right, learn from it. And: not making a decision is also a decision.
In addition, stories make the interview feel more like an informal chat instead of being stuffy. And chatting makes you more relaxed, making it easier to show your true self!
I always try to give myself overnight or at least a few hours after writing something important for work. Fresh eyes let you see a lot.
I love cooking, but every now and then I will indulge myself to a souvlaki! :)
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
Am advice my father gave to my brother some 30 years ago, when my brother was in his early 20s: "Alcohol is the most potent solvent known to mankind. It dissolves bank accounts, careers, and families. It all starts with a few glasses now and then." About ten years ago, shortly after my dad has died, my brother confessed to me he should have listened.
I was mormon so didn't drink until in my 30s. Honestly I learned that it's really unnecessary at best. I like being able to have a good time with all of my mental faculties with me.
Load More Replies...
My favourite is always - just because someone is a drama queen - it does not mean that you have to stop and watch the show.
"Explain and Excuse are not the same thing" - IE just because you can explain someone's behaviour does not excuse it.
Best advice I ever received was "you are not required to set yourself on fire just to keep someone else warm" I've used it both professionally and in personal relationships.
My mom: "Never have sex with someone you wouldn't want to share child custody with."
My advice for relationships that are neither good nor very bad: Ask for a small favour (do you have chewing gum?can I borrow a pen?). My theory is 1. person feels recognized/needed 2. you got them to do something for you which might stay in their subconcience and built a connection and a reference for future contact. Google Benjamin-Franklin-Effect
It's okay to accept limitations and live your life the best way you can and be happy. Other people may have expectations for what your life should be, but don't waste your life trying to be something you're not. Live your life for yourself, not for someone else.
I'm mostly housebound due to chronic illness that started in my teens, this definitely resonates with me!
Load More Replies... 
Here's one: People are not good or bad - it's circumstances that make them so.
And here's another. Once I was thinking about letting an employee go who had screwed up in a similar fashion two times. I was considering giving him a third chance. My friend said, "Once is a pattern." Her statement proved to be right so many times. Everyone makes mistakes, but it's the way they make it (or the way they own up to it) and how the work to correct it that shows the very first time if it was an honest one-off mistake or a pattern. Pay attention when someone does something or says something. You're probably seeing a repeating pattern. Cut your losses early.
When I was debating about getting a divorce from a man who wasn't "that bad" my sister gave me this advice: Ask yourself these two questions: 1. If it never got any better than it is right now, is it good enough 2. If it never got any worse than it is right now, is it bad enough I took her words to heart. It wasn't good enough. I got a divorce and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Things don't have to be falling apart and on the verge of catastrophe before you make a decision to let something go. Her advice has served me well in many decisions over the years.
Am advice my father gave to my brother some 30 years ago, when my brother was in his early 20s: "Alcohol is the most potent solvent known to mankind. It dissolves bank accounts, careers, and families. It all starts with a few glasses now and then." About ten years ago, shortly after my dad has died, my brother confessed to me he should have listened.
I was mormon so didn't drink until in my 30s. Honestly I learned that it's really unnecessary at best. I like being able to have a good time with all of my mental faculties with me.
Load More Replies... My favourite is always - just because someone is a drama queen - it does not mean that you have to stop and watch the show.
"Explain and Excuse are not the same thing" - IE just because you can explain someone's behaviour does not excuse it.
Best advice I ever received was "you are not required to set yourself on fire just to keep someone else warm" I've used it both professionally and in personal relationships.
My mom: "Never have sex with someone you wouldn't want to share child custody with."
My advice for relationships that are neither good nor very bad: Ask for a small favour (do you have chewing gum?can I borrow a pen?). My theory is 1. person feels recognized/needed 2. you got them to do something for you which might stay in their subconcience and built a connection and a reference for future contact. Google Benjamin-Franklin-Effect
It's okay to accept limitations and live your life the best way you can and be happy. Other people may have expectations for what your life should be, but don't waste your life trying to be something you're not. Live your life for yourself, not for someone else.
I'm mostly housebound due to chronic illness that started in my teens, this definitely resonates with me!
Load More Replies... Here's one: People are not good or bad - it's circumstances that make them so.
And here's another. Once I was thinking about letting an employee go who had screwed up in a similar fashion two times. I was considering giving him a third chance. My friend said, "Once is a pattern." Her statement proved to be right so many times. Everyone makes mistakes, but it's the way they make it (or the way they own up to it) and how the work to correct it that shows the very first time if it was an honest one-off mistake or a pattern. Pay attention when someone does something or says something. You're probably seeing a repeating pattern. Cut your losses early.
When I was debating about getting a divorce from a man who wasn't "that bad" my sister gave me this advice: Ask yourself these two questions: 1. If it never got any better than it is right now, is it good enough 2. If it never got any worse than it is right now, is it bad enough I took her words to heart. It wasn't good enough. I got a divorce and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Things don't have to be falling apart and on the verge of catastrophe before you make a decision to let something go. Her advice has served me well in many decisions over the years.
