Weird Advice
Sometimes all we need is a little bit of advice. But sometimes, words to live by are hard to come by, and the only people that can solicit advice are strangers. But sometimes, they really do have some wisdom to impart.
And luckily, a lot of Redditors have experienced this exact thing. And they've decided to give us a fair share of the advice too!
Stacking Bricks
"Do you understand that if you try to endlessly stack bricks, no matter how perfect you do it, they will fall over?"
It's a very short adage, but it's one that's stuck with me for years. I was told this after I was burned out. Just says that no matter how well you plan your work, too much is too much.
Veteran's Advice
If looking for something in a low light environment, try to use your peripheral vision. An old WWII veteran. He said it had something to do with how eyes work.
It has helped me many times over the years. For finding stuff in a darkened room or outside in a field at night, just not aerial combat like the vet said he was talking about. He was a nice man. I hope he's still alive and alright.
Southern Advice
Somethin' ain't nothin'— taking 5 minutes to work out, clean, work on a big project, etc., is better than 0 minutes. We often think we've got to do 2 hours of rigorous work or it doesn't accomplish anything.
I heard this from an old southern man when I passed through Texas on vacation with my family. I've often thought about the advice he gave me.
Time Will Pass Regardless
Time will pass either way—if you want to work to get better at something, accomplish a long-term goal, or change careers or credentials, don't look at the 2-5 years and think you'll be too old.
If you're 24 and want to go to college, you'll be 28 in four years with or without a degree, regardless of what you do in that time. My deen told me this, and I have put the advice to good use.
"Yet"
I tell my daughter to add the word "yet" after anything about lacking something. "I don't know how to play this game." Becomes "I don't know how to play this game yet." That sort of thing. It's meant to redirect negative self admonishment into a drive to grow and learn.
And apparently, it's sinking in because she will say something like, "Ugh, I can't make it up this hill!" while we're out bike riding and then catch me looking at her, give a big eye roll and go, "...yet!" in the exact tone you think a teenage girl would use. Then she ends up sometimes just rage-succeeding to prove the point. It's great. She's going to be at least three times better than me, low as that bar might be.
Wasp Advice
In the summer, leave out a small dish of water in a low-traffic place (like on top of a corner fence post). Wasps out and about in summer are often looking for water, so giving them a place to get water that's away from people will keep them from skulking around your pool/birdbath/fountain/etc.
You can also hang up fake wasp nests (a brown paper bag works in a pinch) to dissuade them from making nests nearby since they prefer to avoid competition and will leave if there's already a nest in the area.
Dance
When walking among other people, there's a trick to avoid the annoying little "who is gonna pass on what side" dance, where both of you go left, then both go right and then you finally pass :
Pick a direction and aim your face towards your intended direction, like look to the left or right of them, clearly turning your head in a single direction. This is a clear signal to people, so there's no confusion as to which way you want to pass them. A guy I bumped into imparted this with him. I haven't had that annoying dance since.
Heart Rate
I tell myself my increased heart rate and racing thoughts are just signs that my body is priming itself to allow me to do something I didn't know I could do.
I misinterpreted these signs until my grandfather told me differently. I used to think they were signs of quitting, but they're really an ignition sequence.
Shake Your Head
How to unclog your nose. Close your mouth and pinch your nose so you can't breathe. Shake your head up and down until you need to breathe.
Remove your hand from your nose and breath (through your nose, not your mouth). Been doing this for a while now, and it's pretty effective. I know it sounds strange, but I swear it works.
When writing an e-mail, leave the recipient field until last. And add the attachments first! Especially when it's one of those emails you may regret sending later.
But also works for just general emails, as it saves you from that embarrassing "oops! Sorry! Hit send too soon!"
Stop Being So Narcissistic
I remember when my great uncle told me to stop being so narcissistic that I'm nowhere near important enough for the general public to remember me days later for the small thing I might have said and done that I thought was cringe-worthy.
No one cares, and everyone has their own moments where they've done something stupid themselves. They're not taking up their brain space to remember my stupidity when they've got their own to cringe about! It's really helped my social anxiety and interaction heaps, though there are definitely still days where I'm driving home and berating myself for how awkward I am!
Information
Never volunteer more information than is needed to get through the situation. Sometimes you'll just make things worse by Moving their focus to something they didn't even know about.
I.e., "sorry I'm late for the meeting. I was trying to help (coworker) finish up their presentation." Boss: "what?? (Coworker) told me they submitted that last week!" Now you're late AND got your coworker in a jam.
It's Okay Not To Be Good At Something
"Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something." My grandfather used to tell me this.
Honestly, it's deflated the embarrassment of making mistakes when learning new things. It's OK to suck at something on your way to okayness.
Impulse Buying
If you want to buy something, wait 24 hours, and if you still want to buy it afterward, then buy it. This has really cut my impulse buying down and has made saving money extremely easy.
Personally, I calculate the item based on the hours needed to work and try to visualize if my working those hours for it is worth it.