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05 December 2008

What did you learn the hard way?
post by: serena at: 23:23 | 25 comments
To stand up for myself, and know when to walk away when it was clear that I was not ever going to get what I needed.

Self-motivation is a bitch, but worth it and necessary.

Doing things the hard way to save a little money will usually cost you a lot of money if you don't have a solid plan.

Friendship is an essential nutrient for living.
posted by lysdexic 05 December | 23:33
Back up everything. I mean, everything (lost very important data and app preferences).

Writing shit down and forcing yourself to look at it is a surprisingly good motivator (getting off the GTD horse made for sloth).

Smoking is very bad for your lungs (collapsed lung).

Your next question in any situation should be "How can I make this better?" (multiple arguments and regrets)

Never explain (wasted time trying to convince friends who didn't need me to and everyone else who either didn't believe or didn't care).

You cannot be virtuous without indulging in vice (years wasted in the Southern Baptist Church).

Never trust anyone, no matter how good a friend, to keep his mouth shut who has something to lose (examples too numerous to mention).

Less is more (romance, work, holding forth after the third whiskey). Corollary: never underestimate the sheer power of shutting the fuck up.
posted by middleclasstool 06 December | 00:27
It's the first drink that does the damage.

Working hard does not guarantee success.

I can't make someone love me.

People blessed with good looks are often given an easier ride in situations where us Plain Janes have to prove ourselves and work twice as hard.
posted by essexjan 06 December | 02:17
Love does not conquer all.

Giving up easily never made anyone successful.

Orthodontist knows best.

posted by scody 06 December | 03:43
1. The world doesn't owe you a thing.
2. Never underestimate the value of friends.
posted by Firas 06 December | 05:40
One MUST listen to the voice in one's head saying "Run!" about someone who seems like a good person.
posted by brujita 06 December | 09:09
In a restaurant like Applebee's or Chili's, don't order any entree that you suspect you can cook better. Exception: breakfast at IHOP.
posted by Ardiril 06 December | 10:05
You can't sit around and do nothing and hope for passing grades.

Sitting on the laptop for hours on end does nothing for your ass.

Chinch bugs will come if you fail to miss one application of poison.

Parents are human, too.

Snobbery creates loneliness.
posted by LoriFLA 06 December | 11:19
Never leave anything of value in your car, locked or not.

Your gums are your friends. . .treat them well and do not neglect them.

Laughter in a marriage is under-rated.

You need to choose at least a few battles.
posted by danf 06 December | 11:36
Not to ask the question if you really don't want the answer.
posted by loiseau 06 December | 11:46
You can get A grades in college by:
1. Going to every class
2. Reading the book
3. Doing the homework

It took me until I was 31 years old before I figured that out. I dropped out of school in '87 with crappy grades and didn't go back until '95 and was astounded when I got straight A's just by following those three rules. Who knew?
posted by octothorpe 06 December | 12:38
Everything related to hardware and software. Because it's when I really mess things up that I remember why I should not do X.
posted by dabitch 06 December | 13:51
The only thing we learn from our mistakes is that we... make a lot of mistakes.
posted by Eideteker 06 December | 14:12
That nothing I do or achieve or anything will ever be good enough for my parents. I could cure cancer and they would be 'you couldn't cure AIDS?'.

Cleaning a little bit every day is much better than waiting to do a big clean.

Cats are never pleased when they have to wait for breakfast. Especially 4 of them.
posted by sperose 06 December | 14:22
Never shave while angry.
posted by The Pusher Robot 06 December | 17:07
Do the hard things when they're important: care for the sick, be patient with the difficult, and give the eulogy. You might bitterly regret not doing it.

Before you get pissed off at a loved one, consider your own foibles.

If you were wrong, say you were wrong and figure out how to make it better.

It takes longer than you think. Plan accordingly.

Diligence will get you farther than intelligence alone.

Don't be afraid to make a scene if something sketchy happens on the street. Predators rely on victims' politeness.
posted by Elsa 06 December | 18:28
o: At GIT, MIT and a couple others, those rules will only net you Bs and Cs.
posted by Ardiril 06 December | 18:41
People just don't suddenly decide to give up drugs and then do it within a day like they do on TV.
posted by Melismata 06 December | 23:18
That sometimes, it does need to be all about me.
posted by goo 06 December | 23:44
People just don't suddenly decide to give up drugs and then do it within a day like they do on TV.

Quoted for truth. and in keeping with that...

you can't love someone enough to make them sober.

posted by kellydamnit 07 December | 01:52
That no matter how much you feel you have to lose, sometimes walking away is the only way for you to be happy.
posted by jonathanstrange 07 December | 04:17
That no matter how much you feel you have to lose, sometimes walking away is the only way for you to be happy.
posted by jonathanstrange 07 December | 04:17

quoted for truth! It wasn't the hardest thing I ever learned but it's the one that's been most useful for my mental health!
posted by Wilder 07 December | 09:01
Mostly, I never learn. But I have one - you can't control other people. You can only control yourself.
posted by rainbaby 07 December | 10:39
You mean I'm supposed to learn things?

I'm gradually finding that, sometimes, the only way to make someone else happy is for you to walk away, because they can't.
posted by dg 07 December | 15:14
That I am not the only one who is always right. So are those with whom I vehemently disagree.
posted by tr33hggr 09 December | 19:41
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