I’m talking about life decisions that worked out perfectly and left you with no regrets. Here are mine:
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Quitting Facebook - I quit using facebook about 2 years ago. It’s a toxic platform that destroys your privacy, worsens your mental health, and endangers democracies. Much happier since I quit, and no regrets at all. Talking to friends and family face to face or through text is way better.
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Quitting my old toxic, stressful job - I quit working at a top 500 software firm a while back and have been much happier ever since. There was little to no work/life balance, co-workers were extremely antagonistic, the work was amazingly both boring and stressful, and management didn’t care about anything. Quit for another job that paid around the same with a much better culture. No regrets.
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Reading books - Books have completely re-shaped my world view, and I would be much worse off without them. Here is my list:
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“The Better Angels of Our Nature,” “Enlightenment Now,” and “Factfulness” by Steven Pinker (first two) and Hans Rosling (last). The world is improving overall, not getting worse like the media makes it seem. Reading the facts convinced me it is logical to be an optimist.
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“Ultralearning” by Scott Young and “A Mind for Numbers” by Barbara Oakley. Two books that teach the science of efficient learning. These books helped me understand the best strategies for long-term knowledge retention. Every public school in the world should be teaching the concepts in these books.
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“The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing,” “The Millionaire Next Door,” and “Your Money or your Life,” by Taylor Larimor, Cotter Smithand, and Vicki Robin (in that order). As well as various FIRE blogs. These books helped me learn the basics of personal finance, investing, and early retirement. Previously I thought that working until you die was an unavoidable fact of life. Reading about FIRE and smart money management made me question that assumption, and freed me from the shackles of corporate nonsense.
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I’m interested in hearing what other people have to say. Give me what you’ve got.
Removed by mod
Sometimes the best decisions are made while intoxicated. Optimism overflow.
Nice, sometimes you just gotta take the leap!
Quitting Alcohol / Smoking. Not only for my long term health but for my wallet.
I used to have ~8 beers daily. Felt terrible majority of the time. Now I workout 4 days a week and only drink 2 beers every Friday. It’s great.
Wish I had your self control! I do miss having a beer or two socially.
Getting in shape and having a regular exercise routine, for sure. All of the side effects from that are incredible… Stamina, confidence, clearer thinking. So great.
Also, you can hate yourself in a more productive way. That’s really helpful.
Stopping smoking and going vegan. Also taking care of myself in any way, be it fitness or finances.
I started a morning journaling habit and committed to doing it for two weeks - about five years ago.
Most mornings I just jot down 3 quick random things I am thankful for.
Now when I look back over those journals I see evidence of big decisions they helped me make, new habits, all kinds of other ways it’s affected me for the better.
I’ve also built up a nice little stock of letters to my kids this way, for them to enjoy after I’m gone.
My morning journalling is also five years old this year. My only regret is that I wish I’d done it sooner. Going back and reading what you did last year or the year before, can really show how much you’ve grown or what still needs improving.
Creating a budget. I’m naturally frugal so I did okay without a budget. Stayed out of debt, saved for retirement, etc. Making a budget took it up to completely new level. It added clarity into all of my personal finances. I plan and save more. I know exactly when to expect upcoming expenses and have emergency funds earmarked for unexpected. I have a much better understanding of how much I can contribute towards retirement while keeping a sufficient cash flow for my budget. A budget made everything more clear and reduced stress
Yeah. I did well before I kept a budget, but I could not have afforded my pandemic home arcade project without my budget spreadsheet.
I just read a little bit my best decisions are getting married and having my kids
Not for everyone, and it’s not ALL upside but having a kid. It is so much fucking fun, and it inspires me to be my best self at the same time.
Moving closer to family has been really nice
We’re considering moving to Europe soon for a job opportunity, but moving away from family is the major downside.
Best of luck, Europe is worth it. Maybe you can go for a couple of years and hopefully fam can visit a bunch.
I deciding to be happy.
Unmarried and childless.
I get to enjoy all of my money AND time. Glorious.
Changing career paths in my 30s (less stress, more money), getting a divorce (not staying in an unhealthy relationship), having kids (gives me a lot of purpose), paying down my mortgage (financial freedom)
Indulging my bdsm fetishes with consenting and enthusiastic participants:)
Quitting college and trying to make my hobby of computers my living in the late 1980s. I rode the technology wave to my current job as an IT manager.
Stopping drinking alcohol, and getting in a regular exercise routine. I was never a huge drinker nor was I really overweight, but both changes made a massive difference.
