# If you could give one piece of advice... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493 "2002-12-13T13:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/21 "2002-12-13T17:09:43Z")
It is better to know (the full extent of the problem for example) than not to know. ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/22 "2002-12-13T17:23:03Z")
Turn the situation around. Try to see it as completely as possible from the other guy’s perspective. Take that into account when you act. (can you tell I’m a role-player?) ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/23 "2002-12-13T17:36:05Z")
Always look on the bright side. Life is so full of crap that if you don’t find and appreciate the good stuff you’ll be blowing your own head off within a week. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/24 "2002-12-13T17:43:11Z")
Life’s a piece of shit When you look at it Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke, it’s true… [/python] ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/25 "2002-12-13T17:44:51Z")
Two that I would offer: Never take a leak on an electric fence. There’s more to a university education than getting a degree. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/26 "2002-12-13T19:49:28Z")
When picking a spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend always take into account how they treat their parents, and the servers at restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/27 "2002-12-13T19:53:56Z")
Mind your own damn business. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/28 "2002-12-13T20:02:26Z")
Don’t take life so seriously. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/29 "2002-12-13T20:17:28Z")
Always…no, no…never…forget to check your references. Never be afraid to admit that you don’t know something, even if it’s only yourself you’re admitting it to. Never, _ever_ carry a balance on a credit card, but use them often. Build credit, not debt. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/30 "2002-12-13T20:27:12Z")
Don’t sweat the petty stuff, but ALWAYS pet the sweaty stuff. Life is a shit sandwich, the more bread you’ve got, the better it tastes. Remember sex is dangerous, you might get something terminal (like a kid) WRAP THAT RASCAL. UNCLVINY ---
**Author:** ![njufoic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@njufoic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njufoic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/31 "2002-12-13T21:14:55Z")
Some people may disagree with me on this one, but I’ll say it anyway: Have a master plan. It doesn’t need to be something huge and ambitious, but you need to have an idea of where you’re trying to go in life, so you can tell whether you’re making progress. I’m only 19, but my mind has always worked that way. It keeps me from getting depressed and/or listless. Even when things aren’t going perfectly, I can stop and figure out what the problems are, and how I want to approach them. You can’t really do that effectively if you don’t know what you want in the longer term. Of course, there is a certain limit to this. Plan ahead, but not too far ahead. As John Maynard Keynes put it, “in the long run, we’re all dead.” -Andrew L ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/32 "2002-12-13T21:41:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by njufoic \* > \*\*Some people may disagree with me on this one, but I’ll say it anyway: > > Have a master plan. > > \*\* Agreed. Once I finished school and started working, I realized that a major life goal had been accomplished and that I had no plan to follow it up. I just got up, went to work, went home, and went to bed. I wondered if that was all career life had to offer. I sorta spun out of control until I realized that a lack of personal direction was the primary cause of my internal turmoil. Now that I have loosely defined and prioritized goals, life just seems better. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/33 "2002-12-13T21:47:39Z")
I cannot stress this enough: [Read Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0670873616/ref=pd_sbs_b_1/102-1374168-8259332?v=glance&s=books). For an 18 year old starting out on their own, the best thing you can ever do for yourself is to not get mixed up with debt. I give this book as a standard wedding or graduation present. My friends & immediate family have also gotten a copy from me. Really - read it. (It’s being revised and will be out as “Financial Peace Revisited” later this month) ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/34 "2002-12-13T21:52:31Z")
Don’t whistle on the elevator. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/35 "2002-12-13T22:05:05Z")
I agree with **Beelzebubba** and **njufoic**. Have a master plan and do it now. Whatever you’re scared to tell people you want to do is probably the thing you should be going for. Go to college, sure, but always keep your eyes on that thing that you really want to do. You’ve only got one life, and you’re already burning it. Auxilliary piece of advice: Somebody started a thread in July “What are the Top 10 Things You Want to do Before You Die?” I think that’s a great exercise, and one I plan to do once a year for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/36 "2002-12-13T22:54:24Z")
There’s the old standards, there’s wise quotes, but here’s what I’d tell my 18 year old sister: - When you discover something that frightens you, but doesn’t threaten your immediate health, confront that fear. Do what scares you the most, as long as you’re safe. - Try and remember who you were when you were 5. Fearless, creative, playful. Try and be more like that person. - OK, one wise quote “Never fear shadows. They mean that there is a light somewhere nearby.” - Ruth E. Renci. ---
**Author:** ![njufoic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@njufoic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njufoic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/37 "2002-12-13T23:00:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Whatever you’re scared to tell people you want to do is probably the thing you should be going for. Very well put, **bup**. I needed to hear that right about now. -Andrew L ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/38 "2002-12-13T23:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bearflag70 \* > \*\*Agreed. Once I finished school and started working, I realized that a major life goal had been accomplished and that I had no plan to follow it up. > > I just got up, went to work, went home, and went to bed. I wondered if that was all career life had to offer. I sorta spun out of control until I realized that a lack of personal direction was the primary cause of my internal turmoil. > > Now that I have loosely defined and prioritized goals, life just seems better. \*\* Hmm… that sounds just like where I’m at now. Finish uni next week, and I realised a few days ago that my only goal since 18 has been to get ‘educated’, which I now am. Didn’t really get much further than that though (I was told that ‘education for its own sake’ is a Good Thing and there’s no need to worry about what it’s ‘for’), so I’m going into 2003 and the second third of my life with qualifications coming out of my ears, but without a clue wot I’m meant to be doing with them all … ☹ ---
**Author:** ![MarkD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@MarkD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkD)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/39 "2002-12-13T23:57:39Z")
Do what you say you are going to do. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493/40 "2002-12-14T01:16:28Z")
Whatever you do, don’t get a criminal record. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-give-one-piece-of-advice/142493.md?page=3)