Yahoo Lifestyle People Are Confessing The Biggest Mistakes They Made, And It Might Make You Rethink Everything
If you've ever heard the phrase "hindsight is 20/20," then you know one of the biggest parts of growing up is learning from our wrongdoings, failures, and missteps. Reddit user yeahrightistoday recently asked, "What would you consider the biggest mistake of your life?" Here are some hard truths and life lessons people spilled:
1."I should have been nicer to my parents. Taking care of them as they got older was hard and sometimes I was short with them. I did the best I could but I wish I could change that. It breaks my heart and I feel I should have done more and been kinder."
2."I should have insisted that my hubby get a colonoscopy, but I didn't want to be a nag. I'm a widow now."
3."I wish I had spent less time trying to make my husband happy and more time asking myself what made me happy. I do everything for my children and sacrificed so much for my spouse. I even built a career around his to avoid childcare expenses when the kids were younger. I never asked him to make sacrifices like that for me. Now I'm the breadwinner, he had an affair a few years ago that we're healing from, and I'm wondering why the hell I didn't think I deserved more from the person I sacrificed so much for. Boundaries are beautiful. It's not selfish to ask for what you give to others. And don't ever, ever let yourself be financially dependent on your partner."
4."Justifying red flags in people."
5."Credit card debt. In my first 20 years as an adult, I was careless with credit. It took me a long time to pay my way out of it. And paying it off meant I wasn't saving for retirement."
6."Marrying the wrong person and staying too long. I had to quit college because he was transferred, then fired from that job within a few weeks. He refused to work for 10 years. It took a very long time to work my way up without a degree. He sat at home playing video games and having affairs."
7."Starting to smoke. I always regret that decision and quitting was one of the most difficult things I have ever done."
8."Not pursuing my passion as my career because it seemed too out there."
9."Cheating on my wife. Biggest f*ck up ever. She forgave me. It's been 15 years. I'm so afraid she will dump me. I love her more now than ever. I f*cked up big time."
10."Trusting strangers just because they were family or a family friend."
11."Never finishing college. It limited me in many ways."
12."Wasting time in relationships with people who weren't right for me."
13."My biggest mistake? Having unhealthy coping skills. Alcohol and the wrong friends."
14."Begging for someone to love me. Love should feel mutual and effortless. If you have to beg, it's likely not the kind of love that will make you feel truly happy or fulfilled."
15."Selling myself short. I didn't believe in myself and it influenced every decision I made. Believe in yourself and you will never need a man to do it for you."
16."Leaving New York City. I moved back to my hometown and it was supposed to be temporary. 20 years later, life happened and I never made it back to NYC. Now I'm too old to chase dreams."
17."Not being more honest with myself."
18."The biggest mistake can be being more focused on mistakes than successes."
19."I commuted an hour and a half to two hours each way for 18 years. I missed my kids growing up. Either work from home or live close to work."
20."Not taking life seriously until I was older. Not getting healthy until I was 45. Ultimately, the lesson is it's never too late to turn your life around. You can't go backward anyway, so why look that way?"
What's your biggest life mistake? Share your story in the comments.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
