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Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#191

Post by [deleted] »

Our_Benefactors wrote: post #152
glenngillen wrote: post #48

Work and career progression: “always take the interview”. I reported direct to the CEO at a startup and I told him our largest customer had headhunted me, and I assumed I wasn’t special and they’re probably targeting many of us. He asked me what the process was like and what the offer was, and when I told him I didn’t take the initial call hand he shook his head. “You always take the interview. Absolute worst case is…

realistically this just ends up wasting tons of time on both sides of hiring. Interviewing is unpaid labor, do it as little as possible.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#192

Post by ryangs »

bloqs wrote: post #49
modernerd wrote: post #5

“…for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ’If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.” - Steve Jobs' 2005 St…

This is not good advice and it largely goes against steve jobs work. This fundamentally works, for a small subset of people that are predisposed via their personality to extremely high levels of dilligence and conscientiousness who need to be told to stop working. If you are the opposite, this advice basically says "stop sacrificing the short term for the long term, and stop working towards difficult but ultimately w…

Much more reasonable advice would be along the lines of "If you aren't excited about what you are going to do today for many days in a row, you should change things up."

Substitute "excited" for any reasonable descriptor. This assumes a certain amount of agency, otherwise it is just depressing that things aren't great and you can't change them.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#193

Post by thefz »

prettyStandard wrote: post #59
thefz wrote: post #15

From my mom: If in a couple there is a wide intellectual imbalance, it is not going to last long. Whether it is intelligence or curiosity or culture.

Since you're on this site, sounds like your mom doesn't want you going after beautiful dummies. My mom told me she saw lots of beautiful dumb girls marry successful men, and then their kids were dumb as bricks. Also to be careful with dating short women because then your boys might be short. I said okay well then by that logic you don't want to date tall women either because you might have tall girls.

> Since you're on this site, sounds like your mom doesn't want you going after beautiful dummies.

It was actually part of a discussion about other people, not a direct advice to me; however it struck me as a hard truth and something I always thought but never formulated.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#194

Post by strikelaserclaw »

thefz wrote: post #15

From my mom: If in a couple there is a wide intellectual imbalance, it is not going to last long. Whether it is intelligence or curiosity or culture.

i think the most important thing for a couple to have in common is values.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#195

Post by karmakaze »

glenngillen wrote: post #48

Work and career progression: “always take the interview”. I reported direct to the CEO at a startup and I told him our largest customer had headhunted me, and I assumed I wasn’t special and they’re probably targeting many of us. He asked me what the process was like and what the offer was, and when I told him I didn’t take the initial call hand he shook his head. “You always take the interview. Absolute worst case is…

Corollary: only take the interview if you're possibly open to change. I don't often take interviews and the few times I have, resulted in a change. That's not bad, but sometimes it can be disruptive in itself. Maybe you ace an interview for the best possible job, but can't take it because you're caring for your aging parents and you knew the on-site location before the interview.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#196

Post by sublinear »

ted_bunny wrote: post #154
glenngillen wrote: post #48

Work and career progression: “always take the interview”. I reported direct to the CEO at a startup and I told him our largest customer had headhunted me, and I assumed I wasn’t special and they’re probably targeting many of us. He asked me what the process was like and what the offer was, and when I told him I didn’t take the initial call hand he shook his head. “You always take the interview. Absolute worst case is…

"Never stop dating"

Oh how exhausting. I'd rather just die alone.

I know this statement reflects poorly on me, but I'm barely hanging on to my sanity dealing with my life otherwise and I'm not even that young anymore.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#197

Post by jdthedisciple »

_zzaw wrote: post #190
jdthedisciple wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cmon, what are you - a jellyfish?

I thought your initial comment—the one you deleted a minute after posting it, where you were boasting about how sexually attractive you are—had more personality tbh

You know I agree with you, but I figured the public wasn't ready for it.

Thanks though!

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#198

Post by TwoCent »

SunghoYahng wrote: post #115
pkoird wrote: post #20

This is a mix of Buddhist, Hindu, and Stoic philosophy: Ask yourself this, why do you do anything? For the sake of Profit? Recognition? Love? Or return of any kind? Any deed done with reward in mind creates an expectation which, if not met, causes suffering. Similarly, you will end up focusing more on the reward than the task itself and will unable to be loyal to the task. The only reason you must do a task is becaus…

Sounds like a good bedtime story for a slave owner to tell his slave.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#199

Post by vouaobrasil »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #18
vouaobrasil wrote: post #8

Best advice I got was from my psychology professor. He said "if someone asks you to do something, especially in a social situation, tell them you will think about it". It prevents you from saying yes under pressure. I still rememeber using it when someone at my old workplace wanted me to sign up to be in a club (that had a fee). I never joined and I am proud that I didn't. Also, I've learned a few things from Jordan…

> if someone asks you to do something, especially in a social situation, tell them you will think about it There's not a single socially capable person that will not straight away understand that "I will think about it" means "no". May as well say no.

Disagree. Sometimes, I really do need to think about it...and especially with people I love (family and close friends), I sometimes do come back and say yes! And to be honest, I couldn't care less what others perceive.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best advice you got on any aspect of life?

#200

Post by vouaobrasil »

astura wrote: post #64
vouaobrasil wrote: post #8

Best advice I got was from my psychology professor. He said "if someone asks you to do something, especially in a social situation, tell them you will think about it". It prevents you from saying yes under pressure. I still rememeber using it when someone at my old workplace wanted me to sign up to be in a club (that had a fee). I never joined and I am proud that I didn't. Also, I've learned a few things from Jordan…

>He said "if someone asks you to do something, especially in a social situation, tell them you will think about it". It prevents you from saying yes under pressure. This is actually extremely obnoxious behavior and a big reason I stopped speaking to my mother. If the answer is "no" say "no." Only say "I'll think about it" if you really intend on thinking about it with a plan on when you'll get back to that person. OR…

I don't have a problem saying no. Like I said, I sometimes do come back and say "yes", and I can recall such instances. When I mean no, I say no.
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