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Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

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Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#31

Post by tabtab »

EvanKRob wrote: post #28
mockingbirdz wrote: post #14

1. Take good care of your health. It impacts other areas of your life - how you feel, how you think, your confidence. 2. Being right is overrated. 3. Don't get too attached to any "thing" or person. 4. Letting go of people and things won't kill you though it hurts at first. 5. Care less about what other people think.

2. Being right is overrated. So true. Something I took a long time to learn. Everyone's perspective is different so be more empathetic to it and maybe you'll find you're not right after all.

But us logical people cannot resist fixing lack of logic. It's in our bones. By "logic" I mean that our arguments are based on an explicit line of reasoning that we can articulate. When people ignore logic and trust their own or someone else's vague intuition instead, us logical people get a mental rash.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#32

Post by saiya-jin »

EvanKRob wrote: post #27

Less is more. - You don't need that neat kitchen gadget when a knife will do just fine. - A small number of close friends > a lot of acquaintances. As you get older and priorities change, maintaining those friendships becomes harder, closer friends will understand and help maintain that connection. - Eat less - Starting fewer projects at once helps get more projects done. - Less distractions. Give yourself more time…

Good list, on that topic of travel I would expand it for "adventure". You can have adventure discovering new part of your county/country, or even your own town. One can try some 'extreme' sports - ie parachute-related, climbing, diving, whatever is nearby you. Pick locally. Try and decide if you once would like to be a proficient in that activity and would enjoy it.

One can travel far for adventures, or ride a bike to them - do both!

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#33

Post by isaiahg »

I wish I had learned the difference between need and want when choosing a service to create. You can make a profitable businesses providing what people want for sure. But it's much better to be in the business of providing what people need more.

If I had learned that earlier it could of saved me years of hard work over something that turned out to be a dud.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#34

Post by hinkley »

dasmoth wrote: post #15
badminton1 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what tools and supplies do they use to grow their own food? Are they fully self-reliant? I doubt so.

I already conceded the “tools” issue. That’s not necessarily a huge input though — good tools last a long time. Can you find a blacksmith who would trade tools for food? I’ve never had cause to find out but it wouldn’t shock me if you could...

I think the point is that good tools that last a long time are a specialization. As is the distribution network for those tools, the infrastructure to deliver them, the equipment and the raw materials to make them.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#35

Post by chrisco255 »

laaph wrote: post #21

I wish I learned to take care of my health at a younger age. Of course, I'm overdue to go to the dentist, so perhaps I'm still struggling with that. I wish I had learned not to have a fear of other people at a younger age. It's easy to say that I was "shy". I think it went much further than that. I'm in a place where I don't speak the common language, and let me tell you how hard it is to learn a language when you ar…

I used to be shy when I was a teenager and only started to break out of my shell once I got sales and customer service jobs. These jobs taught me how to interact with a wide range of people. And my success as a sales person was literally tied to my people skills, so I learned that way.

I would say, anything you're irrationally afraid of (that isn't literally dangerous), you should consciously seek out and force yourself into situations.

I remember when I was younger I was conscious of the fact that I was socially awkward, and the awareness of that just fed into my social interactions.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#36

Post by chrisco255 »

apohn wrote: post #26

Being more objective about and positive/negatives of major aspects of one's life. Since this is HN, I'll talk about having a technical role/job. It's really easy to feel that something fantastic (e.g. a great business problem, the latest tech stack, a great work environment) is present at another job feel miserable because your current job doesn't have that one thing. Many times this is just your own projection (and…

Oh yeah, and this applies to personal factors as well. Agree with you though. I have moved jobs and I have found that there's tradeoffs. You may get more pay, better tech stack, etc, but might have to live further from family & friends.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#37

Post by DecayingOrganic »

chrisco255 wrote: post #35
laaph wrote: post #21

I wish I learned to take care of my health at a younger age. Of course, I'm overdue to go to the dentist, so perhaps I'm still struggling with that. I wish I had learned not to have a fear of other people at a younger age. It's easy to say that I was "shy". I think it went much further than that. I'm in a place where I don't speak the common language, and let me tell you how hard it is to learn a language when you ar…

I used to be shy when I was a teenager and only started to break out of my shell once I got sales and customer service jobs. These jobs taught me how to interact with a wide range of people. And my success as a sales person was literally tied to my people skills, so I learned that way. I would say, anything you're irrationally afraid of (that isn't literally dangerous), you should consciously seek out and force yours…

As another shy, socially awkward person, I must say that getting professional help is definitely worth it.

If you find that you can't break this wall yourself, don't be afraid to ask for help.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#38

Post by EvanKRob »

tabtab wrote: post #31
EvanKRob wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2. Being right is overrated. So true. Something I took a long time to learn. Everyone's perspective is different so be more empathetic to it and maybe you'll find you're not right after all.

But us logical people cannot resist fixing lack of logic. It's in our bones. By "logic" I mean that our arguments are based on an explicit line of reasoning that we can articulate. When people ignore logic and trust their own or someone else's vague intuition instead, us logical people get a mental rash.

For sure. I've come to the conclusion that most people are just too closed minded to hear anything that does not align with their side. It is a particularly good mindset to adapt right around election years.

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#39

Post by [deleted] »

mockingbirdz wrote: post #14

1. Take good care of your health. It impacts other areas of your life - how you feel, how you think, your confidence. 2. Being right is overrated. 3. Don't get too attached to any "thing" or person. 4. Letting go of people and things won't kill you though it hurts at first. 5. Care less about what other people think.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Of your hard learned lessons, which do you wish could’ve been easier?

#40

Post by fetus8 »

DecayingOrganic wrote: post #37
chrisco255 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be shy when I was a teenager and only started to break out of my shell once I got sales and customer service jobs. These jobs taught me how to interact with a wide range of people. And my success as a sales person was literally tied to my people skills, so I learned that way. I would say, anything you're irrationally afraid of (that isn't literally dangerous), you should consciously seek out and force yours…

As another shy, socially awkward person, I must say that getting professional help is definitely worth it. If you find that you can't break this wall yourself, don't be afraid to ask for help.

By professional help do you mean therapy?
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