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Ask HN: What have been your best decisions in life?

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Re: Ask HN: What have been your best decisions in life?

#43
This question is far less interesting than how you made those best decisions. We make decisions constantly, and any of those have a chance to be good or bad depending on circumstances. Just because "moving to a different country" was great for randomPoster35 doesn't mean that moving is generally a good idea.

My best decisions were made with a feeling of rightness. Even when it was hard, either involving sacrifice or letting other people down, I was able to think about them and know that they were the right decisions to make. Years later, it's obvious to me that I did the right thing in that scenario. Now that I've learned to trust that sense, it's easier for me to make good choices without endless hand-wringing.

Re: Ask HN: What have been your best decisions in life?

#47
1. Working hard through university.

2. Picking my first job out of university based on interest rather than money.

3. Brushing my teeth twice a day and having a good oral hygiene routine.

4. Travelling as much as possible.

5. Telling awful clients to go whistle.

6. Reducing alcohol consumption.

7. Exercising daily.

8. Spending more time with family.

9. Paying mortgage off as quickly as possible.

10. Reading HN.

Re: Ask HN: What have been your best decisions in life?

#48
1. Choosing Computer Science in a less-reputed (but still decent) college over a different major in a better college. All credit to my dad.

2. Coming to the US for an MS rather than doing an MBA in India (my original plan when entering college). All credit to the cultural milieu of my undergrad college.

3. Paying a lawyer myself to apply for a Green Card in a more ambitious category. All credit to my first co-founders in SV for connecting me to a good lawyer. With hindsight I got in through a 'loophole' that was plugged soon after.

What's common in all three: zero rational decision-making, huge influence from others, lots of luck in happening to be congruent with broad trends in society.

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