Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

431–440 of 567 posts

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#431

Post by booboofixer »

theGnuMe wrote: post #429
gabereiser wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will hurt for life” is how I used to say it. Never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing you say to someone. You’re words matter more than you realize.

I mean words only hurt if you let them in so that’s why we think of things this way. It sucks to be in a relationship with someone who can’t forgive or forget. Mean vindictive people who will twist words and who are suppose to love you unconditionally.

Something to consider, as more and more people say things to you, you start to understand the different ways in which people are terrible, which isn't all that bad because nobody is perfect. But then you start to understand the ways in which all people are flawed, that's when you really lose faith in humanity. So words might not hurt, but they offer more and more reasons to disengage, not just from terrible people, but from otherwise "normal, friendly, would-never-commit-a-crime people"

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#433

Post by scotty79 »

MonkeyClub wrote: post #329
oneoff786 wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Suing to threaten the pensions of underpaid teachers. Makin’ a difference in the world.

Does raise an interesting question, though: Is it the teachers' or the parents' responsibility to teach manners to a child? Isn't this something that you'd pick up at home first, before ever stepping a foot into an institutionalized pedagogical setting? Perhaps instead of suing the entire school district, GP should rather sue the parents of the offending child? /s To remove the tongue from the cheek, though, and prov…

It's schools responsibility to ensure safety.

If you are forcing a person to interact daily with bad people the least you should do is ensure that those bad people won't hurt this person.

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#436

Post by dinkleberg »

The fact that I am a "scanner" personality type and that I should accept that about myself rather than try to change myself to fit more conventional lifestyles. A scanner is someone who finds interest in a wide variety of topics but often becomes bored with it once you understand it sufficiently.

Rather than taking the advice that I need to focus on one thing or else I'm going to fail at life, I've come to realize that I can keep progressing on my "main thing" (in my case, tech), and continue to dive into whatever topics tickle my fancy without guilt. Right now it is energy and power, maybe next it'll be astronomy, and then accounting after that.

In the end it means my mind will be able to make more connections and I'm more "well read", and more importantly it means my enjoyment of life goes way up.

It seems this personality type isn't super common, though I imagine many of you here are the same way. So if you, like me, always felt guilty about these "phases" of interests, don't! Embrace it and you'll live a happier and more interesting life.

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#437

Post by swagasaurus-rex »

crankin wrote: post #299

I have found that all the best advice I've received centers on how to focus your attention. As humans when we can give something our full attention it's almost impossible that what we are doing won't bear fruit. Here are some axioms around that idea that if you implement you will progress. - Time is not your most valuable resource. Your attention is. - Focus your attention only on things that have disproportionate re…

What is a type 1 or type 2 decision? How do I apply the scientific method to those?

Re: Ask HN: Advice that changed your life?

#439

Post by crankin »

swagasaurus-rex wrote: post #437
crankin wrote: post #299

I have found that all the best advice I've received centers on how to focus your attention. As humans when we can give something our full attention it's almost impossible that what we are doing won't bear fruit. Here are some axioms around that idea that if you implement you will progress. - Time is not your most valuable resource. Your attention is. - Focus your attention only on things that have disproportionate re…

What is a type 1 or type 2 decision? How do I apply the scientific method to those?

A Type 1 decision is a decision with high consequences if you get it wrong the results could be catastrophic. Alternatively a Type 2 decision has low consequences, if you get it wrong you can undo what you did and try again.

Let's say you're starting a new software project for your job. And it's up to you to decide what language/framework to build it. This would be a Type 1 decision, if after 6 months of development you realize you picked the wrong stack. It's going to be very difficult or impossible to go back on that decision. Alternatively within that project deciding where to place a button in the user interface is of low consequences. If you put it in the wrong place and realize conversions are down you can just undo it and put it in a better place.

For Type 1 decisions it's important to apply the scientific method. The purpose of which is to use facts to guide your decision and not your gut. Your hypothesis may be software framework X is best to build this project but you should do everything you can to disprove that with evidence. If you can't disprove it then you're probably making a good decision. If you find you have a lot of evidence it's a bad decision then you need to find another path.

You only need to apply scientific method to Type 1. For Type 2 / Low Consequence just make an educated guess or delegate to someone you trust to make the educated guess.

Post reply on HN