What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

[pouracupofambition]

I'll start. If you don't know the answer say you'll come back to them. Don't be forced into a commitment. Applies to business and personal life.

What about you?

Not my parents or older generation relatives, but my oldest childhood friend somehow impressed on me the importance of m own cast iron, reliable income. She was from a single parent family. Just be spending time with her and her mum.

Served me very well when separating from my kids' dad. If be screwed without a job.

Secondly and of more universal applicable..... asking, "what's the worst that can happen,?". I grew up such a cautious, rule bound child that this simple epithet was pretty transformative. Feel the fear and do it anyway, folks

Oh god sorry about the typos. Awful, I blame this shitty phone, here is another kep piece of advice... run spellchecker and don't just post any old shite....

People treat you how you let them.

"Make many friends, trust few, always paddle your own canoe" (older work colleague in the '80s)

A place for everything and everything in its place.

You get out what you put in.

If you think you're overreacting, you probably need to eat something or have a nap.

Live within your means.

it’s wise to pee when you can, not when you have to = go where there is a toilet, rather than having to look for one later.

Only two things are made in a hurry: mistakes and babies.

Dont take any notice of the opinions of those you would not ask for advice.

Never tell anyone any of your business, given to me by my Nan years ago, I've only in the last few years known how important that is.

1. Never say more than you have to.

2. Everyone is insecure.

Feel your feelings.

It’s not a dress rehearsal.

Take it at your own pace.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

You are allowed to end any relationship, any time, for any reason.

When in doubt, do nowt.

When change happens look and sound enthusiastic. It will happen, better to be at the forefront than naysaying at the back.

Better to have people inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.

Yes Dave, but there is a u in cunt

Don't bite the hand that fingers you 🤣

The two best pieces of advice I've been given came from my mum:

'If in doubt, do nowt' (meaning that if you don't know what to do in a situation, don't react or kneejerk, just wait)

And when it came to relationships, 'what you see is what you get'.

My mum always reminded us that lots of people overlook red flags or character flaws because they think they'll knock it out of the person but actually 'what you see is what you get'.

Those two bits of advice have stopped me from making some catastrophic decisions!

What a great woman your Mum is, fantastic advice.

I needed to hear this today! Thank you for sharing that. I'm a relentless ruminator and I have a million regrets. But from now on, "First day."

Always do something when you see it needs to be done

and

shouting never achieves more than conversation

From Mumsnet: "No is a full statement"

This advice is much derided on MN because its impolite 🙄But I take it as figurative to mean: Know your boundaries, assert your boundaries, don't apologise, don't explain, don't worry about pissing people off, don't feel obligated.

Excellent advice.

If you hate everyone - have a nap
If everyone hates you - have something to eat.

Always have a fuck off fund (I'm happily married but there have been times when I've been very happy to know that I could fuck off if I wanted to).

This too will pass.

‘Tell the true, but not the unpleasant.
Tell the pleasant, but not the untrue’.

My GGM advice on fortune telling, but applies to many other conversations.

Alexander the Great was supposed to have said ‘ Live as if today is the last day of your life, and as ifyou will never die’ .That’s whiled away many a train journey for me.

As soon as you start a job sort out a pension and keep paying into it every month. You'll be glad when you are old.

To speak to yourself as if you were one of your children, give yourself the same level of love, understanding and grace 💖

For me it would have been don’t change your baby boy on your bed unless you want to change the whole lot !

When I am feeling low or having an awful period of life I remember my DM telling me "time will pass" and I always think this isn't forever.
My Gran always used to say "an ounce of help is worth a pound of sympathy" when someone is struggling, find a way to Do something as well as sympathy.