To ask, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

[Stripey3000]

I'll start. Mine was in the form of a post on the Postsecret website years ago, where people make postcards, sharing secrets anonymously. This one jumped out at me as it simply said 'You get what you settle for.' For me at the time, those were the exact words I needed to hear. I was heading towardsthe end of a failing marriage (aged 30) and thinking about whether to stay with him or not. In that moment I chose not to settle for what had become an unhappy situation for the rest of my life. 10 years on and I still remember that as a pivotal moment, seeing the sentiment I needed to help me make my decision. I have no regrets 😊
So what advice have you received that stuck with you?

@insertsomethingwitty

Ships are safest in the harbor, but that's not what they're built for.

I love this!

'A lion doesn't concern themselves with the opinions of a sheep'

'The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice'

Love this thread, some of these have made me tear up!

‘Don’t let the best be the enemy of the good’
‘You are not responsible for your mother’s happiness ‘

Whatever happened to that book “Don’t sweat the small stuff”?

It is needed more than ever now. Everyone I know is sweating buckets over the tiny stuff and when I say “but who actually cares” they look offended

DM always told me never to rely on a man for anything and always, always have your own money.
DDad didn't give me any pearls of wisdom as such but he told me all about scrap metal and it's got me out of some tight spots in the past.

@RuggerHug - love that!
Also,
Read and answer the question
and
What someone says tells you more about them, than it does about you (good or bad).

Two things, actually, and both from my father.

"Be careful about people who snarl, 'I HATE cats.' They all have control issues, and you can't control a cat." I've found that true over 90% of the time (allergies and phobias do not count).

And, in response to my mother, who told him "Don't rock the boat!" "Real boats rock. The only boats that do not rock have either run aground or sunk."

Gosh there are some wise words here.

Serious one I remember - you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Less serious, but useful, when we were in our first year or marriage we decided to have a Christmas party. I was in the freezer aisle of the supermarket looking at the vast array of sausage rolls and wondering which to buy. An older lady (probably the age I am now) sidled up to me and asked if they were for a party. When I said they were she advised me to get the smallest size because they can be eaten in one bite and don't make crumbs.

Sterling advice! One day I hope to pass it on if I see a young woman staring in to the freezers at Sainsburys with an undecided air

A wise person wees when they can, not when they have to (don’t pass up an opportunity to use a toilet).

“If you’ve never failed then you’ve not been trying hard enough”.

Never let a weed see a Sunday - in other words be faithful in the small things before the small things become big things

To the world you're just a somebody. To somebody you're their whole world. Pick your priority.

This is just another day for your, but to your child, this is their childhood.

@CheeseCheesePls

Love those quotes. So true.

My very wise, much missed Mum told me this when I was a stroppy teenager full of angst and worry "If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all - the silence says everything".

So very true and has stuck with me from that point onwards. It has saved me many times from things I would say and regret, and told others what I'm really thinking.

Thank you Mum.

Never put off until tomorrow anything you can do today. My grandpa said this was the best way to keep on top of all you had to do. Exhaustion often prevents it from happening though.
My grandpa also said 'never worry until the crows build a nest up your arse and then you can worry how they got the sticks there's.
My grandpa was awesome. Fought as a soldier in WW1, lost his son in WW2 and then went totally blind from glaucoma in his 50s. He remains the loveliest, kindest, most humorous person I've ever known and I miss him every day x

Oh my goodness, these have been the most gorgeous read. I really love the sausage rolls one and the 'wee when you can' mantra - a fine way to live.

Mine would be:
There are very few decisions that can't be unmade - this has seen me through a few big life decisions

With your children, listen to the little things so they know you'll listen to the big things - I remind myself of this daily

Lead by example - a simple saying but so, so true. I try to model behaviours to my children and my team at work

Listen to your gut - mine NEVER lets me down but my brain, well, that's another matter.

@insertsomethingwitty

Ships are safest in the harbor, but that's not what they're built for.

Profound! Life is for living.

My dad instilled in us to stand up straight. Hated it as a kid as I was tall for my age and wanted to fit in by slouching. Years later, it has served me well.

Also, charity begins at home.

“Ships are safest in the harbor, but that's not what they're built for.”

I’ve never heard this saying before but really like it. Makes me think of how some people have drastically limited their social life, travel etc because of covid. Whereas there’s something to be said for accepting that risk is an inevitable part of life and living.

Dont let your icecream melt counting someone else's sprinkles.

And this one is my advice:

Tiz a better person that can lose and grin
Than a person that can only win.

Also, this so made me laugh from Harriet:

My grandpa also said 'never worry until the crows build a nest up your arse and then you can worry how they got the sticks there's.

Advice for a. Happy marriage- leave one thing unsaid every day

Hope and fear are two sides of the same coin.

Life is a tornado and I just a cow being spun around for cinematic effect.

Enough is as good as a feast.

From my Grandma when she had eaten enough. Can be applied to all sorts of non-food situations, too.