Article created by: Vėja Elkimavičiūtė
As valuable as it is to learn, this is often the result of first making a mistake. These tend to not be any fun, so a wise person does their best to learn from someone else's mistakes. Or even better, they just ask an expert what to do and not do in advance.
One netizen decided to ask the internet for insider information on what to avoid and professionals from around the world gave their best bits of advice. So get comfortable, make sure your posture is correct and that your eyes aren’t strained, and scroll through. Upvote the best piece of advice and also comment your thoughts and auditions below.
I am a professional caregiver in an assisted living facility. I will definitely drive off a cliff before being locked in a memory care unit for dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Verbal confirmations. Always get it in writing via an email ,a text, carrier pigeon ,a letter I don't care get it in writing,!
Don’t volunteer info to anyone that you haven’t solicited to assist you.
Not the cops.
Not your employer.
Not your vacation plans on FB.
Information will be used against you, limit your exposure.
Historian here. Not labeling anything.
Meta data is your friend. Always better to add too much information rather than have too little. Label the backs of your photographs. Write clearly. For the love of all that is holy WRITE CLEARLY!
Go on a date without notifying a friend or family member where I am and who I’m with. I work in law enforcement
I work in accessibility.
Do not hesitate or wait to put grab bars, a tub cut out etc in your house when you grow old or if you have mobility issues.
Put grab bars in your bathroom before you fall in the shower, not because you already had a fall in the shower.
Bad friends. ER doc. The amount of people that hang out with the wrong people and end up paying the price is astounding. I teach my kids - whatever your friends do to other people, they will eventually do to you.
Don’t get back surgery unless it’s absolutely last resort. You need to fix the root cause of the injury - usually it’s core strength weakness or Glut weakness. Go to PT first and really do the exercises. Most people who get spine surgeries have multiple ones over their lives because the level just above or below their surgery becomes injured for the same reason your first one occurred.
Chiropractors- as a medical practitioner I have heard of (although never personally seen) horrific, permanent damage come about from their 'manipulations'
Large cruise ships. The number of suits against cruise lines filed in Miami by cruise ship passengers who got infectious diseases or food poisoning at sea is really staggering, only the absolute worst cases make the news but it happens ALL THE TIME, I've heard cruise ships described as "floating petri dishes" and that's putting it mildly.
Going outside without sunscreen on my face if nowhere else. I’m a Pathology resident and the amount of ears, noses, lips and other chunks of face I see that surgeons have chopped off due to skin cancers caused by sun damage is sobering. Please in the name of all that’s good an holy find a daily sunscreen that works for you and wear it.
Opening any links or attachment of an email without verifying the sender mail address
As a software engineer, internet-connected 'smart' home stuff. I don't need some internet random gaining access to my security cameras.
Not getting agreements in writing when it comes to loaning substantial amounts of money. Family, friends, doesn't matter. A loan without an agreement is a gift.
After working as a paralegal at an insurance defense firm, DO NOT TAKE ANY HELICOPTER TOURS. At least in Hawaii, a lot of the helicopters aren't well maintained and there are a surprising amount of crashes they manage to keep quiet. One of the evidence exhibits I helped put together for one case was a picture the family had taken in front of the helicopter before they boarded it and were all killed when it crashed. That was almost 20 years ago and that one sticks with me.
Wearing contacts in the shower/pool/any body of water. Worked as an ophthalmic photographer in Pittsburgh for seven years. College students were coming in with ulcers and amoeba in their corneas from swimming in their contacts and then sleeping in them for days.
Not all confidential/anonymous surveys are as confidential/anonymous as you think
Always always always argue a claim denied by health insurance. They will arbitrarily reject claims with no justification.
EDIT: ALSO, insurance companies will always send you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), which is not a bill, but has the amount that should appear on the bill. If there is any question in your mind about a bill, always compare the bill from the provider with the EOB.
Texting/emailing anything negative to anyone I work with about anything.
I work in HR.
Health and fitness field- don’t argue with people who speak in “absolute” terms. Example: “___ is bad for you.” You’ll never win and it isn’t worth the time nor energy
Meth-I’m a clinical social worker
The first production run of any product. I build and maintain automation. It's never perfect on the first try. Employees need time to learn how to assemble the product properly and trades need time to work out the kinks.
That certain plastics that we use regularly really shouldn’t be exposed to high heat and a lot of the disposable products we use aren’t as safe as we truly think. A lot of plastics break down when hot and a lot of our coffee cups and things are lined with plastic that also isn’t superb at high temps. Also, a lot of our “recyclable” goods can only be recycled in a handful of facilities in the U.S. which means most of this still ends up in the trash
If you're a creative--actor, musician, painter, etc--avoid self-proclaimed coaches that charge you an arm and a leg telling you they'll get you into the industry quick.
I'm coming from the world of voice over. There are a thousand and one "I'll teach you everything you need to know!" type of coaches who charge hundreds of dollars for a single hour or two. They'll promise to train you, do your demo, etc. Truth is, their business isn't voice over, it's education. *You* are their job. And you will overspend and burn out for very little return.
If you want a coach or class, look for people who are known by everyone in your industry and who have verifiable results from their own work. And for goodness sake, **don't wait for formal coaching to start doing what you want to do!** A book or YouTube video is enough to get you started in almost every case; the best thing you can do is work on it every day.
