Best advice you ever received?

[jeff kushner]

This seems like a good place to ask this question as opposed to some of the younger forums I belong to. Our life experience here, from what I perceive to be a generally "mature" smarter crowd, is better suited. The very best advice I ever received was "just because you can, doesn't mean that you have to". Unfortunately, I did receive said advice in a timely fashion. I was told it in my 50's....but it has made my early 60's much more docile.....LOL

So, recently I heard someone say that the best advice they ever got, was heard at a firehouse. "put the wet on the red". We all know what he meant but this was exemplified at the Ortho Dr on Tues. He had a chart with all the different hand conditions.....maybe 15 or so, all QR codes. No pics, just codes. Yeah, the doc can't point and show you anymore......It reminded me of that saying, and how true it is.

What is the best advice you ever received, bequeathed to someone else or got when you needed it the most?

(I actually have a 24 y/o late bloomer and I'm desperate)

 

[Maro2Bear]

Measure Twice, Cut Once. 👍

 

[Maro2Bear]

I used to work on a standard bred horse farm in NE Pennsylvania during the Summer. A good old boy & I pretty much handled all of the (non horse related) chores that needed to be done. Mowing fields, mixing feed, replacing fence posts & boards, etc.

One Summer our main task was to get all of the fence boards & poles fully painted. We’re talking many miles of fencing. My co-worker was slow & methodical, slowly opening the 5 gal buckets of paint, slowly mixing, slow brush prep. Then he would take a slow & steady pace on each board. Take a good long break at lunchtime, & a slow clean up process at the end of the day.

On the other hand, I did everything quickly, trying to get as much done daily as I could. On some days I might finish up three cans of paint compared to his single bucket.

At the end of our first week, as we took our lunch break under a shady old Black Walnut tree, my co-worker looked over and said, “Boy, you better slow down, you’re going to work yourself out of a job. We have all Summer to get this fence done.” 😀

The takeaway - Don’t Work Yourself Out of a Job!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

"If you CAN do it, you'll be the one doing it"
It was from an old friend at the job I retired from as a warning about taking initiative and how it would be rewarded.
He was right. And I ended up with the workload of 3 employees.
It made me old before my time.
And no one noticed or cared.
(Except me)

 

[TaraMaiden]

Measure Twice, Cut Once. 👍

I would definitely have quoted the above, but I have two (more) I live by:

The first is applicable to virtually any and every situation I can think of...

"If it feels good, do it.
When in doubt - don't."

and the second is particularly good for growing and developing teenage/adolescent children -

"In matters of taste, swim with the current.
In matters of principle, stand like a rock."

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Mine was as the country song goes . . . "Buy Dirt"
Bought my first house by myself @ 25.
While all my friends were going out shopping, to the movies, out to dinner, to Reno, I was at home, working, and saving.
Lived there for 6 years. New water lines (Kick out the Galvie) rewired the home, complete with City Permit & inspection, Put in a inside Laundry room and . . the only house in the neighborhood with a brand new forced air furnace. After moving out, bought a second home, let my Momma move in to my remodeled home and have NOT looked back since . .
Buy dirt!

 

[OliveW]

Say it, forget it. Write it, regret it.

 

[jeff kushner]

Fantastic.....I'd never heard "buy dirt" MG so that;'s pretty cool.

I wish the advice all worked, especially Marks "measure twice, cut once"......I can measure 50 times and if its wood, chances are, it will be wrong. I have installed 5 miles of pipe without a leak.....but wood is my nemesis!

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Fantastic.....I'd never heard "buy dirt" MG so that;'s pretty cool.

I wish the advice all worked, especially Marks "measure twice, cut once"......I can measure 50 times and if its wood, chances are, it will be wrong. I have installed 5 miles of pipe without a leak.....but wood is my nemesis!

Huh, So Jeff, I believe your in the Plumbing trade?
Well measuring twice and cutting once can be good, or can be a tough road to hoe.
I was a Maint. Tech. at a sewage treatment plant for 21 yrs. as mentioned above, I have personally owned and worked on several houses. My current home has also been rewired, New Double pane windows (Sliders) Insulated the walls & ceiling, and Shear walled most the house (Earthquake Country here).
20 Yrs ago I replaced the majority of my lateral from under the foundation to the edge of the street. I had about a 10' section beneath the house that I did not do.
My sewer main in the street was used as a "force Mai:" for years until more development moved in. When the pumps would come on it would force H2S through the main & Laterals. This ended up eating the tops of the Cast iron pipe, because the lower part of the pipe had water & slime to protect it. That last section to replace had a 2 inch piece missing & linear cracks in it. I only have about 18" of clearance beneath the house, 2 weeks ago I replaced that pipe, but . . Cutting out the old Bell & hub was a bit of a challenge, and I needed to re-slope the section, so when I went to cut and replace the new pipe, I measured 3 times, and had to cut several times. I measured long, by 3/16" and could NOT get the No Hub couplings to Seat correctly, so I pulled one coupling, and Trimmed some off one end, tried to reassemble again, still too long. I did that 3 times till I got it just the right length. Overall the job was about 8 hrs, 2 hrs prep (Friday), & 6 hrs (Saturday), cutting out old and installing new . . .under the house. I figure, . . at least I didn't waste a stick of 4" cast.....

 

[OliveW]

Fantastic.....I'd never heard "buy dirt" MG so that;'s pretty cool.

I wish the advice all worked, especially Marks "measure twice, cut once"......I can measure 50 times and if its wood, chances are, it will be wrong. I have installed 5 miles of pipe without a leak.....but wood is my nemesis!

Before the song "Buy Dirt," people did tell me to "Buy land, they're not making any more of that."

I bought a little single wide trailer, that was in a trailer park, when I was 19. When I was 23, I bought a home on 2 acres, also up in WV. Not bad considering I was a single mother of 2 at that time, and had my third when I was 24, just 10 months after getting remarried.

But, I digress ... 😂 I have the gift of gab.

Now I own 8 acres, and almost got four more adjoining it. I should have put in a better offer, but I love the people who did buy it so it's all good. I also own 20 acres way out in the middle of nowhere, just because I can. That property is all wooded, with no utilities there, but it's close to a river, so hopefully something great to leave my children and grandchildren one day. All my current land is in rural north Florida.

EDIT - I completely forgot to address what I was going to when I quoted you @jeff kushner - I busted up three fingers trying to drive two finishing nails, and was unsuccessful at getting the second one in. I'm no carpenter! I can wire and install light fixtures all day long, but can run a saw or hammer.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Before the song "Buy Dirt," people did tell me to "Buy land, they're not making any more of that."

I bought a little single wide trailer, that was in a trailer park, when I was 19. When I was 23, I bought a home on 2 acres, also up in WV. Not bad considering I was a single mother of 2 at that time, and had my third when I was 24, just 10 months after getting remarried.

But, I digress ... 😂 I have the gift of gab.

Now I own 8 acres, and almost got four more adjoining it. I should have put in a better offer, but I love the people who did buy it so it's all good. I also own 20 acres way out in the middle of nowhere, just because I can. That property is all wooded, with no utilities there, but it's close to a river, so hopefully something great to leave my children and grandchildren one day. All my current land is in rural north Florida.

Yes, for many it is a "sacrifice". But it sounds like all that sacrifice paid off for you and your family. I was blessed to have two parents that instilled good values in me and my siblings. And a Home of your own (Dirt) is part of that. I'm saddened for all the folks that are priced out of many markets . .

 

[Maro2Bear]

Im surprised… no “best advice” regarding borrowing or lending money (especially from friends/relatives).

From Hamlet

Neither a borrower nor a lender be

Polonius:
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
Old Polonius counsels his hotheaded son Laertes, who is about to embark for Paris for his gentleman's education. While he still has the chance, Polonius wholesales a stockroom of aphorisms, the most famous of which is "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Im surprised… no “best advice” regarding borrowing or lending money (especially from friends/relatives).

From Hamlet

Neither a borrower nor a lender be

Polonius:
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
Old Polonius counsels his hotheaded son Laertes, who is about to embark for Paris for his gentleman's education. While he still has the chance, Polonius wholesales a stockroom of aphorisms, the most famous of which is "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

Hum, had to look up "aphorisms" that one is not in my day to day vocabulary . .

 

[OliveW]

Yes, for many it is a "sacrifice". But it sounds like all that sacrifice paid off for you and your family. I was blessed to have two parents that instilled good values in me and my siblings. And a Home of your own (Dirt) is part of that. I'm saddened for all the folks that are priced out of many markets . .

I totally agree! There is NOTHING like having your own home. It's freedom! I was even so proud of my little $3,500 single wide that was in a trailer park because it was mine! I had it looking beautiful and wish I still had that little trailer today to put on my land here as my "she shed."

I have a disabled son that was injured in a car accident 9 years ago. Even on disability, he saved up and bought an old double wide mobile home, and I gave him an acre to put it on. Our family business is moving mobile homes, so moving and set up was free to him, the land was free, and his home is paid off.

We are in the process of helping him do a major rehab on it at the moment. You can't even recognize it from the original beat up place he bought. People can live within their means, and be willing to put work into something and still have that American Dream!

 

[jeff kushner]

A lot of "pride of ownership" here, great to see !!

I had forgotten that MG lived at the STink for a couple decades...and good for you for cutting the worm to allow your coupling to work....I'd have looked at a fernco for that but we use what we have on hand when we need it and you know that you saved $2K by doing it yourself! Without snap or ratchet cutters, how did you cut it? Did you go old-school and use a brick chisel and go around and around till it snaps??

I bought this house 16 years ago, Damn sink used to clog every 4-5 years (I'd snake & clear) till I was forced to removed the 1/4bend at the bottom of the stack, in the ceiling on the basement.......a 15" long plastic-handled bread knife, likely dropped down the stack by the roofer!

Kudos for setting your boy up O. They fight battles most of us don't even know exist....that touched my heart...cool.