19 brutally honest pieces of advice that 'everyone should know'
"When someone shows you who they are believe them."

A woman coming to grips with a harsh truth about life.
Life is filled with lessons; unfortunately, there are some we must learn the hard way, whether it’s how the real world works when you start your career or the first time someone breaks your heart. These lessons are essential to learn so that you don’t have to go through the same pain again, but don’t you wish you learned them the easy way — by hearing the harsh truth from others — rather than going through the pain yourself?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could download all of these harsh truths into your brain to learn them the easy way? Some folks online got together and did just that. And, for those who pay attention, it can save them a lot of grief in the future. Many touched upon the thornier issues in life, love, family, friendships, the transitory nature of relationships, and how you can do everything right and still lose.
We chose the top 19 “brutally honest” pieces of advice that were the most important so you don’t have to learn them the tough way.
1. Take care of yourself
"If you have poor hygiene, you will be treated poorly."
"People can and will judge by appearances, so don’t make it any easier for them to do so."
2. Don't ever expect the world to be fair.
"But work to make the parts of the world you influence as fair as possible."
"The concept of fairness is a human invention, which implies that fairness only exists in reality when humans put it there. That's the only way it exists. Do your part."
3. Your job doesn't care about you
"Your company doesn’t give a sh*t about you. If you die, your job will be posted within the week to replace you. You might get a bouquet of flowers on the break room table, but once those die, so will your presence at the job."
"A coworker of mine passed away from cancer a few years back. I think about her sometimes, though we never worked closely, but they sent out an email, and that was that."
4. No one has to forgive you
"The reverse is also true, you don't have to forgive someone just because they apologized to you."
Even though we are conditioned to say "it's okay" when someone apologizes to us, we don't have to condone their actions. Karina Schumann, a psychology professor who studies conflict resolution, apologies, and forgiveness at the University of Pittsburgh, says we only owe them a genuine response. “It’s important to be genuine without being hostile,” says Schumann. “Research shows that using a ‘constructive voice’ — where you voice your concerns in a positive, calm way — is the most effective way to invite behavioral changes and better relationships. Sweeping things under the rug and pretending to forgive when you’re not ready is not going to fix the problem.”
5. 'Brutal opinions aren't always true
"People who describe themselves as brutally honest are usually more interested in the brutality than the honesty."
6. Not all friends are forever
"Friends come and go and some were never really friends."
"And some that ran their course years later start again and it’s like a totally new relationship since you’re in a completely different phase of your life!"
"Can I add that just because you may have had good times with people, that does not make them good friends."
7. Some people shouldn't have kids
8. No one else’s life revolves around you
9. When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time
This quote is believed to have been first written by writer Maya Angelou, and Orpah Winfrey would later expand on it to share how it applies to our daily lives. "Remember this because it will happen many times in your life," Winfrey said. "When people show you who they are the first time believe them. Not the 29th. time. When a man doesn't call you back the first time, when you are mistreated the first time, when someone shows you a lack of integrity or dishonesty the first time, know that this will be followed many, many other times, and that will some point in life come back to haunt or hurt you. Live your life in truth. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. You will survive anything if you live your life from the point of view of truth.”
10. Sometimes you lose
"Another from sports: The best team doesn't always win; the team that plays the best does."
11. Some bridges are worth burning
"Don't hang on to toxic people, INCLUDING FAMILY. Don't fall for the 'But they are your family...'"
12. If it’s not yes, it’s a no
"Particularly helpful dating advice."
"If they like you, you’ll know it. If they don’t, you’ll feel confused."
"Also add, stop saying no when you mean yes. People can’t read minds."
13. Learn to deal with yourself
14. Use protection
"Wear a condom. Especially if she tells you you don’t have to and you don’t know her very well."
15. Simple isn't always right
"We live in a complex world, and you should be wary of simplistic explanations."
16. Don't be afraid to fail
17. Maybe you just don't want it
"You make time for the things you care about and excuses for the things you don't."
18. Be wary of critics
"Only accept criticism from someone you’d take advice from."
"And only take advice from someone successful in the topic at hand."
19. Be pleasant
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- 15 hard truths that people swear made their lives so much better - Upworthy ›









A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.