10 Reckless decisions that can destroy your life

In some ways, a lot of us have learned to look at life through an hourglass. We see the achievements and failures we've endured, as time slowly but very steadily drains away. Somehow, the panic of wanting to cross off as many things on our list, creeps in as we get older. But how wouldn't it? When I look at young people today, a lot of them are in awe of the fast life of celebrities like the Kardashians. And for a lot of them, this is their greatest source of motivation and inspiration. The get-rich-quick vibe given off is a scam, and has every young person believing they should be the next Kylie Jenner, forgetting that she was a billionaire before she had her child at 20 years old. However, without proper priorities, you'll end up regretting many of your decisions, if you live a life emulating such celebrities. And this is something a lot of people need to learn, and that's why our topic today will help keep you grounded. We'll feature some of the things you should never rush in life no matter what, and give you timely advice that will help you no matter what stage you are in life. So, without any further ado… Number 1. Starting a business The biggest promise motivational speakers or advisors give is that you'll make it big once you start a business. Such a mindset gets you thinking, why not use all my savings to do just that? And you may also be thinking, after all, I'll have saved myself from my boring 9-5 job, and that nasty attitude my boss has towards me. However, I'd stop you right before you jump all in. Have you stopped for a minute to think about what it takes to build a business? I promise you it's not as rosy as you'd think it to be, and it will require your sweat and a bucket full of tears. Therefore, this isn't one of those matters you let your buddies or the society rush you into, because you'll be the one working long shifts to build yourself a successful business. You'll have to miss out on hanging with friends or traveling the world, while you dedicate your time to building something worthwhile. Not to mention the emotional turmoil that comes with hitting dead ends, and still needing the strength to move forward. You have to be mission ready for such a challenge, and it shouldn't be because everyone is on your neck. Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your life regretting and hating every minute of running your business. And so, you deeply need to ask yourself, do I really want that for the rest of my life? Number 2. Picking your career. When I was a child, I remember me and my friends all wanted to be doctors, when playing doctor. I didn't realize then that our need to be so similar was far-fetched, and we needed to become our own persons and live unique lives. Our group of friends was the lucky ones, since they learned this concept earlier. My circle has a doctor, two nurses, a writer, an author, an engineer, an artist, and a football coach. We usually laugh at how we all wanted one career path. We wishfully thought that it would help us bond even greater. Unfortunately, our careers never brought us together, and neither have they helped maintain the friendship. In my opinion, our bond can be attributed to our intentionality in our relationships. You see, your career is as personal as your toothbrush. You choose whatever path makes you the happiest, even if others aren't sure about your choice. Don't let your parents, partner, friend, or any other person, bully you into feeling less about the path you wish to take. Choose patiently, and you'll realize 5 years from now that you made the best decision of your life. Number 3. Accepting a promotion. When your superior offers you a promotion, most people believe that it's a no-brainer that you should accept it. On the contrary, accepting a promotion is a decision that should not be done in haste. Also, ethically, you're allowed to ask for some time to think about it. Whilst you think about it, you should consider some factors about yourself that align with the new role you're about to take up. Does it serve any purpose in your life at that moment? Is it aligned to your goals? Or even better, is it leading you to your goals? Is the pay equal to the sacrifice that you're about to take? If you're comfortable answering some of these questions, then you'll be able to know which decision to take. Additionally, not accepting the promotion on the spot allows you to leverage this opportunity to your benefit. It's a win-win situation regardless. Number 4. Big financial commitments. There's a quote I heard my teacher use one day. A goat that follows the herd ends up in the slaughter. I believe she was trying to caution us from being blind followers. It's an important trait every person must learn to practice in their lives. Especially when it comes to financial commitment, which is a crucial affair in your life. You don't want to go about mishandling your finances all in the name of it was a popular investment. You'll end up falling for pyramid schemes faster than you fall in love. Big financial commitments like investments, taking up loans to finance a wedding, or guaranteeing someone else's loans need to be thought through thoroughly. Don't let yourself be led by emotions or by a stir of the moment situation. If a close friend is in dire need of your help, you better not dig yourself and jump into a lifetime of debt repayments all in the name of friendship. Number 5. Choosing friends. As human beings, our behavior and characters are usually shaped by a total of five or so people we constantly hang around with. That's why you must choose your friends wisely or else you'll end up being as spoiled as the people you hang out with. Also, know how to categorize people in your life so that you don't end up hoping for a neighbor to play the role of a best friend. Situations and places bring people together, and sometimes we forget that no one owes us any loyalty, so we don't end up being heartbroken because our so-called friends didn't step up when we needed them most. So take your time to learn the people around you and slowly build a connection and relationship with them, and only then will you realize the true benefit of true friendship. Number 6. Getting married. Statistically, the institution of marriage has been on a downward spiral since the dawn of the hippies, the millennials and the so-called Z generation. People prefer to live their lives hooking up or in solitude, rather than enjoy the perks of being with a spouse. Which got me thinking, what changed? I remember my parents enjoying their marriage so much, and I too aspire to have something like that. And then this brought me to the conclusion that somewhere along the line, people made marriage a box they'd tick off from their to-do list once they're done with it. Similar to a been-there-done-that type of situation that made it a routine if not very boring. Most of these people rush to marriage to please a parent or even a partner. If you want to save yourself the pains and strains of divorce, you need to take your time and not rush into marriage. Choose a spouse bearing in mind that this person is the one you'll spend the rest of your life with, and you will likely live happily, with a few quarrels here and there, or the rest of your life unhappy and unfulfilled. The choice is yours. Number 7. Having kids. Children are an adorable blessing, but it costs about $20 to purchase a pack of diapers at Walmart. This pack probably lasts about 3-5 days, and it's the cheap kind, not the one every parent dreams their kids would use. Then there's flu medicine, wipes, formula for babies, and so much more. And then it hits you. These costs are outrageous, especially when totaled per month. In addition to that, kids don't have a return policy from where you get them from, so when you bring them into this big beautiful world of ours, you're bound to them for the rest of their lives, or at least till their legal age and can fend for themselves. Being a parent is a blessing, but it is hard work, and you need to be physically, financially, and psychologically ready before you decide whether to get a child or not, since you're dealing with another human being. For me, this is the fundamental point to never rush into whatsoever. Number 8. Publicizing relationships. Publicly announcing that you're in a relationship with someone can be detrimental, even for people who aren't celebrities. Because once you put your relationship up on social media, and I see this with a lot of couples, you've opened a window for strangers to poke and comment however they like about a personal matter. And even though most people will claim that negative comments about their relationship don't hurt them, those comments influence your decisions and change your perception of your partner. No matter how well a couple get along, a third party's opinion can negatively affect the relationship and even break it up. Take the advice your mom told you, don't air your dirty linens outside. It's prudent to keep your relationship off social media. Then maybe you'll make it work with just the two of you. Number 9. Pre-marital intimate relations or fornication. The three easiest things a man can get from a woman these days are her phone number, then her address, and then he can get her into bed. It's so bad that some people had to come up with outrageous rules to help curb this pandemic, like the 90-day rule featured in the movie Think Like a Man. You need more than 90 days in a real sense to know whether to get into an intimate relationship with anyone. Since there is so many STDs out there, you need to spend extra time picking and choosing before you let anyone in. Number 10. Making promises. The easiest way to break a heart and make someone lose trust in you is to make a promise then break it. That's why you must think through the words you're about to speak before they come out of your mouth. Refrain from making any promises when you're happy, as you may regret them when the happy hormones cool down. With that said, I hope you take your time with life, because no matter how fast time flies, we can never outrun a bad decision we made in haste. Till next time, have a great day and a prosperous new year.