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35 “It Can’t Be That Easy” Things That Turned Out To Actually Be Easy When People Tried Them
Interview With Author
Sometimes, we get in our own way far too much. We overthink. We overcomplicate things. We procrastinate. We think of a dozen little reasons why we can’t succeed. But finally taking action (and adding a dash of patience and persistence!) can make us realize that a task was far simpler than we ever thought it could be. Relatable? You have no idea!
Redditor u/UnoAboveAll recently went viral after starting up an interesting thread on r/AskReddit about some of the most memorable ‘it can’t be that easy/it was that easy’ moments people ever had. We’ve collected some of their best stories to motivate and energize you to get started on all of those tasks you’ve been avoiding. Meanwhile, check out Bored Panda’s interview with u/UnoAboveAll on dealing with overthinking and learning to embrace potential failure!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Changing my bathroom faucet. I'm a 56-year-old woman that's never done any plumbing before. Turns out YouTube is a wealth of knowledge. It really wasn't that hard! I get joy every time I wash my hands knowing I did that.
Just like many of us, redditor u/UnoAboveAll, the author of the thread, is an overthinker. They told Bored Panda that most of the time, they don’t have a solution on how to deal with overthinking as a whole. However, what does help is actively taking breaks.
“I try to help myself by breathing and occupying my mind with other things. Filling my mind with anxiety and focusing too much on the harder things of life will only take away my sleep. Having time to organize my thoughts, one at a time, and deciding what to do later would be my best option,” they said.
“I know it’s hard. I have been there. Most of us have been there. But we all have our own way of relaxing. Choose your best hobby. Take your time, drink coffee, tea, or your favorite drink. And don’t forget that break time is important. Even if life it’s difficult, don’t forget to stay healthy, both physically and mentally,” they advised all the overthinkers out there to be kind to themselves and slow down.
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#2
The day I left my abusive ex husband. I was so scared to leave but scared to stay. But once I broke free other felt so easy looking back in hindsight.
Caro Caro 1 year ago
Congratulations!! That took a lot of guts and I hope you are happy now. My friend was in an abusive relationship (and she had a baby) and I just told her to grab her baby, jump in the car and leave. She could come to my house and stay here or whatever. She was scared... One day she did just that. Picked her child up from MIL and put him in the car and just drove to a big city - to the cops. My advice was to save the nasty text messages and she did. Showed them to the cops, called him and put him on speaker and oh boy, the foul and aggressive things he said got her all the help she needed. She and her son (my godson) are now healthy, safe and happy. Hooray :)
#3
Got a salary request when applying for a job, accidentally wrote double what I meant to write since the number keys were right next to each other. They accepted anyway.
As we’ve previously covered on Bored Panda, people generally tend to spend a lot of time thinking and ruminating on the negative aspects of life. In short, we’re all pretty anxious about making mistakes in the future. Somewhat ironically, the more we think about the errors we might have made in the past, the more likely we can be to repeat them.
And while you’re busy overthinking every single detail, opportunities are passing you by. For some individuals, the fear of making a decision and eliminating all other possible choices is what’s scary. However, not making a decision is actually a choice in itself. A passive one. The antidote to overthinking is taking action and committing to a decision. It won’t come easy at first, but we can train ourselves to be more proactive and to trust our first impressions in any given situation. The longer we wait, the more lost we might feel.
#4
Going back to school.
I've been toying with the idea for years telling myself it was too far, too expensive, too time consuming etc and that because I had a home, job and child to maintain I couldn't do it.
Something in me finally cracked recently and I thought f**k it and made a call to a tech school nearby. 3 days later I'm on a tour. The tour is maybe an hour or 2 total. Papers were all done online annnnd I start Monday! They also threw a TON of financial aid at me. I'm only gonna pay about 50$ a month until I've graduated and those payments go up to about 95$. Still very manageable.
My classes are only four hours long, they're at night, and I only have to be in class 2 days a week. The rest of my studies are done at home with a tablet they provide me so I don't even have to buy a computer or anything.
Couldn't believe how easy and affordable it actually was. They estimate I finish my program in about 8-10 months.
#5
Found a 60” tv by the dumpster. Plugged it in, didn’t turn on. Looked up common problems with the model number, bought a part on eBay for $20, replaced part, had a huge TV.
#6
when i started my add medication - i never knew how life could be and how easy it was to just get up and do stuff
changed my life for the better and i’ve managed to turn so many things around, cant believe it took me 18 years to get diagnosed
Dan Padgett 1 year ago
Man, you get so used to your normal. So when you get on meds, you're like "hang on, crippling anxiety isn't the norm?".
Now, failure isn’t something that many people actively enjoy. We’re all social animals, so our reputation and whether we’re respected both carry a lot of weight. However, focusing on your reputation alone and being scared of making mistakes can make you miss out on lots of opportunities in life, including solving apparent problems and trying potentially fun new things. Hardly any success in life is simply handed to us. We have to make mistakes, readjust our approach, and try again. It’s the way that learning works. None of us were born ‘perfect.
In redditor u/UnoAboveAll’s opinion, trying new things may be hard for many. “Most people make monsters out of small things, and it’s understandable. I have been overseas for 5 years right now, studying college in a different country. It was a hard adaptation, it was hard trying to figure out what to do,” they opened up to Bored Panda that they’ve dealt with failure many times, not just once or twice. They’ve had thoughts about giving up cross their minds plenty of times. However, they persevered.
“Failure is part of our lives. Many of us fail once or twice, but that’s what makes us human. It’s in failure that we are thoughts lessons. I don’t think that failure makes us wrong or worse than others. I do think that failure can lead us to better thinking: I can be better than my past self. And it’s what drives me further,” they pointed out that it’s this constant evolution that helps humanity progress as a whole.
#7
One of the kids I babysit was going through a phase of “I want to be a baby again”. Jealous of her sister. Weeks of gentle parenting and such.
You know what worked? I was eating ice cream and she wanted some. I said babies don’t get ice cream.
That was it. She was done.
October 1 year ago (edited)
My niece works with developmentally challenged teens. One of them had been refusing to poop for years. They had to negociate for hours and promise him he could use the iPad after he was done. My niece decided to only give him the iPad while he was pooping. Problem solved.
#8
I was at a locally well known, upscale restaurant one time. I had ordered sweet potato fries, and it came with the most amazing dipping sauce I had ever had. Tangy, spicy, the whole package. So I figured I didn’t have anything to lose, and asked the waitress if I could have the recipe. She said she’d ask the chef, but of course I figured they’d say no.
A short time later, she came out and handed me a photocopy of the recipe. And that was that. I’ve made the sauce a few times since, and it’s still just as amazing.
#9
Honestly, after being incredibly broke, I remember how easy everything suddenly seemed when I had money.
Car broken? Get it fixed. Sick? Go to the doctor. Need a babysitter? Hire one.
Money makes everything so much easier and less disruptive to life.
I knew I'd made it when I put my bills on auto-pay.
“Don’t fear failure. Ironically, when you fail, embrace it. And use it as a subject to drive you further. Of course, it can also mean you shouldn’t try to fix your own sink without a manual,” they quipped that embracing failure is a wonderful and mature approach, but that we should also fail in a smart way, not just doing random things.
The most mature thing you can do is embrace your feelings of embarrassment if you happen to make a mistake. These are very uncomfortable feelings, but you should do your best to not run away from them: you’ll become more resilient when dealing with embarrassment in the future.
Some things that can help you deal with them include laughter and considering the consequences of your past failures: oftentimes, things were never as bad as we’d previously imagined they would be. We survived. Now it’s up to us to turn all of our past failures into learning experiences.
#10
Every couple of months, after staring at a pile of important-looking mail with dread, I grit my teeth, suppress further procrastination, and start working through the pile.
Ten minutes later, I’m done, and pissed at myself for worrying about it for so long instead of just doing it.
*Every* damn time.
#11
When I was a kid in the 80’s, my family was broke. We were two pay checks away from living in our car. We did have to live in our car for a few months before my mom landed her job. Anyway, imagine a single mother of three,who works 3 jobs just to make ends meat.
I was just attending jr high school. 8th grade. And I was playing in the back of our house. I noticed something in the dumpster that I haven’t seen before. I fished it out and brought it home. It was a computer. A monitor, keyboard, and tower thing. At that time monitors sat on top of the box. And they were HUGE! Not to mention expensive. I managed to set it up and it was already booting into windows 3.1. When my mom got home, she was LIVID! She thought I stole it. We cant afford anything close to that. No way! But once she saw the grass stains on the side, she knew.
We had that computer for 4 years. It helped me in ways I can’t even believe. Because of that computer, my love of electronics and my curiosity flourished. No, I am not a computer tech now, but I am the resident computer nerd for my family. I make a living online, and I attribute most of my knowledge to what I can google. So yeah! It WAS that easy!
#12
I've hated every job I've ever had, at 18 I joined the military for 6 years....that sucked the whole time, then went into customer service at Walmart, and they were a bunch of a******s to everyone. Tried security and they were just degrading. Job after job doing what I thought was the right thing. I decided to apply for a local HVAC company just working call center, nothing big, I think there a total of 9 of us on phones. Honestly it's the best job I've ever had, we all get along, spend hours a day on our group chat sharing memes, our management has one on one meetings every two weeks with the goal of "this meeting is not work related but we want to know just how your doing, how's life treating you, what do you need?"
There's constant communication about expectations and how we can better meet them and how they can help us perform better. The majority of the companies profits are used to better employee lives (I get monthly commission and residuals, and $30 a month healthcare with BCBS) along with monthly pot lucks, paid lunches, competitive pay starting at $17 an hour. I haven't seen any turnover...literally none, my position was only hiring because too many people got promoted.
According to the author of the thread, they never expected that their question would get that much attention online. At the time of writing, their post had 36.5k upvotes. We were curious about the inspiration behind the question.
“What I had in mind was thinking about a very interactive question, where people would be willing to share their experiences,” they told Bored Panda that they wanted other internet users to share their own stories.
#13
One time I tightened my gas cap and the check engine light went off.
#14
I actually have an relevant answer.
So I'm a disabled guy. And a little person. Lived my entire life in my parents house that wasn't at all accessible and was looking to move out into my own apt. I never understook anything by myself much less something so huge.
I got into the waiting list of an accessible apt for "poor" folk. I got it in THREE MONTHS. It literally changed my life. I now live on my own and no one limits how many gummy 🐻 I eat.
#15
Dancing in my wheelchair. I don’t have legs so I never hit the dance floor, but once you’re there, you just move and let go
The OP pointed out that plenty of people are scared to go for truly hard tasks like getting a degree or starting a business. So they wanted to take a peek at some opposite situations. They wanted to find out what people have tried that seemed hard at first, but with a bit of courage, they realized that they had it all backward!
“That would be not only inspiring to me but to other people as well, as seen in the replies. I’m very proud of many people in the replies and how they weren’t scared of trying out new things.”
#16
I had accepted a new job but was anxious about giving my notice at my old job (I had been there for 8 years and really loved my team). I had also been stressed out that I was taking a week off between jobs because it was a stretch financially. I finally set up a meeting with my boss. I couldn't even sleep the night before.
An hour before I was going to give my notice, my boss's boss called me into a meeting. With HR. I was being laid off (along with a large number of other employees). They were so sorry, my boss's boss was in tears. She promised they would "take care of me". Anyway, I got 20 weeks of severance and a full three weeks of between jobs. Unfuckingbelievable. The best thing that's ever happened to me.
I was so shocked that I almost started laughing during the meeting and had to pretend I was trying not to cry.
#17
Drinking water.
Went from having issues getting to sleep and then waking up grumpy and tired. Water has changed my life. Thought it would be super difficult to kick soda, but once I tried and didn’t give in the benefits out weight the taste.
Just_for_this 1 year ago
So glad to live in a place i can drink straight from the tap. Travelled a lot and it amazes me how much places rely on bottled water (some needed, some not) and one of the the biggest cons that something that is so essential to life is monetised in such a way.
#18
Worked on an almost 5 million dollar lighting rig for a concert as a junior guy on the job. We get it all plugged in and patched but none of it would turn on. All the guys were freaking out trying to figure out why. The team collectively had about 150 years of experience.
No one checked to see if the generators were turned on.
I was like no way this is why but I'll just go check if the generators are good. Flipped stuff on and viola.
#19
I bought a Dyson V7 Vacuum that wasn't working for 55 Euros on eBay. I thought I'd try to replace the battery with a knockoff and if it didn't work, send the battery back and sell the dyson for the same money. It didn't work but I noticed I could register it for warranty. I called the support and (because I like to be honest) told the guy It's a used device and I didn't have a receipt. The guy said it doesn't matter if it's used as long as the serial number is still eligible for warranty. They sent me a new battery twice and when that didn't work as well, they told me to send the motor in. A week or so later I received a package with a brand new Dyson V8.
Edit: Forgot to mention: Dyson is really expensive but their support is first class as well. The guy on the phone really did know a lot and was very nice and helpful.
Irish woman abroad 1 year ago
Wow, that Is good support! I have a robot vacuum, that at a little over a year old, started having problems with the battery. The company refuses to fix it, saying the whole thing has a 2-year guarantee, but the battery only one. Cheap f*****s!
#20
Solving a decade of disability with an over-the-counter iron supplement.
Edit: I seem to have convinced a number of people they're iron deficient and that they should start taking iron pills. While iron is unlikely to be harmful in over-the-counter doses over the short-term, in the long-term it can literally kill you. *If at all possible,* get medical supervision for doing this. I'm doing it on my own because I can't convince my doctor I'm deficient when I definitely am, but this carries risks with it.
#21
Cleaning my toilet and sink after months of depression.
Lantana Howell 1 year ago
I feel this on evergy level possible. Depression is one of those silent conditions and it's hard to explain to others why you "can't" do something. Good for you
#23
Standing up for myself, and no longer being afraid to "upset" others by simply existing lol
#24
Stopped eating out and started making meals (real food) at home, then started doing the dishes before bed every night so the kitchen isn't messy. Life is a million percent better and I have way more money.
#25
I started looking for a job last year and got three offers within two months, two of which were significantly higher pay. Made me realize I’ve been sitting around way too long.
#26
I had a hard crush on a boy in my class in highschool, and decided (with a bit of insistence of my friend) to ask him out. I said I liked him. He said "Me too, but about you"
We've been married for 7 years. I got very lucky.
#27
I was drunk at a party and saw a cute girl. Stumbled over to her and literally said, "You're cute, can I have your number?"
Nearly a decade later, she's next to me with our child asleep on her lap.
Sometimes, getting the date is just that easy.
(To shame her even further, she was *sober!* I was blitzed enough to silence all my normal second-guessing and internal thoughts that get in my own way, but she had a drunken nerd just straight-up ask her out, no small talk or anything, and decided that it was a good idea!)
#28
Getting a job working for the US Department of Defense.
I'd always thought that those kind of jobs required prior military service, and a whole host of various degrees or such to actually get a job with them. Saw a job opening for one site near where I lived, and thought "what the hell?" So I applied. I honestly didn't expect to even get a call back, or anything.
I not only get a call back, but get hired for the job. The requirements were far more lenient than I expected. All it really required was a clean criminal record, and a willingness to learn.
Ended up working as a waste water treatment tech for them, and eventually got an environmental engineering degree with their help.
#29
Lived in Jersey and a friend invited me to a commercial audition at an NYC bar. Went because of bar. Auditioned after 2 beers. Left thinking it was a waste of time. A month later, I get a call that they want to use me for the commercial. Director was the guy who directed the original Space Jam. I got lines and ended up in two of their commercials and got a 40k payday where I thought someone made a clerical error. Started my acting career and now a writer/director/flight attendant.
#30
I wanted to meet my favorite band, so I just… quietly didn’t leave the venue once security started showing people out. I guess they thought I must’ve been a roadie, because they never got on my case. Anyway, I met them, yadda yadda, now I’m a professional concert lighting designer
#31
Previous owners left a "broken" fridge in the kitchen when we moved in. Like literally put it in the paperwork that the fridge was broken and that they weren't going to dispose of it.
Made plans to get a new one the week we moved in, but just for sh**s and giggles decided to plug the old one in to see what was wrong. 4 years later and we're still using it without issue. We did find that the push to connect plastic water line for the ice maker was leaking a bit so we replaced that for about $2.
#32
In my late teens/early 20s I landed several good admin jobs that required a degree I didn’t have. Turns out when they say “bachelors degree” they just meant “sound middle class on the phone”.
Edit: There seems to be some confusion with people thinking I faked credentials. I didn't lie, I don't know why so many people are assuming that. I just sent in my resume that listed my previous work experience with a professional cover letter, then made sure to call after hours and leave a followup voicemail. All they really needed for the job was someone who can write a professional email and sound good on the phone, so they'd call me back for an interview.
N Miller 1 year ago
So, tip for job seekers. Many job adverts have a hidden list of "must haves" and "nice to have". Unless the job genuinely requires a specific set of knowledge you can only get from a qualification, a lot of what they list as "must haves" really belong in the other column. Having a Bachelor's degree in the essentials column is really hoping self-selecting out will do a lot of the filtering for them. Many jobs only require that you are clean, well presented, can count and can spell (starting with your own *name* and that of the company - I really wish I was joking about this). And yes, this is classist and other ists too. Note - this is primarily entry level jobs.
#33
Self improvement and reflection. Stopped looking at outside factors in my life and started looking at what I could control. Weight, time, who I spent time with, etc. I didnt need to change my whole life in one day. I needed to make small progress. Spending one day less a week on gaming and one day a week on improving myself is better then not improving at all. Allowing myself to fail *with intent* to improve is so much easier now that I dont spend time with negative people that demand perfection.
Jax 1 year ago
I run a support group for women that are coming out of domestic violence situations, homelessness, incarceration, rehab, etc. The main thing I tell them all is if you relapse and let it define you and use it as an excuse to continue the negative behavior then you’re not ever going to make any improvements. If you relapse and learn from it, and use it as a reminder as to why you want to stay sober the next time you think about relapsing, then you’re moving forward and making progress. It doesn’t matter if it’s an inch, or a mile, forward is forward…not everyone had the ability to travel at the same pace.
#34
Building a pc. With so many sophisticated videos on youtube that doesn't explain/teach very well makes me think it's hard to build a pc.
I tried it once and apparently it was just an adult lego, but easier.
#35
In college the professor advertised an internship and wrote the info on the board. Out of a class of 150 students, I was the only one to apply and I fulfilled my internship requirement for graduation.
What do you think ?
NatalieC 1 year ago
I spent my youth and young adult years focused on food. I was always hungry and events were judged by the food they had. Obviously, I was huge. I finally found a doctor who prescribed natural thyroid supplement and just like that, the food obsession ended. It was eye-opening that this was how regular people lived, unbothered by thoughts of food. Finding that doctor changed my life.
A Jones 1 year ago
This may sound weird, but touch typing was easy to get into as a skill set. You just need a class and it gets easier each day (I took one in HS). One of those block things to cover the keyboard help with memorizing. Kind of like how you get used to a video game control, it's like that. My comfortable level is like 65wpm, if I'm in a fun chat it can get up to 75wpm. Those typing games are great too!
TheReader19 1 year ago
A Jones, one of the best things I ever did was learn to touch type 👍🏾
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NatalieC 1 year ago
I spent my youth and young adult years focused on food. I was always hungry and events were judged by the food they had. Obviously, I was huge. I finally found a doctor who prescribed natural thyroid supplement and just like that, the food obsession ended. It was eye-opening that this was how regular people lived, unbothered by thoughts of food. Finding that doctor changed my life.
A Jones 1 year ago
This may sound weird, but touch typing was easy to get into as a skill set. You just need a class and it gets easier each day (I took one in HS). One of those block things to cover the keyboard help with memorizing. Kind of like how you get used to a video game control, it's like that. My comfortable level is like 65wpm, if I'm in a fun chat it can get up to 75wpm. Those typing games are great too!
TheReader19 1 year ago
A Jones, one of the best things I ever did was learn to touch type 👍🏾
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