15 of the Worst Life Decisions Anyone Can Make

What is rock bottom, really? Perhaps it's sitting outside alone in the dark. You're broke, no friends or family to call, feeling mentally and physically sick. Your addiction, calling your name with no end in sight, sounds pretty rock bottom. But how does one get there? It's scary to think about it this way, but sometimes all it takes is one bad decision.

Pause. Take a breath and think carefully about these decisions. Some of the choices we're speaking about today could change your life forever. Here are 15 of the worst life decisions anyone can make. Welcome to Lux.

First, stop studying or doing something you hate, because it can change the trajectory of your life and put you on a path plagued with your personal misery. And, like, that's a bit dramatic. Sure. But anyone who's been in this position knows how hard it is to get out once you've started. Once you've committed, it's your first foray into adulthood, and getting it wrong can make it feel like the whole next chapter of your life is spoiled.

When you're spending upwards of 8 hours a day doing something you can't stand, it's really easy to become jaded, complacent, and depressed. Imagine spending years studying a subject that doesn't spark any joy or interest in you. It's not just about the dreary lectures and endless exams. It's about committing a big part of your life to something that doesn't fulfill you. Your choice can lead you to a career you're not passionate about and make every workday feel like a chore.

You also stunt your professional growth and forget that you can be happy. You don't have to sacrifice your personal happiness for a paycheck to buy a really expensive car. Who doesn't love a little bit of luxury, right? You know that we do. But one of the biggest mistakes emerging entrepreneurs make is to buy a car that is far more expensive than what they can afford. Unless you already have a top-of-the-range car, chances are someone actually being impressed by your car is kind of slim.

Honestly, there's just a lot of really nice cars out there right now. You don't need to stand out that much. It's a continuously depreciating asset when you're actually using it, and it can eat away at a large chunk of your salary every month. It can send you into a debt hole that's hard to climb back out of, even if you try to sell it. If there is any place you need to stay within your means, it's your car.

To max out multiple credit cards. That first credit card almost feels like free money. And annoyingly, no matter how many payments you make on it, what you owe never seems to go down. You barely even make a dent. That's because banks and credit card companies give you a maximum amount slightly above what you can afford to pay. That way, you always need to rely on your credit card to get you over the line for that month.

Just because you have a maximum amount on your credit card doesn't mean you should max it out. The stress and anxiety that comes with maxing out one card to pay off another and then using another card to pay rent for groceries and other bills, it's just not worth it. Do not do this to yourself.

Hand on a similar note to skip out on paying your debt. The repercussions of not paying your debt for a few months can affect your life, your partner's life, and your financial freedom for years to come. You might think it's okay for just one or two months, but you become accustomed to having that little bit of extra disposable cash. So it can be really hard to scale back and start paying it off again. And it affects your credit score.

So banks are more wary of giving you a mortgage, and you don't have access to money that you can reach for quickly in an emergency to buy a house. When a recession is heading for most people, it's a bad call to buy a house when a recession is looming. Buying a home often comes with a certain timeline. There is saving. There are thoughts of raising your family in the home. There is finding just the right place you want so you're ready to go.

So even though there are talks of a recession hitting, things seem good enough now. Big mistake. You might think you'll be okay because now you own your place. But banks hit you with crazy interest rates, and all of the other hidden costs of buying a property come creeping up. There is the uncertainty with work and rising costs of everything else. Your monthly expenses could triple, and even if you wanted to sell the house again, you'd take a loss because people can't pay top dollar during a recession. It's just so much better to wait.

In this case, bide your time, be okay with renting a little while longer, and put your future self in a better financial position before you commit to cheat on your partner. It's a terrible decision to cheat on your partner, and yet so many people still do it. It's not a mistake. It's an active choice. It's cruel, and it brings an unimaginable amount of pain and betrayal.

And for most people, there is no coming back from it, no matter how hard you work to repair the relationship. That person is always going to know that if you had a choice between hurting them and not hurting them, you would choose the former if you thought it would benefit you. Cheating has ruined marriages, families, and futures, and it's one choice that you can walk away from and shut the door on.

And on a similar note, to stay in a toxic relationship. Everyone thinks that they're going to be the ones who run away from a toxic relationship. You'll know when it's bad and you'll end it. No issues, except it often takes something so extreme to realize your partner is treating you poorly. And by that time, you're so trauma bonded to them that even though you know you should leave, you feel like you can't.

The longer you delay leaving, the harder it becomes. Your courage only dissipates as time goes on, and so does your trust in yourself. Don't stay. It's not going to change, and you're not going to get braver as time goes on. Your best time to leave is right now to drink and drive.

To put the kind of decision to drink and drive between things like terrible financial choices and relationship mistakes seems morally lopsided because this one has far more dire consequences than anything else we've mentioned, but it has to be spoken about. Far too many people still do it, thinking that, hey, unlike the other drunk drivers that have hurt people, they're actually fine. They're not that intoxicated.

But the truth is, it is not worth finding out how intoxicated you are. Get in an Uber, okay? Or don't drink. Do anything else other than get behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol to avoid visiting a sick or dying loved one. It's a bad call not to visit them. And some people might ask why on earth wouldn't you?

Well, for many people who come from difficult families, the decision to cut someone off isn't easy. But sometimes it's necessary. And for other people, while sometimes other priorities just seem more important at the time—work and family commitments, distance, and just life, a study revealed that for a lot of people, one of their biggest regrets is not taking the chance to say goodbye.

Even if the relationship wasn't the greatest, even if you've been estranged, our minds crave closure when someone leaves. Before we get that, it's like a book that's unfinished, something that you're never going to be able to fully read. Now, having said that, it's also a mistake to force yourself to forgive someone when they've hurt you.

You can't just get over that hurt and hope that by moving on, it'll all go away. If you force yourself to forgive someone before you are ready, if they end up hurting you again, you're going to lose all the trust and faith in yourself. You'll blame yourself for ignoring your intuition, and you're always going to be questioning who else might hurt you too.

It'll be hard for you to let people close to you again, so you have to give it time. Okay. When you're ready to forgive, you will know to not take an emerging addiction seriously. Now, it's a terrible choice to not take an emerging addiction seriously because addiction can and often will creep up on you.

One minute you're having fun with your friends, the next minute they've moved out and you're still stuck there. It's hard to know where the line is between having fun and being a slave to an addiction. When people start telling you that they're worried about you, the knee jerk reaction is to just brush it off. Tell them it's fine. But by the time people start noticing that you've changed, you know that it's even worse than what they're seeing.

That's your cue to get out and get help. And on that note, it is extremely detrimental to not seek treatment for your mental or physical health. A move like this never makes you stronger. We have this sort of push through mentality where we think that pushing past mental exhaustion and physical sickness will mean that maybe at the end we'll feel better because at least you've accomplished something, right?

But do you ever actually feel better at the end? No. You only feel worse, and you create this expectation for everyone around you that no matter how bad you feel, you can do what you need to. So nobody feels the need to step up and help. The more you do this, the more you're telling yourself and other people that this is okay. But it's not.

It can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety, and full-on collapse. You need to rest, and sometimes you need help living life like you're 18 when you're not. Living life as if you're 18 when you are not might seem like a dream life, but all you're doing is delaying responsibility. You can't avoid it forever, and when it eventually catches up to you, you're going to feel like you're caught in the trenches.

Clinging to the carefree days of youth might seem tempting, but it's a trap that can stifle your growth and potential. Living as if you're forever 18 means missing out on the depth and satisfaction that comes with maturity. Embracing responsibilities in your personal life or your business ventures is what separates the dreamers from the doers, the players from the spectators.

It's about evolving, adapting, and rising to the challenges that life throws your way. Living without clear goals or ambitions leaves you feeling like you have no purpose. It makes life boring, stagnant, and disappointing. Imagine setting sail without a destination. Where are you going, and what are you actually doing?

Well, that's life without clear goals. With clearly defined goals, every effort you make is a calculated step toward your version of success, whether that's financial milestones, personal achievements, or the impact you wish to leave on the world. Goals are the magnetic north to your compass. They keep you focused in a world filled with distractions, making sure that every move you make is a step closer to your true potential.

And finally, not investing for retirement. This is last, but absolutely not least, a terrible decision you can make is not investing for your retirement. Building an empire is only a part of the journey; sustaining it well into the twilight years, that is where the real challenge lies. Retirement planning is about scripting the second act of your life, keeping things as golden and fulfilling as the first.

It's about securing your legacy, indulging in passions that you've shelved, and enjoying your time. The ultimate currency—retirement shouldn't be an afterthought. It's a key chapter in the story of your life, one that deserves careful planning and anticipatory action.

If you've made some of these decisions and you want to backtrack, you can do that right now. No worries. It is not too late. There's always time for you to turn back, and the best time to do it is the moment you realize you've made a mistake. So let's be honest here. What's the worst decision you've ever made, and how did you fix it? Drop your story in the comments. We love hearing from you. We'll see you next time, Relaxer. Take care.