Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Seemingly Insignificant Decisions That Changed The Course Of People's Lives

Man hitting a fork in the road hiking
man wearing gray T-shirt standing on forest
Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

Reddit user This_Check_4267 asked: 'What's a small, seemingly insignificant decision you've made that ended up having a huge impact on your life?'

Make us preferred on Google

Not a day goes by when we won't have to make a decision of some kind.

On rare occasions, we might even have to make an extremely serious decision which we know will have major consequences down the line.


These might include accepting a job that would require you to move cities, whether or not staying in your relationship is good for you, or almost literally life or death decisions about your own health.

Most of the time however, the decisions we are forced to make day in and day out are fairly minor, such as whether to walk or take the subway, or coffee or tea with your breakfast.

Whatever we choose, it won't end up having any major effect or ramifications on our lives.

Or will it?

Redditor his_Check_4267 was curious to hear if anyone ever made what seemed like a minor decision that ended up having a major effect on their life, leading them to ask:

"What's a small, seemingly insignificant decision you've made that ended up having a huge impact on your life?"

When The Wrong Train Ended Up Being The Right One...

"Took the wrong train in a new city to a job a minimum wage job that I didn't want but needed at the time."

"Asked a random guy for directions when phone GPS still kind of sucked."

"He happened to be going in the same general direction."

"We rode a train together and nerded out on films we were into."

"He was an aspiring filmaker (very beginnings of aspirations), and I was just a film nerd without any post high school education or thought of 'breaking into the industry'."

"We ended up becoming roommates and collaborators eventually."

"Sold our first film to IFC like 2 years ago."- SrgtSquarePants

Right Place, Right Time

"Worked in a kindergarten during my gap years between high school and university."

"I didn't even plan to go at the time."

"A kid with speech and social issues happened to take a special liking to me, resulting in me agreeing to work closely with his speech therapist, despite only being the teachers assistant."

"This reignited my interest in language and made me apply to be a linguistics major."

"My high school grades made it a long shot, but it turns out that very year they tested out a new system of accepting 50% of students based on motivational essays, to try to combat a high drop out rate in linguistics."

"I made it in on that, they ditched it the next year cause it didn't work."

"I now have masters in Language Psychology and start teaching at the same university this semester."

"If I had applied literally any other year, my chances would have been like lottery odds."- MonsieurRud

Graduation Graduate GIF by Reba McEntireGiphy

Secret Setup Maybe?...

"Me and 2 other coworkers decided to grab some dinner after our shift."

"One ended up cancelling, so I thought my other coworker would cancel too."

"We were both hungry, so we decided to still grab dinner together."

"We'd been coworkers for over a year and have always gotten along, but this dinner truly felt like a first date."

"It was so enjoyable and we talked so much that we didn't realize the restaurant had been closed and that the workers had been cleaning up around us."

"Servers were too nice to interrupt our conversation."

"Him and I ended up falling in love soon after that."

"Been together for over 6 happy years and wouldn't change a thing."- stereotypedhonesty

Cracked The Code

"I had a blog where I couldn’t figure out some HTML code, so I emailed the blog of another person who had figured it and they sent me the code."

"They lived about 1,000 miles from me and had never spoken before."

"Four years later we’re married, bought a house, and have a child together."- Manejar

art evolve GIF by ashleyrobertsGiphy

Some Bad Habits Pay Off...

"Was at a conference and stepped outside for a smoke."

"Bumped into a friend of mine who introduced me to the man he was walking with."

"That man encouraged me to apply for an opening in his office and, six months later, he hired me."

"It was the job that jumpstarted my career, changing my trajectory."

"And all because of a bad habit."- The_Dude311

Closer And Closer To The Action

"I took a job in an Emergency Room doing insurance paperwork."

"I thought 'Okay but what happens before they get to the hospital?"'"

"That exposure lead to a career as a 1st Responder."

"I never would have imagined I would be helping people in Emergencies been doing it every day for decades."- YerekYeeter·

There Is Always A Way Back...

"I went to prison for a robbery."

"I did it."

"I was a heroin addict."

"After almost 5 years in, at a work center, I got a write-up which would make me stay in for a few months longer."

"The warden offered a deal if I would paint a mural at a local high school of their mascot, they'd forgive the writeup."

"I had always been good at drawing (they knew that which is why they asked) but had never done a mural."

"I figured out how to scale it up in my head and did it."

" I got out about 6 months later and made it my career."

"I'm now married, happy, and fully booked until summer of next year for work, owning my own business."

"In September, I will have been out for 10 years."

"I also hid my initials in the high school mascot mural."- therealbiggravy

rainbow painting GIFGiphy

Home Is Where The Heart Is

"I was flying to Costa Rica to go backpacking south from there, my sister told me to fly into Guatemala, I had to see it."

"So I did, and here I am still 10 years later, with a son and a life I never imagined."- Old_Insect

Some Things Are Worth The Risk

"I was doing online dating with no success and I was ready to give up."

"I almost canceled my date just out of pessimism but figured it was already scheduled, I’ll just go and if it doesn’t work out I’ll just take a break from dating."

"The date lasted about 8 hours and 15 years later we’re still together."- Rolling_Beardo

Hey, You Never Know...

"Entered the green card lottery."

"Friend was trying to figure out how to do it, so I downloaded the instructions and completed an application to show them how."

"Since it was easier than asking them for all their info, I made a dummy application using my own info."

"When I was done I thought 'meh, might as well' and dropped my application into the outgoing mail."

"Then forgot all about it."

"I was highly confused when, nearly a year later, I got a letter from the state dept."

"I’ve been in the US for 20 years now, married, kids, the whole thing."

"Biggest change I ever made, and it was just a random 15-minute thing I did to help a buddy."- dbpnz

Lottery Lotto GIFGiphy

It Pays To Share

"On a night out I went to Burger King and at the last second decided to get chicken nuggets with my burger instead of chips."

"I ate the burger but didn't feel like the nuggets by this point (and wished I'd gotten chips instead) so I asked the person opposite me on the bus if he wanted them."

"My exact words were 'ay lad do you want my chicken nuggets?'"

"He said yes and we got talking."

"That was 16 years ago and now we are married with a beautiful daughter."- gembob891

Even when it seems like it doesn't matter in the moment, it's always worth thinking carefully before making any decision.

As sometimes, taking the long route or ordering a second round could end up being the very decision that changes your life forever.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jake Lang making a fool of himself at a cat adoption event.
@JakeLang/X

Far-Right Activist Dragged After Crashing What He Thought Was A 'Furry' Convention That Was Actually For Cat Owners

Far-right lunatic and grifter Jake Lang is once again the laughingstock of the internet for seemingly confusing cat owners with furries.

Like many right-wingers, Lang, who received a pardon from Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 coup attempt at the Capitol, has made a career out of being a deranged provocateur online.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from C-SPAN
C-SPAN

Trump Dragged Over His Desperation After Calling Into C-SPAN Show—And Even The Host Is Caught Off Guard

During the premiere episode of C-SPAN's Washington Journal Primetime, viewers were stunned to hear MAGA Republican President Trump calling in to speak with surprised looking host Mimi Georges.

Trump answered some questions off the cuff about his immigration policies and his Iran War. As usual, he embellished the truth to flatter himself and denied any wrongdoing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth; Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth Just Claimed His Controversial Military Operations Were All 'Ordered' By Trump—And Everyone's Making The Same Point

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized for saying that military operations in Iran and Venezuela were "ordered" by President Donald Trump while responding to articles of impeachment brought against him by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.

The impeachment resolution brought by Massie alleges that Hegseth abused his office in several ways, including launching military action against Iran without congressional approval, failing to safeguard civilians, and overseeing deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abdul El-Sayed; Peggy Flanagan; James Talarico
Finn Gomez/Getty Images (left and right); Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images (center)

The Incoming Freshman Democratic Senators Posed For Their First Selfie At Orientation—And It's Honestly Everything

Social media users can't get enough of the first group selfie featuring incoming freshmen Democratic U.S. Senators, including Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico.

Last week, Democrats swept midterm election races to win back both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in a clear repudiation of the Trump administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lori Huang and Jensen Huang attend the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Tech Billionaire Apologizes To Wife Of 40 Years After Affair With Alleged Chinese Spy: 'I Am Deeply Sorry'

Most cheating scandals end with awkward family dinners and a whole lot of explaining. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's comes with allegations involving Chinese intelligence and questions about American national security.

And somewhere in that mess is Lori Huang, his wife of more than 40 years, who just received a very public apology.

Keep ReadingShow less