20 Real Stories of How One Decision Cost Everything
We often hear that one wrong decision can change a life. But how serious can the consequences really be? Sometimes, it’s just an inconvenience, but other times—it’s the complete collapse of plans, relationships, or a career. In this article, you’ll find real stories of people who lost everything because of a single accidental mistake, an impulsive action, or a poor choice.I had been dating Lisa for three years. Everything was leading up to a wedding, and I decided to propose in a special way. I booked a fancy dinner at a restaurant, asked the waiter to hide the ring in a dessert, and even invited her parents. Everything was going perfectly… until I saw the look on her face when she opened the box. She turned pale. “Where did you get this ring?” she asked. “What do you mean? I bought it a month ago!” She covered her face with her hands. “My ex gave me the exact same ring… And I said ’no’ to him.” Silence filled the room. She looked at me, her eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it again.” I lost her in a single second—because the ring just happened to look too similar.
My colleague Kate signed a lease agreement without reading the fine print. Everything seemed standard. Three months later, the landlord doubled the rent. She was outraged, but he pointed to a clause in the contract: “The rental rate may be changed unilaterally.” Kate tried to take legal action, but she had no case—she had signed it herself. She had to move out immediately, losing her deposit and the last month’s rent. Now, she reads every contract down to the last letter.
Married the wrong person. The impacts are incalculable. Divorce, pay 50%+ of my take home pay in child support/alimony, forced me into bankruptcy, lost my house, other problems as well.
Make sure you’re compatible with the person you marry. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a relationship that isn’t great, but isn’t so bad you want to leave. Worst mistake I ever made.
I met both Carl Page and Larry Page at a party hosted by a Stanford friend of mine in 1998. Carl gave me his card for eGroups and said, “We’re hiring.” Larry gave me his card for Google—a flimsy bit of paper obviously printed by bubble jet—and said, “We’re hiring”.
I said, “Nah, who needs another search engine?” and went to graduate school.
I turned down a job offer from Google in 2001. It’s somewhat comforting knowing that I’ve already made the biggest financial mistake of my life
