“You know they say that…” who is they?! You know those classic sayings that have been repeated time and time again. The ones that your mom tells you when you are about to graduate high school or start your first job or are about to make a dumb mistake or when you’re sick. Do these sayings have anything to really back them up?
A penny saved is a penny earned
This is a classic dad phrase. Every time you go to buy something do you just hear your dad in the back of your head “you know they say… a penny saved is a penny earned”. You just brush it off, right? Well there is actually a pretty good message to this if you give it a thought. Not spending money you have on dumb things is basically like earning money yourself. Working and earning money is the same as not spending any money in the first place. Maybe you’ll give your dad some consideration next time you go to buy that $75 watch you don’t need.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Does eating an apple everyday really keep the doctor away? have all heard the saying. When you haven’t bought fruit in a while and your mom hits you with the “you know they say, an apple a day…”. Well I am here to say that maybe the concept behind this common phrase isn’t all whacky fluff. The concept behind this is maybe eating well will actually make you feel good. Eating an apple a day, or a banana, or some spinach, or really anything of a healthy substance will give you more energy and keep you healthier. 5 reasons to eat an apple a day are: more energy, feel better, more hydrated, they taste good, it will lead to a healthier you. A healthier you means less doctors visits! Yay for everyone.
Don’t cry over spilt milk
As a kid I never understood this one. As I have grown older it is probably one of the most influential phrases that I repeat in my head daily. Don’t cry over spilled milk means that life is too short! Spilling your milk really has no significance in the long run. You can apply that to any little thing that goes wrong. If you crack your phone screen, why get upset over it? There are worse things that could have happened. It is fixable. Everything is fine. It is not worth it to get upset over little things because little things go wrong all day long, everyday.
If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well
Can’t you picture your grandpa saying this to you when you were like seven years old and didn’t even know what a job was yet? Me too. Grandpa is right though, not that we are surprised about that. If you are going to do something you might as well do a good job of it. If you are going to put any effort or time into something, you better make sure that effort and time is worth it. Don’t take shortcuts in life. Do the dirty work, build your character, and you will be successful.
Practice what you preach
This phrase usually came with a scolding or lecture. But let’s be honest, we needed it. This is a phrase everyone in this world should live by. No one likes that person that is bossing people around or judging others. It is even worse when they are being hypocrites and are guilty of whatever they are preaching. We all need to practice what we preach and focus on ourselves, leaving other people alone to do their own thing.
Was this kind of a walk down memory lane for you? We have heard these phrases our whole lives, but have we ever really took them to heart? Thought about them seriously? Tried to pick apart their true meanings? If we can do this with all the classic “they say…” phrases that we have no idea who actually said, we would learn a lot of good life lessons.