Advice to your younger self?

[ABQCOWBOY]

Some good advice in this thread. Rather then repeating, I will just say this.

The problem with being young and being old are different but linked in kinda the same way.

Young people do not always remember that they don't know, what they don't know. Always remember that because there is plenty of really good advice I received as a young person that I just didn't pay much attention to. I should have.... but I didn't.

Older people do not always remember that they don't always know what a young person already knows. Don't discount a young person's ideas simply because they are young. That's a common mistake.

 

[iceberg]

I want to ask this question for the people 35 or older. Im 24 and turn 25 later this year, and time seems to be flying by faster and faster. It seems like a lot of people dread turning 30 because it makes them feel old, but my question is, if you could go back what advice would you give to your 25 year old self?

it's going by faster than you think. whatever you're waiting for, stop it and dive in.

 

[CF74]

Be a better husband, finish college, spend more money on math tutors, finish college, get a degree in something you are good at, and get a degree in something you enjoy......

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Don't take the blue pill.

 

[kimrose]

Same advice or perspective as I always had when I was a kid. Stay happy, positive and keep my head up toward the stars. I felt that when as a kid, when I was 25, and now (46). If your heart is innocent and honest, you'll be fine.

HaHa. We are the same age, PJ. This may not be appreciated by all, but it is actually very good advice. And I agree with you, sir.

I would also say to really appreciate every day and remember to make memories, because your youth slides right by you, without you realizing it. You wake up one morning and are surprised to see that your 20's, and even 30's are behind you, and you wonder where the time went and in some cases, what the heck you did all that time! I feel like I lost an entire decade and a half of my life, like I wasn't even paying attention. It is sad, really. I would love to go back and just be in the moment more than I was. Maybe I would feel like I had actually been there, if I had done this when I had the chance. So, don't miss out on your chance, young folks. You only get one.

 

[RS12]

11. Find a mate who has no destructive life habits like an addiction or the constant need to "Keep up with the Jones's." Looks leave quickly– destructive habits will be there for a lifetime.

THIS! Who you end up with has a huge impact on your life. If its the wrong person, look out.

 

[rynochop]

Buy Dell computer stock

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I heard a lot of older guys say to me when I was younger, "You gotta go to school, kid." I worked in construction from for a long time (beginning at roughly 15) until I was 23 before I went to college. Nothing against these older guys. It was good advice. But it was pretty generic. So, knowing what I now know about college, I would have some more specific advice to give to a young person.

Don't just go to college, but study something practical. Also, don't be afraid of difficult classes. Don't pad your GPA by taking jogging and wine history. Major in something that directly relates to a job. The best jobs are usually in fields that require specific or related degrees. If your job doesn't require any knowledge you acquired in your degree, then your degree wasn't very useful. Don't go to college to gain life experience. Join the military or go backpacking for a few years if you want life experience. Read books outside of your field that interest you in your free time. Don't go to school for a hobby. If you really want to be a "star" then go all out. You don't need college for that. But if you do want to college in order to have a career, stick to a plan and follow it. Don't just take all the necessary classes in your major and waste the leftover credits on meaningless classes. Look at jobs in that field and what they require. Jobs typically require things beyond the list of classes for your major. Use your free credits to take those classes so that your knowledge goes beyond what everyone else in your major knows. I know job experience is just as important as school, but school is crucial in developing that foundational knowledge. You can have all the job experience and still lack some crucial, basic knowledge. So make the most of your time in college, or else you'll be working a 9 to 5 and coming home every night taking free online classes in order to learn the things you missed out on. I know people who both have the same career. The ones who followed the right path in college come home from work and can do whatever they want. The ones who went a less traditonal route or who lack the foundational knowledge come home from work and try to get caught up on things they don't understand or spend their weekend preparing for work on Monday. If you don't waste any of your time while in college, you'll have a lot of free time to waste when you start your career.

 

[jnday]

1. Appreciate your older loved ones now because they'll gradually disappear.
2. Stop or greatly reduce anything that can affect your health as you get older like smoking, alcohol & drugs.
3. Have some kind of exercise routine even if it's just a daily 20 minute walk.
4. Take time to appreciate the sunrise, sunset, the stars and the sounds out in the middle of nowhere.
5. Take time to think about those already gone.
6. Instead of wasting time filling your head full of information you can easily find on the Internet, spend your time looking for the patterns in life most people don't see– those patterns that allow you to get beyond a $ per hour mindset.
7. Even if working for others look for investment/income opportunities up & beyond.
8. Invest as much as you can in assets that appreciate (stocks/mutual funds/your own business) as opposed to assets that depreciate (automobiles).
9. Pay yourself first– take 10% of your income and invest it religiously.
10. Resist the temptation to spend your paycheck to the last penny.
11. Find a mate who has no destructive life habits like an addiction or the constant need to "Keep up with the Jones's." Looks leave quickly– destructive habits will be there for a lifetime.

Yes, there's a lot of emphasis on financial security here... Why? because so many of life's problems circulate around money or the lack there of. Those with a narrow view see money as a way too "gadgets"... most of which depreciate at an incredible rate. Those with a big view see money as freedom– the freedom to make choices without the pressure of having to decide one way or another due to a shaky financial situation.

Mike, this is about as good advice as a man can get. I had thought of a lot of the same things, but you did s much better job with your post than I would have. The one piece of advice that you missed for a young man is avoid being a Cowboy fan. It leads to years of banging your head against a wall. I was raised during the Landry years and things was different. Of course I am kidding lol. Good post .

 

[Doc50]

I want to ask this question for the people 35 or older. Im 24 and turn 25 later this year, and time seems to be flying by faster and faster. It seems like a lot of people dread turning 30 because it makes them feel old, but my question is, if you could go back what advice would you give to your 25 year old self?

Look inside yourself, Grasshopper, and you will find the answers you seek.

What makes you laugh; what makes you cry?
What are you confident in, and what do you fear?
What evokes feelings of love and joy, vs hate and anger?
What are your God-given gifts, as opposed to challenges or deficiencies.
What engages your mind and spirit; what causes you to withdraw?

All of life's rewards can be characterized in happiness and peace.
A detailed understanding of yourself will inevitably shape your journey to success through relationships and career by emphasizing those things on the left in the paragraph above, and by overcoming obstacles noted on the right.

Just be true to yourself....................if this fails, marry rich, Grasshopper.

 

[Aikmaniac]

This is a big one.

Don't try to make everyone happy, because it won't happen. No matter how nice you are, no matter how many good deeds you do, no matter how much you help those within your circle, you will always be expected to do more.

You'll always tick someone off. Don't let people put a saddle on you. You may think you're being nice, but in the long run, all you're doing is making everyone complacent and your life gets a bucket load of stress. This is because you're always thinking about someone else. Find "YOU" time every day.

I still struggle with this one today because I set that precedence back at your age and even younger.

I remember Romo had a quote one day back when the whole TO/Witten drama was unfolding. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, "If you try to make everyone happy, you will end up alone." That quote certainly rings true.

Don't misunderstand me. Always go the extra mile for people you love and cherish, but don't just go along with something just to keep them happy. If you don't feel like doing something, don't do it. We all make sacrifices, but remember that you have an opinion yourself, you have likes, you have dislikes, you have preferences...don't leave those unspoken just to be nice.

 

[KJJ]

I want to ask this question for the people 35 or older. Im 24 and turn 25 later this year, and time seems to be flying by faster and faster. It seems like a lot of people dread turning 30 because it makes them feel old, but my question is, if you could go back what advice would you give to your 25 year old self?

If a lot of people think turning 30 makes them feel old wait until they're pushing 50 like me. lol The one thing you have at 24 years old that I don't is youth so consider yourself very lucky. Nothing makes you feel old more than knowing you've been around for almost a half century. I know 40 is an age some dread but turning 40 never bothered me. No matter where you are in your life no one likes getting old but the one positive with aging is it beats being dead. Everyone goes through a mid life crisis but they're a lot easier to take if you've achieved or exceeded your goals. I guess if your career and personal life isn't where you wanted it to be or thought it would be by the time you reached 30 it can cause some to think time is passing them by. If I could go back and give my 25 year old self advice it would be no different than what I use to tell myself back then. I never thought conventionally so during my early 20's I never listened to others around me because my inner circle all seemed to want to be like everyone else.

I always believed in shooting for the highest mountain and didn't care how many dead bodies it claimed. When I was told maybe only one in a thousand ever reach the peak I was looking at I would tell them I'll be that one in a thousand. The people you want to listen to are those who are where you want to be someday. If you want to become average think average and listen to average people. If you want to become big think big and listen to those who've become big. If you want to get somewhere be PERSISTENT because some things take PERSISTENCE. If you can't handle disappointments and rejection you'll settle and never be better than average. I've never been afraid to go up to bat and strike out because I knew if I get enough swings I'll get some hits and eventually I might knock one out of the park. You can't allow some of life's failures to discourage you or ruin your enthusiasm for where you want to go because everyone experiences them.

There's some roads you choose to travel that are full of a lot of pot holes and it can be a real bumpy ride for awhile but if you continue to maintain your enthusiasm through all the bumps it can pay off. Sometimes you have to go through a lot of bad times to get to the good times but you'll never get to the good times if you allow the bad times to get you down. We only get one crack at life as far as we know and it's up to you how much you want to get out of it. You can choose to play life safe and be like most or put yourself out there and make a difference. You never want to end up living in regret which happens to a lot of people. We all have a prime of our lives and you have to take advantage of it. You can't allow a few doors slamming or setbacks to cause you to quit on a dream. Everyone has dreams it's up to you whether you want to pursue them. If there's something you really want take the shot and give it your all you'll never live in regret if you do.

 

[Tabascocat]

Forgot to add: learn how to hit a college breaking ball My life would have been so much more fun!

 

[Doomsday]

Don't worry about college, use that money to buy a house and you're an entrepreneur don't waste your time with a 9 to 5 job.

 

[punchnjudy]

When I was a little older than that, I remember a self-described crazy old lady telling me that people often hold themselves back with their own predictions of doom. After that I paid close attention to those types of statements from people. She was right.

I also read this phrase a long time ago and always liked it:

Those who bite get bitten. Those who never bite get eaten.

 

[Kevinicus]

I want to ask this question for the people 35 or older. Im 24 and turn 25 later this year, and time seems to be flying by faster and faster. It seems like a lot of people dread turning 30 because it makes them feel old, but my question is, if you could go back what advice would you give to your 25 year old self?

Divorce your wife (not something I would suggest for most situations), start eating better and being more active, get back to school ( ot neccessarily college, maybe a trade school).

 

[KJJ]

Don't take the blue pill.

Sounds like your experience with it wasn't any better than the experience a friend of mine had. The way he described it, it seemed to have a lot in common with an amusement park. A one hour wait for a two minute ride.

 

[Seven]

Live your dash.

Live it conducive to longevity.............

 

[Longboysfan]

Buy Verizon stock at the get go.

 

[cml750]

Nope, I have no regrets. Although I might do a few things differently if I could go back again, I have learned from every single experience I have ever had. I love my life. I would not change a thing. The Lord has blessed me very well!!!