What advice would you give to your younger self?
 

Im 23 years old, and in my fifth year of uni. I want to hear some advice from the older folk as to what advice you would give yourself when you were my age; or anyone for that matter that you think is important. Anything from women,work,travel,life,money,drugs etc. Thanks

I'm 23, but if I could communicate with my younger self, I'd say to stick a whopie cushion under George W. Bush's chair when he came to town back in 1999/2000. I was litteraly feet from him. My little bro actually spoke to him. We totally could have pulled it off.

A far as the looking back stuff, it's always the same advice: work harder, lose weight, date more, blah blah. If I could send a message to myself 10 years ago, it's what I'd send, but it's advice I should take now.

Phil, do your best, strive for excelence, and be happy. Everything else is secondary. Of course, I'm 23 as well, but shoot I'm doing pretty well.

I'm only 27, but I would tell my younger self to not be a shy fool when the girl with great tits and puts out makes an obvious pass at you during 10th grade english class. I would also tell myyself to pick a different major in college.

Don't get involved with Andrew. Don't get involved with all this eating disorder crap. Be happy with yourself and don't listen to mother's belittlement.

Don't get hung up.

It'll work out dude, so just hang in there. And don't eat those cheesy thingies, they won't agree with you.

I'm only 24, but I'd tell a younger me to just live life as fully and completely as possible. Work hard. Party Hard. Eat right. Love and protect those dear to you.

I missed out on so much when I was younger simply because I was too afraid to take chances. Or rather, too afraid of screwing up/being rejected etc. I realise now that making mistakes is just another part of life.

If I knew then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have still been a virgin at 21.

That said, I'm glad I waited. Weird huh. :)

It's funny, we all have the sort of same things that we regret or wish we'd done when we were younger. Work harder in school, don't be afraid to chat up the hot woman. I'm 40 now, so I'm feeling qualified to say it.

I'm sorry....the thought process is just too depressing.....;) :p :lol:

Don't Join the Air Force, go to school, don't get married at 19, shoes and belt must always match, buy a belt, don't buy a cat, pay your bills on time, and move the fuck out of Ohio!

Remember that 5 years down the road, the hot crazy chick will no longer be hot but still crazy.

Same here. I'm 27, and was a virgin until I was 24. Sometimes I wish I could tell my younger self to go crazy, to not be such a freakin' evangelical... but that was who I was, and it was all part of who I was becoming... same thing with who I am today. So I don't think I'd tell my younger self to do anything different, really.

Okay, maybe to have at LEAST gone past 2nd base (even that was only a few times) with my college boyfriend, and to have relaxed and not freaked out about every little physical step with him. I could have had a lot more fun, instead of angst and existential dilemmas. But such was the life of a good Christian girl at the Christian university back then. :rolleyes:

I am not sure I would tell my younger self anything. Though the temptation would be strong it would have catastrophic results in that it would change who I am today.

All the shit that I would have liked to avoid built character and gave me the wisdom that comes with time (that sounds like I think I am wise... not so much - just a little wiser than I was 20 years ago when I was 18).

I tell myself that all the mistakes I've made...all the choices I've made, good and bad...have made me into the person that I am today, and that is the person my husband is madly in love with now. I'm wonderfully happy with him, so I wouldnt change anything about my past. However, if I "must" pick something to change, I would take away any hurt that I ever caused anyone, intentional or not.
Today....I try to make everyone I come into contact with through-out the day smile...atleast once.:)
Abigail

I would tell myself to stop being a bully in grade school....To loosen up in high school and college and put more effort into softball and classes....To be there for more my brother during a rough time in his life....

I would tell myself that not having a boyfriend or being popular with boys isn't a big deal and that I won't be fat forever.

Keep focused on the "big" picture. That stuff that you think is so important? It's not. It's just a bunch of small distractions that'll work themselves out.

I only have one big regret in my life, but at the same time, if I had not made that choice I would not have my youngest daughter today. An awful, cruel dilemma. Thank goodness life doesn't allow us such liberties.

Thinking about this has keyed me into something deep and dark that I hadn't fully comprehended before. And I can't believe it hadn't hit me earlier...

I'm 23 too. Seems like we have a lot of "23s" in here. Anyway, I'll answer the question to a "10 year" degree (going back 10 years):

Stop being a pussy and take chances. If things don't work out, no one cares about you, or what happened with that chance, two months later. Who cares. In the grand scheme of things, seemingly "large" choices in your life don't really matter that much.

That's what I'd tell myself.

From 5 years: Stop fucking speeding. Fucking idiot. IDIOT!!!!! You could have got yourself killed. Fucking IDIOT.

All of my life is a sequence of connected events that leads me to where and who I am today.

I could make changes to my past that would let me walk away from bad things that appened, but then I'd miss out on a load of good things.

If I told myself not to get back together with the cheating GF to "give it another try", i'd be spared the pain of my divorce 15 years later, but I'd also be spared the joy of my daughter.

If I told myself to stay in London when I finished my degree, instead of moving back to my hometown, I'd have earned more money, but not met my current wife.

Many sorrows to be avoided.

Many joys to miss out on by accident.

Even if you are down to your last penny, don't do something that you'll regret for years later.

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask out someone. I missed out as I thought someone was well out of my league, and it turned out she was interested in me after all. She is now in a happy long term relation and recently has a child. I often think how life could have turned out if only I’d asked her out….

When a pretty girl is staring into your eyes with a blissful expresion, don't say, "What?!"

Instead, just smile, and slowy say, "Hey you." Then, proceed to make her laugh.

Speak up more; don't let people do things to you without objection or consequence.

What would I tell my 23-year old self?

"If some 37 year old man who looks exactly like you suddenly shows up telling you what to do with your life, tell him to piss off, he's just bitter and cynical."

Hehehe...

Yeah, I wouldn't change a thing. While every experience I've had wasn't roses and candy, I still cherish the good times that I did have, and I wouldn't trade my current position for anything. Except insane wealth... like if I went back and gave me winning lotto numbers. I'd trade this life for that. Apart from that, though... no. lol

Great advice to anyone, not just in retrospect.

Don't confide in someone just for the sake of confiding. If you don't see a point, don't bother.

That useless philosophy major will serve you just as well when you're stocking the shelves.

Don't waste any time watching The Office. It's shit.

Also, don't watch Titanic. It's three hours of your life that you'll never get back. The ship sinks.

Better to try and fail than to not try.

I would tell myself to take some financial courses and learn how to manage money. But then again, that might be circumstantial. Maybe this hard point in life right now is building some awesome character traits that I wouldn't want to exchange.

Everything that has happened good, bad, or horrible has made me into who I am today. I wouldn't change anything except that one stupid mistake of spending my retirement money at 26 and having way too much debt...this part of life sucks. I think age 23 is where the financial trouble was born and now it's a 6 year old little bitch. :)

I'd tell myself to take the time to travel. Chugging through college didn't get me anything but a degree. Big deal. Also, get out of that dead end job already.

I'm 50 so here goes...

- always tell the truth - it's too hard to keep up with the lies
- the anxiety about pretty much anything is far worse than the actual thing
- get your teeth cleaned every 6 months and otherwise take care of your health
- floss
- eat right - it may not seem like a big deal now but you'll wish you always did later on
- don't smoke
- take care of your credit
- find somethig you enjoy doing early in life and don't compromise - the worst thing is moving up in something you don't really like, hating your work but not being able to afford to leave the job
- don't make decision, especially important decisions based on emotion
- if it depreciates rent it and if it appreciates buy it
- treat everyone with respect
- do what's right - in the long run it will pay off
- respect nature and be nice to animals
- if you make someone afraid of you they will always try to hurt you
- have a mentor and be a mentor
- enjoy every minute you can with your kids and recognize when it's time to let go
- start saving for retirement, even if it's just a little now and it will really add up later and take advantage of every penny you can get matched on a 401k plan
- don't borrow money with a credit card, that's what banks are for

I'm sure I'll think of more and I'll come back for an edit if I do. Some of these things I've done well and others are here because I wish I had done them better.

Stop pointlessly surfing the internet so much

... oh wait, that's still good advice for me

You perverted yourself the first time and with any luck you'll be there to do it again.

SERIOUSLY: Learn everything you're able to, don't borrow money, remain happy.

Take more vacations
Buy a house when you get your first job out of college, you CAN afford it, the only thing is that you are spending all that money at bars and eating out.

I'm with Charlatan, I don't think I'd tell my younger self anything, because I'm happy with the way things have turned out for the most part. But if I HAD to tell myself something, it would either be:

"Go ahead and get your ear pierced as many times as you want, just wear your hair long so you can hide it for work",

"Go ahead and date Mike, just not for seven years, and leave him in California",

"Go ahead and get that tattoo, but don't get it on your ankle, and add a Virgo symbol... you'll still be kinky ten years from now", or

"Don't get your hair cut so short, you'll want longer hair later... oh, and you WILL get your mother's hips, so get addicted to exercise now".

Look to the daily, little things for Joy, and live as if you will be dead tomarrow.

Lots of things I might have done different, chances I would have taken, might have acted a little differently at times, but any changes would have probably put me in a different place the day I first asked out my wife. In that respect, I'd tell myself to do everything exactly the same way, couldn't do without her, and wouldn't want to change the two great kids I now have!

I would tell my younger self not to have a steady boyfriend (who was 7 years older) in High School. You miss out on stuff you're supposed to experience in those four years...

Don't throw away so much on stupid Dylan. Don't try so hard to make things work when he wasn't. Don't cry over a fucking loser.
This is actually two years ago..but still. I wish I could of slapped myself now and woken up from it all. He's my biggest mistake, he ruined my trip to Austrailia and my junior year of HS.
I will always hate him for what he did to me and my state of mind.
Sorry for being bitter.

I'm 26 but here goes:

Be more determined about what you want

Don't be scared of rejection

Don't let others make you think you're not good enough

Don't sacrifice everything for someone who sacrifices nothing for you

In conflicts always keep your calm but don't be afraid to speak up

Be more dedicated and try harder for the things you love

Actions speak volumes louder than words

A person's appearance says next to nothing about who they are - don't trust 1st impressions

No matter what, always have dignity, be honest, and be your own person.

I'm on board with tippler... pretty much general advice that we as young people don't really know is REAL.

Don't take Theater 351 in your freshman year, it's not going to do you any good.
You aren't actually invincible, and if you go on, you're going to have so much more explaining to do later... which is awkward and annoying.
Don't "date" your brother's friends. Ever.
The truth will set you free - it's not just a cliche, people.

Those would be minor changes that would increase my mental healthiness... but still leave me being who I am. If I were to go crazy with this, I'd consider advising science and math courses in college, but probably not.

Going to the extreme.... I would tell my 5-year-old self to be Really Stubborn and Insistent that Daddy go to the doctor a lot for colonoscopies for the next 2 years. Really Really Really. Mom raised us to be opinionated.... I would have advised myself to be as opinionated as my 5-yr-old self could be... which was a LOT. But I would not be me now. I would not have gone into theater, I would not have met Q, I would not be me. I don't know what the value of that trade off would be, since my family would have been happier, healthier, more stable. But I am often happy with who I am, and I love my husband, and I am a strong person now. So I dunno.

I'm not 35, and for all it's worth...my advice to me...

- They might know you better than you know yourself. Don't underestimate their wisdom.

- get therapy if you have to, but damn it, learn to love yourself. It's the undiagnosed depression that's talking crap about you.

- work your ass off & find a way to make law school happen. Do it.

- He'll mellow in later years and you'll actually learn to love him.

- What you are doing right now will come back and rip your heart right from your chest...many many times over.

- Spend more time reading books instead of watching mindless TV.

- Remember how important it is to make a good first impression.

- Never say "Never".

- Nothing is impossible.

- Always use sunscreen :)

Go to the gym you fat bastard.

Go ahead and ask her out. If she says no your no worse off than not asking her.

Quit choking down Cuervo just because your friends claim to like it! Go buy some Patron moron.

Don't sell that bike. You'll miss it later.

Its alot cheaper if you don't wait 8 years between going to the dentist.

double post

Start my own business sooner & before marriage & kids. When you are single you have nothing to lose. When you are married, your decisions must factor the impact on your family. I'm not saying you cannot found a great business after you are married & childed, but you might miss out on something crazy, wild-assed, & spectacular in a direction you would have never looked if you are.

You will have a life altering experience when you are 41. I won't tell you what, because that will ruin it, it will hurt like hell but the lesson needed to be learned.
That is all.

Some of these are things that apply to me today and others go back several years. I'm 31 BTW, if it matters....

Stop being so uptight.

Respect yourself and don't try to change those who don't respect you. Just walk away and don't get tangled up in their mess.

Love yourself.

You don't have to isolate yourself and be fearful of trusting others.

Tell someone. Keeping it inside will just hurt you more.

Trust your own judgement. Indecision is just stagnation.

You don't have to go to college immediately after high school. You can go backpacking across europe. You'll regret not doing it later.

Pick one major and stick with it. You can always change your mind after you have the degree. Don't rule out community college.

Keep in touch with those you love and who love you.

It's okay to ask for help. You don't have to go it alone or try to be so strong.

Stop being so self conscious. Lots of people are worried about their image too.

You can't force someone to do the right thing.

For God's sake, quit hanging on to that junky ass car just because you like the way it rides! It'll put you several thousand dollars in debt and will take you years to pay off. Not to mention missing work because of it's craptacular unreliability.

Just remembered a very good one.

If it's too hard, it's probably not meant to be.

For myself: Don't even bother with college, after three years and 30,000 in tuition (not dorm) debt from a public four year university, you'll have nothing to show for it.

Don't do things just to meet the expectations that other people have for you.

Stay away from Jessica. Stop letting women walk all over you. Don't settle for the best you *think* you can get.

I had to do alot of thinking on this one. And I do mean alot. There are alot of things that I have now that I wouldn't have because of my mistakes. I'm 30 now and here's what I would tell my 20 year old self.

You are bipolar. You will have along time in figuring this out. No matter what you try once you find out you are, nothing will work other than medicine. Get this started and life will be alot less stressful with the constant maniac/depress swings. (and i do mean constant by 2-4 episodes in a month)

Don't run away. Tell mom and dad you're leaving. Do the marriage... have the kid.. then get out. Don't let him talk you into waiting til after Christmas to leave. Do it right then in October, not January.

Don't date Marty. Nothing good came of it. And at then end he was dangerous when you spend 6 months trying to get it through to him that you don't want to be dating anymore. But, you might have to do this anyway to get to the next step in life.

Do go back to college the second time. If you don't you'll not have met Bill. You'll spend 5 years with him. And you'll learn some very hard lessons. At the end don't let your "best friend" move in with you. That's what killed the relationship even with the "open" relationship going on. He will completely ingore you at that point when she moves in and you'll have a nervous breakdown and kick them both out of your lives.

Be strong. You'll face going to the hospital to get help after you've tried commiting suicide. You'll find peace while you're there. They will help you beyond what you think they can. Trust in the Pysch. He knows exactly how to help us and has.

To my future self, I have no idea what's to come right now. I'm slowly rebuilding my own life and trying to live MY life while helping my daughter live hers. I won't dare attempt a relationship for a least a year so I can make sure that I am confident in myself as well as have myself under control and know who I really am.

One day in 5 years...10 ... I'll come back and read this and realize that I just might have been on to something with staying relationship free til I'm ready to go again.

so u mean girls will magically work themselves out with me? great!

I'm 23 and also in my 5th year of college...I would tell my younger self to be confident. There are many times I look back on that I wish I would have stood up, spoken up, anything. Instead I sat back, shutup, and let people walk all over me.

I'm glad I'm a stronger person now :)

Invest in Google!!

No seriously. Sometimes I think about how much easier my life would have been had I used protection and not had a son at 18. I think of going away to college, having a more normal early adulthood. Being more financially secure because of it, leaving the area in which I have always lived to experience the world a little more. Basically all of the things that you kind of give up when you become a father very early.

Then, I think of how different my life would be in so many negative ways. Number one being not having an 11 year old son who is, and always will be, my best friend on Earth.

As far as money goes, some cousin or old chum is going to give you a call and want to sell you some life insureance. Tell him to fuck off. DO NOT buy a stupid fucking whole life insurance contract. Some term will do AFTER you have a wife and kids. And start putting some money away for retirement as soon as you can/

Even with that just make those mistakes and live with them. Even when you are 80 there are still things you are not going to know. If I'm 100 what would I tell my 80 year old self? You will never know it all.

Knowing this when you are young could be helpful: Being at peace, is the meaning of life.

Of course you will spend the rest of you life defining peace.:rolleyes: