What advice would you give the younger you?

[Aloha]

Sorry if this had been done.

As my kids are getting older I began to think what advice I would have listened to at their age.  Then I thought what would I tell myself if I could go back.

I not talking about investing in stocks that have skyrocketed or getting a head of the next big thing.  I'm talking about life lessons.  Personal lessons learned the hard way.  I'm talking about stuff that in some cases comes with time and experience.   

[HarleyXJGuy]

Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

While it is exciting. Doing it for thirteen years enacts a heavy till on the body.

[Smashie]

Never volunteer for anything, ever

[firiki]

Not even as tribute!?

[firiki]

Mainly I'd say try to judge with your mind instead of your feelings -don't ignore feelings but don't let them make decisions for you.

Also, be certain that certitudes can be misleading so question everything but try to avoid paranoia...

[Smashie]

Not even as tribute!?

(Image removed from quote.)

My advice directly relates to Harley's, when he CO walks into a room and says he wants volunteers, never make eye contact and make damn sure you are busy doing something else.

Seriously though. For a good cause then yes absolutely, but as long as risks don't outweigh the potential for any satisfaction from doing it or your ability to control the outcome 

[firiki]

Not even as tribute!?

(Image removed from quote.)

My advice directly relates to Harley's, when he CO walks into a room and says he wants volunteers, never make eye contact and make damn sure you are busy doing something else.

Seriously though. For a good cause then yes absolutely, but as long as risks don't outweigh the potential for any satisfaction from doing it or your ability to control the outcome 

Military service is compulsory over here and I knew what you meant right away. I agree on both counts 

[Smashie]

It wasn't compulsory for me, I volunteered

[AimlessWanderer]

Sorry if this had been done.

As my kids are getting older I began to think what advice I would have listened to at their age.  Then I thought what would I tell myself if I could go back.

I not talking about investing in stocks that have skyrocketed or getting a head of the next big thing.  I'm talking about life lessons.  Personal lessons learned the hard way.  I'm talking about stuff that in some cases comes with time and experience.   

Buy a house, not a boat

Just because you can fix problems that other people apparently can't, doesn't mean you necessarily have to

Don't take on more responsibility than is comfortable, remembering that what may be comfortable short term, may not be comfortable longer term

It's perfectly fine to want to stay single no matter what pressures may come from others

Enjoying your income is great, just make sure you have a plan in case that income stops/drops

All people are idiots, even yourself - no exceptions!

What people ask for isn't necessarily what they want or need. Listen to what they're not saying as much as what they are saying. Remember they are idiots, just like you, but not necessarily in the same way. Different misconceptions, different pressures, different aversions, different heirarchy of needs. Taking time to understand first, could save everyone frustration and disappointment later.

No matter how hard you graft to make something magnificent, someone will use less energy and less passion to totally cock it up at any given point in the future. Be prepared to accept that. Everyone is an idiot, it's just that some are better at being an idiot than others.

Everything has two costs. The cost of doing/buying/saying something (or whatever other verb applies), and the opposing cost of not undertaking that action. The cost may be financial, time, emotional, trust, or something else entirely. Examine both costs before making your decision.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Not even as tribute!?

(Image removed from quote.)

My advice directly relates to Harley's, when he CO walks into a room and says he wants volunteers, never make eye contact and make damn sure you are busy doing something else.

Seriously though. For a good cause then yes absolutely, but as long as risks don't outweigh the potential for any satisfaction from doing it or your ability to control the outcome 

This.

[bdAmmo]

Go to college and continue education right away.  I took a nice long break after high school and have found that school is much more difficult for me now than it probably would have been if I'd just stuck with it when I was younger.

[moonweasel]

Don't believe everything you think.

And look after your damn knees.

[Steinar]

Take your studies more seriously, also, learn to study.

It'll work out, some way or another.

In regards to other people, don't leave stuff unsaid or not done. Either they will die, or you will.

[ColoSwiss]

People don't want advise; they want praise. Don't ever tell them they're doing something wrong, unless serious damage or injury is imminent.

If something isn't working out, don't be afraid to try something else.

[ColoSwiss]

With regard to Harley and Smashie…

[Alan K.]

I would tell younger me to join the military right out of high school when I was still fit and healthy, because life would be easier today if I had veteran's benefits coming to me, and I would tell younger me don't waste your time going to college because you're not likely to ever get a job where the education makes a difference, and an apprenticeship in operating heavy equipment or the merchant marine would have netted a higher paying career with greater job satisfaction and considerably less frustration and aggravation.

[HarleyXJGuy]

With regard to Harley and Smashie…

I have been that Staff Sergeant at more then one point in my career.

[captain spaulding]

I would tell my young self a few things.


If you want something go and get it. No one is ever going to just give it to you. On the same note nothing is unobtainable.  If you want it bad enough you will find a way.

Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is the most effective way of learning.

Planning and scheduling. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

[Zephon]

Do not close that time deposit account.

Yes, go buy a house.

Yes, you should have bought a car with that money.



..oh, and buy the biggest Star Wars Lego set you can afford (example: Lego 7965 Millennium Falcon)

[magentus]

Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

While it is exciting. Doing it for thirteen years enacts a heavy till on the body.

You should definitely use one of those parachutes all the cool kids are talking about.

[N_N_R]

Actually, don't waste your nerves and life on high-school, secondary school, primary school. (I did lots of hard work there and regret it, to be honest, the final grade was just a small part of what bumped me up to college). Do what's right and don't give it that much thought.

Do good, but don't expect gratitude, just do it because it's right.

Don't expect good from family just because it's FaMiLy. Accept that people are different.

Don't blame yourself for your parents'/adults' problems.

[Eyegor]

Take better care of your stuff. Even if it is just nostalgia you will want that stuff in 20-30 years.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I think about this a lot.  I dwell on an awful lot of failures in my life, probably a lot more than I should. 

I also wasted a lot of my youth waiting for the right opportunity to present itself to me to make me a multimillionaire.  I felt the world owed me, and the only reason I wasn't getting ahead was because no one trusted me because I had long hair or didn't go to college.  So the most valuable piece of advice I could give a younger version of me is to not wait for a big break, earn your breaks in life.

Following up on that, I had convinced myself that I couldn't do many of the things I wanted to do because I wasn't big enough, strong enough (very small, scrawny kid), wasn't smart or educated enough, wasn't tough enough etc.  That the people that succeeded at the things I wanted to do were somehow different than me and that enabled them to do these things, and that I was inferior.  That thought was my inferiority, and I have missed out on many things in life, both professionally and personally, that still haunt me to this day.  All because I didn't take the shot, I lacked the confidence.

In summation, do things, don't wait for something to happen, and do the things you think you can't do, because the people that do those things aren't any different than you are.

Def

[in_sympathy]

Oh, good question . I'd tell myself to keep doing whatever I started and to leave nothing undone. Also to screw all that empty and meaningless "cool" bulls|it around and to learn, study and learn a bit more. Yep, something like that.


------------
Dream. Wish. Leave nothing undone. Repeat.

[Sea Monster]

look after your damn knees.

Yeah, that'll do it.



Take what you can, give nothing back.

Never become complacent.

Set traps.

[Smashie]

On a more serious note

"It's ok to look back, but don't stare"

[gregozedobe]

Plan and prepare for the future, don't beat yourself up over decisions made in the past.

[s1xty7]

Throughout my lifetime, I've been given lots of great advice that went completely unheeded until I went through the situation myself.

I'd warn my younger self about that, but my younger self wouldn't listen.

Along the same lines, you don't appreciate what you have or what you can do until it is gone.  For example, when I was younger I could heal in just a couple of days.  Now a cut takes a week to heal.  I'm becoming increasingly aware that my skills, abilities, and body are degrading over time.  Youth is wasted on the young.  What I am losing in ability, I need to compensate for with wisdom and cunning.  There is coming a time where that will no longer be enough.  With that said, I am also realizing that there are only a handful of things in life which are important and the rest is fluff.  Take care of yourself and your family.  Enjoy the time you have with them while you can.  Are you ever going to look back at the time spent working late on that report someone wanted or would you look back on the time spent with family and friends?

Sorry.  Got a little off topic.

[kirk13]

I wouldn't waste my time trying to talk to myself,I'd never listen