I’m young and don’t know what I wanna do with my life. I know tons of guys that had tons of potential that were never much more than average in any way.
So to the guys that could’ve been, and the ones that made it, what would you do if you could’ve tried it all again? Doesn’t matter if it’s money, girls, or anything else.
If you could start all over at 18, what would you do
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Here’s an original copy of /u/Electronic_Gas2111’s post (if available):
I’m young and don’t know what I wanna do with my life. I know tons of guys that had tons of potential that were never much more than average in any way.
So to the guys that could’ve been, and the ones that made it, what would you do if you could’ve tried it all again? Doesn’t matter if it’s money, girls, or anything else.
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Work out. Take up skiing earlier. Invest. Stop focusing on women.
Invest differently.
Don’t get fat, practice social skills more so I don’t end up screwed at 31, and go to uni.
Those three things would drastically change me from the loser I am today to a better person.
Stop thinking about girls and go for a career in the trades. Change careers often
Invest consistently even if it’s in a managed account or an etf index so you don’t have to research
Been braver when it came to relationships and travel
Studied even harder in college
Gotten in better shape in college
Played less video games
Fall to my knees and tearfully thank whatever entity was responsible.
Be more physically active and go into Engineering instead of Nursing.
If you’re going to school and going to be in debt, study something that you know will have a strong job market for the next decade at least. I know you can’t predict the future but you can set yourself up for success if you research properly. Don’t fall into the trap of doing what you love.
Find something that makes good money and will have a job growth/demand.
Another thing, this is the age of stupidity. Have fun but don’t do anything that might jeopardize your long term future.
Save at least 10% of every I earn starting in 1990 when turned 18.
Although, I do have an awesome collection of CDs from the 90s.
Not focusing on money so much. And putting my dreams first and trying them and not listening to partners or parents when they say “ their is no money to be made and you do want to have a nice lifestyle don’t you.”I would be a chef now or an artist. And even if everyone would hate my work I wouldn’t care because it makes me happy. So I guess do what you like and get happiness from. But maybe I am wrong 😅
Focus more on my education and learn a trade or two. Quit music.
Military
Assuming a rule set where I don’t remember stock/picks and crypto gain:
Enlist at 18 in the Airforce in something technical with a clearance. Do my 20 for retirement/VA healthcare (while aggressively investing what I can in those 20 years). Get out at 38. Do contract work civilian side for 7 to 10 years.
Permanently retire at 45 to 48 years old with healthcare covered.
Airforce is the best path for minimizing the bullshit of military life.
Stayed living with my parents as long as possible, actually sat down and figured out what I want to do with my life instead of just shrugging it off while I simultaneously flunk out of college due to chasing ass and partying.
Personally, I would NOT have: Gone into corrections, followed shortly by joining the Army.
Here’s some life advice from a guy not too much older than you but has just enough experience to give. Looking at people you graduate with, everyone who turns out to be a “has-been”, or “could’ve been”, none of that shit matters. The guy in my school who got the accolade “Most likely to become President” ended up hooked on drugs and taking his own life 3 years after we graduated.
Potential this, potential that, it doesn’t matter. Set up some short term goals, things that you can tangibly accomplish between now and 6 months to a year, some medium term goals, stuff that’s like 2 years out, and then long term goals 5-10 years away. Once you hit like, 21, 5-10 years isn’t a very long time. Don’t be surprised when you miss some or all of these goals or you find that they’re constantly changing. You’re young, it’s fine. I was 25 when I realized that the most fulfillment I’ll ever have out of life is having my own family to take care of, love, and provide for, so everything I do is anchored around that and nothing else matters. I will happily work myself into the grave at some piece of shit job I hate if it means my children and my wife live comfortably. Tons of people don’t want that and want something else, that’s fine.
Whatever you do, don’t buy into these dumbass influencers trying to sell you some kind of lifestyle or telling you that you should lock yourself in a gym for 10 years and all women are bad or whatever.
Graduate from high school and go to college for music production and audio engineering and remain single
Can I go back to when I was 13 instead of
I wish I’d put more effort into my education. I’m one of those guys that had ‘tons of potential’, was really gifted with a good brain for learning; but because of how easy it was for me to understand everything in grade school, I stopped putting any effort into education. I could pass all the tests without studying anyway, so why waste my afternoons?
Let me tell you, being gifted with a great natural grasp of the easy topics taught in school doesn’t help with more advanced engineering and physics, that is where education is really beneficial; but because I’d been forced through grade school that basically had taught me nothing other than “school is wasting my time”, I never went into any higher grade education.
At 36 I have definitely learned that natural intelligence can only take you so far. Stay in school.
Invest in Bitcoin.
Something different than what everyone else is saying. Find yourself, if you don’t think you like something do it a few times to confirm it. If you don’t do things later in life you might get FOMO or regret not trying things. Say yes to almost everything and anything, lots of nights I didn’t want to go out and now pushing 27 most friends are settling down and I regret not doing more dumb shit with them. Do anything and everything you can within reason, don’t give up life changing opportunities or relationships to do an activity obviously but if there’s no conflicts do it because that’s living life. 18-21 I grinded hard hung out with lazy degenerates and when I turned 21 Covid hit locked me down for a year or two and started a serious relationship then. After lockdowns lifted more or less I wasn’t going out at all really, missed a lot of stories my friends talk about and now those opportunities are fewer and farther between. Feels like I’m at 27 and haven’t really done a lot other than finish college and get a job. But college years weren’t at all the college experience, now I feel weird for missing out on it but it doesn’t really appeal to me? Just gonna be a missed opportunity which is ok but still kinda sucks
Workout consistently. Not go into debt, save save save. Invest & take calculated risks. Don’t let fear or insecurities stop you from reaching your potential in whatever you wanna do be it career, girls, etc
Don’t loan women money, don’t be their friend if you want sex with them, fire back at abuse from supervisors, learn a trade.
Don’t commit crimes. Get in shape before going to prison.
Realized studying in college wasn’t really that important and chose a 2 year school over 4 year since I went back to school when I was 30 at a tech. school.
Also…
slept with more girls in college
dumped my toxic girlfriend when I was 19.
realized that life is everchanging and you never ‘make it.’ I’m now 46, make 150K/year, own a home, great credit, etc… and feel shitty most days.
no drugs or alcohol.
I would have let myself date people that liked and stopped fearing being locked down too early. I would have studied harder and targeted skills that would get me employed in the areas of the country that I wanted to live. I would drink a lot less, smoke a lot less pot, and focus on things that make you feel happy and healthy in the long term.
Ok so I keep all my knowledge from now right? That means I keep all my skills too then right? In that case I’m using all the skills I’ve spent years cultivating to look like a phenom at everything I care about. I’ll skip college, become an instant senior in my field, and make bank with no debt. My ass will be retired by 30.
I’d learn a trade, get a job working in that field to pay for my college, and with half of the extra I’d invest in mutual funds, once done with school and still being young with no debts, I’d take my trade job down to just weekends or part time and invest that whole paycheck for a few years. This will not make me rich fast but will keep growing and I would be able to retire young
Drink less, smoke less, exercise more, eat better, turn fewer women away, communicate to my friends that I want to spend more time together sober doing fun things, and not give up on learning new skills so easily.
Education, relocation, emotional stability.
Education – Get one, be intentional, be able to monetize your knowledge. Learn about eating and health, learn your body and it’s needs both physically and nutritionally.
Relocation – Find a climate/area/place/zone etc where you “feel” right. Go there, figure out a way.
Emotional stability – Love, allow others to love you, build community, reduce strife, help others, never forget that asking for help makes us strong not weak.
Life is a fantastic journey, be/stay curious.
are you rich? I ask this to determine whether you need to work or whether you can do volunteer opportunities that you enjoy.
Seek out a trade and skip being $1000’s in debt. Commit to saving now for retirement, even if you just put $50/month in an IRA. Small investment early, beats large investment late. And put it in a Roth account (IRA or 401k). It goes in after tax, but every dime of earnings comes out tax free!
Forget about girls or at least getting serious with one for now. Any relationship you get into in your teens and early 20’s is most likely going to sidetrack you from your goals and may get you stuck in something you’re not ready for emotionally or financially. WEAR A CONDOM if you must, even if she’s on birth control.
Have fun too! Dedicate time for hobbies and some travel when you can. Work on developing real friendships with other men. As you get older it’s more difficult. I have close friends dating back to grade school. They’re my brothers now, uncles to my kids. I’m quite blessed and lucky. Most men don’t have this.
I’d have made the gym a habit earlier – but back then, there wasn’t really any internet, and certainly not YouTube, to teach any of the basic lifts (squat, deadlift, shoulder and bench press), so I wouldn’t have known what to do there and probably wasted time doing bicep curls all the time.
I would have become a Catholic much sooner.
And I’d have gone straight into nursing as soon as I could. Safe job, rewarding job, well-paying job.
I’m a Xennial, so I would go into computer science, particularly web design, and earn my fortune during the initial tech bubble.
Now? I’d probably choose robotics. AI is going to wreak havoc on any number of traditional positions going forward, so I would be trying to future proof myself.
Work less in my 20s.
Make better partner choices.
Travel more.
A whole lot of loose women
Enjoy your early years. Life and age will catch up to you before you know it, and then you’ll have missed put on memories.
Ask that girl out. You’re going to be rejected, and it’s going to suck, but it’s worth it.
Improve yourself. Read books, shower, moisturize, exercise, eat right, and take classes that have more women than men (dance classes will impress women 100 times more than your bench numbers)
Don’t be afraid to look foolish. You don’t learn without putting yourself in new and uncomfortable spots, so get out there and make mistakes
Be kind
NEVER GET MARRIED!
I would learn everything I could about personal finance and building wealth. I’d also be more serious about my studies so I could get through school as quick as I could so I could begin building a career.
Instead, I was focused on finding a girlfriend, marrying her, and starting a family. We struggled for way too long because I did it out of order. I got laid off two years ago and am having to rely on my meager retirement savings to support us in a garbage job market.
I was in the beginning of my first, and only relationship at that age. A lot of behaviors to change. Really think hard about where you see yourself honestly being in the future, not just hopefully.
Also my diet. Multiple cans of soda every day on top of large plates of things like breaded chicken, spaghetti etc made me obese, and I didn’t start changing all that until my mid twenties.
Take care of your body, diet and exercise
Not drive so carelessly on my motorcycle so I could get my CDL at 21 instead of 24, Id also not marry my ex and never respond to her first messages. Id safe a lot more money.
I would take over the farm.
Lose weight sooner
Be healthier. Less mj, more stretching. Less TV, less isolation.
I’d be more active in school, more invested in work and leadership activities.
I’d be more outgoing and nurture friendships with men and women.
Beyond that, I wouldn’t change much. I like my job, my family, etc. Wouldn’t trade any of it.
Plan for the future.
What do you want your life to look like in 20 years?
I wish I planned for the future, like at all.
Some of it depends on what year it is when I am starting over at 18. Do I start over at 18 in 2025, or do I start over at 18 the same year I was 18, in 1989/90?
Some things would not be dependent on the year. For example, I would do everything I could to live as frugally as possible and avoid the temptations to spend money on frivolous things that seemed so important when I was 18. I don’t need expensive clothes, to have a nice car, or to eat out a lot. I would focus my studies on math, science, and technology (STEM), and when not in school, I would have worked as hard as possible and lived as cheaply as possible, putting as much money away in retirement savings and investments as possible.
If I could go back to 18 in ’89/90, there are a couple of girls I would ask out, instead of being too chicken to do so. I have no idea if things would have worked out or not, and maybe they would say no. But at least I wouldn’t have the failure to ask hanging over my head all these years later. I would have enlisted in the Air Force, as I almost did, instead of going to college right away. I was definitely not ready for college right out of high school and I think a few years doing some hard work in the military would have done me some good.
Work out as much as I do now.
Not go to college, it’s a waste of time and money and led to one of the most traumatic events in my life. If I still go I’d probably go for something that won’t be suffering now.
Get into a trade (electrician its the most interesting one I looked at) while I’m still able bodied.
Date more but assert my boundaries more. For various reasons including wanting to be better established I didn’t date much in my 20s. I really should have tried living life more while I could.
I’d drink way less. I’d also be a little less nervous of rejection and just talk to women I like. Most importantly I’d be more kind and forgiving towards myself.
Hopefully work out my sexuality and have a better time of it all. Maybe not marry to try and be ‘normal’.
Go straight into an apprenticeship for a trade instead of the circuitous route I took of ->college student->warehouse worker->male stripper/landscaper->accountant->plant maintenance mechanic. It wasn’t all bad – I met my wife in school – but a lot of unnecessary steps too.
I would jump straight into trades. I’m a carpenter right now and own my own business building decks, but I didn’t start until my mid 20’s. That extra 5 years of experience would be super useful since all the old farts I learned from keep dying off.
Followed my passions. For I would be earning the same by now, and for my mental sake I’d be enjoying it too.
Do absolutely everything you can to be happy with your life. Being dull just kills you from the inside out.
Study harder, put more money aside and don’t touch it. Make that “one day I’ll do that” a dream/goal and work towards it. See my grandparents more. Take life a little less seriously. Ask that girl on a date. Sleep under the stars more.
Start going gym. Make my life feel like hell back then, because really, it isn’t. Stress yourself out about staying up all night studying for exams so you can go to the beach the next day.
Everything is easier if you start at a young age.
Like the old investment saying “the best time to start was yesterday second best time to start is now”
If you need braces, get them, join clubs at that age.
No one judges you more than yourself. Take care of your health and it will pay you back in the future.
So many things I would’ve done.
It was like $100 USD for bitcoin back then I never held onto any because I didn’t see it as a tradable investment, rather simply a currency I was using to make dumb online purchases.
3 year contract in the Army instead of 5 years in the Marines.
Never touch drugs. Start working out earlier.
First off I would be really pissed that I had to be a college freshman all over again in 1978. While I really enjoyed meeting my wife in college, I have no interest in taking Calculus ever again, or Chemistry, or Accounting, or…..
But assuming I could skip class and focus on that cute girl in the second semester English class, there are lots of things I would have loved to have started earlier.
But Apple in 1980. Buy Microsoft in 1986, and know Google and Amazon and bitcoin were coming.
Hell, if I spent less than$10k each on both Apple and Microsoft when they had their initial IPOs, I would have $89 million now.
Start learning how to play guitar.
Make better decisions about saving money earlier.
I would need to do the exact same things I have done so far, at least up until 2021, when my youngest Daughter was born.
God, it would be hellish having to wait 3 years to meet my wife! And then not pretending to know her for another 6 months, before meeting in a different class in college.
Being 18yo man in 2025? I’m cooked big time.
Avoid Maria like the plague.
That’s a long list, but if I could point to one thing I’d do differently, I’d be more daring.
More brave, more willing to take chances. That would change my life for the better.
Be much more indepedent and brave at 18-22. Party more, experiment and meet as many people are possible. Go to College at 18 instead of 23. Then at 23 I would have gotten it out of my system, but I started College at 23 and have been sort of behind this entire time.
1)Realize that you either bust your ass now or work three times as hard later.
don’t spend money on stupid things. You don’t need an expensive___.
stay in shape. It’s much harder to get into shape when you’re older.
invest. Save money for retirement early.
Stay in Air Force and be close to retirement
Oh snap.
Like your 18th Birthday? Cause mine comes off a fucking doozy of birthday eve.
Birthday eve was my school’s junior/senior Prom. I had typically taken this girl K to school dances but I was dumb, and even though she had been going with me I thought she wasn’t interested and my friends were interested in her. So my buddy convinces me M is a friend of his girl and wants to go with me.
So I ask M to prom and my friend D asks her and they end up hooking up.
I drive me and M and two other couples to dinner, to prom, to after prom, back to one of the fam’s places.
Yeah, after prom ends, clock ticks over to my birthday as I’m driving three prom couples to the four seasons. My date bails on me for her junior ex from my school. I don’t know how to handle it. Didn’t wanna ruin the night. So I drove me plus the six of THEM off, took a quick nap in the car, then bailed.
Those friends were toxic af.
If this started when the clock hit midnight? Knowing what I know from history? I’d have bailed on everyone and told K that I’d always been hers and dealt with those consequences.
I’d probably be better off today, even if that failed.
do i go back in time? or is it 18 and modern day?
Second one i’m flat our refusing… end me or let me be old.
Back in time… stop drinking immediately, save my family and friends a couple years of awfulness. then…. fuck knows.. i still don’t have any kind of clue what i wanna do.. maybe i’d have taken cycling more seriously and tried to hop on early youtube or something.
Saved money so that in 2009 I could buy a lot of Apple stock
I would be born 18 years earlier than I was previously. The world is ACTUALLY going to shit now lol
I ain’t peak in high school, I’m still out here getting cuter.
Just remember, the average life span of a male in the US is 78. That’s 78 winters, springs, summers. Enjoy life. Also take care of your self. If you meet the right person, start a family. I used to focus on money and certs. But you know what really matters, when you son looks up at you and is singing because he is happy and says he loves you. Life gets hard, but dont rush it. We are all going to the same place.
I’d say the only major change I’d make is to not wait for the natural order of things, because it doesn’t really exist.
“I should wait until I learn this or that in college before I really dive into it” is a total waste of time.
Turns out you can probably just do anything, and waiting around for other people to tell you how, even if you’re literally paying them too, is a waste of time.
I’d have gotten to the success I’m at now a lot quicker if I had just started my career at 18 instead of waiting to graduate.
I wouldn’t start over. The socially awkward kid from the past metamorphosed into the self-assured man I am today through my experiences. I had failings and I’ve stumbled any number of times, but I wouldn’t have been refined as a person without them.
Id go into trades. Maybe electrician. By now, I could’ve been multi millionaire, with own business, and working half time each week, as a master electrician.
But, honestly any trade would probably be just as good.
From there, id invest everything extra into dividend stocks. I wasn’t too much of a spender when I was younger, I just couldn’t find out what path to take back then. So, I was very lost. I ended up joining the military, which was great. It just wasn’t lucrative. I spent far too long after wishing I could’ve found better.
Moderation.
Fitness.
Invest.
Learn.
Shoulda bought the duplex at 21. I’m 29 now it was for sake for 250k todays it’s roughly 550 this is in RI
I did not know I could just like, go to school and have other people pay for it until very recently. I mean I have to pay that money back but since nobody gives autistic people jobs I plan on just becoming the most qualified bum at centrelink🤔
So, to answer your question, I’d go to school🤔
nothing yolo
I would take a hard look at what my best interests were and set a goal. I’ve done fairly well but I could have done better if I used some sober thought. Find a mentor to guide you of you can.
Start an exercise and running plan sooner. Become a pilot sooner. Join AFROTC in college. Travel more. Spend money on experiences, skills, and tangible hobbies, not stupid shit. Talk to women and ask them out and be brave about it, and not get hung up on it.
Get into a job I enjoy whilst I can afford to be on a lower wage, spent many years wishing for a new job but couldn’t afford the pay cut due to mortgage and kids to pay for.
It did turn out OK in the end, have a job I really enjoy and get paid more now, but was very lucky to make that jump and took over a decade.
I wouldn’t have gone to college for something I could have learned by working.
When people talk about “alternatives” to college, they often talk about building trades. Electrical, plumbing, carpentry etc.
But, you can make a good living in the restaurant industry, and you can get in on the ground floor just as easily as you can get in as a plumbing apprentice at 18. Possibly easier.
Start working on personal training and set myself up for an early retirement.
As the varied answers here amply demonstrate, the advice is highly dependent on specific situations and specific things people identify as mistakes they made.
I did a lot of things right: studied, great grades, good career path, didn’t marry till after 30. But oh boy, did I make some big mistakes too!
With the wisdom of several decades since I was 18, and having helped four children navigate growing up, I would change the following:
I would seek out whatever free therapy I could get through my university to work through childhood trauma from a mentally and occasionally physically abusive and mean father as well as the long affair he had (causing war with my beleaguered mother, but not divorce).
I would work on recognizing when I was acting selfishly and not in my long term interests in relationships of all kinds. I would nurture male friendships with the hope than many would last a lifetime (a few have!) and be more kind and forgiving of female love/lust interests instead of seeing romantic relationships through the prism of my parents’ awful marriage;
I would study investing and learn to invest wisely from an early age. I was already a worker and saver (an instinctual reaction to my father’s use of money as a weapon), but I did not know how to wisely invest
I would never get into debt. As I got older, I would consider debt only for a house likely to appreciate in value — and never go on debt for a depreciating asset (like a car). Re-read this. The other stuff may not be applicable to you if you had a happy childhood. But debt can make everyone’s life harder.
I would not rush through university and grad school to get to a desk job. I would take gap years, travel, try my hand at jobs with no future for me (tending bar, etc) but that allowed me to travel.
I would do pre-marital counseling with a real couples therapist (not a minister) and listen to the advice.
I would nurture my marriage better in the first few years. My marriage is good now (just one!) but I made it hard at times before I figured out my sh*t.
Keep in mind that at 18, you won’t always make the best decisions. Try to avoid big mistakes (addiction, driving drunk, flunking out) and be forgiving of yourself for the smaller ones. Use them as learning experiences.
Live your life fearlessly but wisely. Visit your grandparents. They won’t always be here. Have some fun. Take some chances, ask that girl to hang out, organize something with your buddies. You miss every shot you don’t take.
No fat chicks
I was working at a hotel and loved it. I would have put off going to University because I had no idea what I wanted to study and stayed in the hotel and tried to work my way up. I would love to be working in hotels right now.
Not got drunk the night with Naomi and Ciera 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
You don’t need to be anything more than ‘average.’ Just fulfilled
I wouldnt really change much until i was like 23 or so. I went to college with a degree i really enjoyed, friends loved, and a place i wish was still home. After that it gets more complicated, but that’s a pretty solid plan
There was no way my life was going to continue without me joining the military. I was either going to end up in prison for killing my mom or dead. Assuming I keep my memories and personality I have now id enlist for Canada, get my citizenship, marry my wife still, and get out before all of THIS happens
Become either a water welder or an electrician. My brain is wired wrong for school.
Do something that will pay the bills, not something that will “make you happy”.
Funny, as it turns out, not everything that makes you happy will put food on the table.
Take care of your body and liive healthy, set long plan to follow, 10 years is best. Imagine what kind of life do you want to live 10 years later and make a plan to achieve it
I wouldn’t have given up on my A-Levels. I wouldn’t have stayed with the same partner as now were getting divorced. I’d go the gym. I’d be more social. I’d listen to myself a lot more and be more vocal on what matters to me. I’d have learned to drive and I’d have travelled a bit more.
Definitely pay more attention to my studies. And contact Paul Allen and get 10% of Microsoft.
Be more confident in myself. Be a bit less shy, even. Maybe shave my head a year earlier or so.
That puts me into 1978 so I’d be investing like a bandit. Apple, Microsoft, Gold, Nvidia, Intel etc. I’d be rich … rich I tells ya!
Wouldn’t of smoked so much weed, would start learning how to day trade instantly
Stop spending my entire paycheck on tobacco and beer
I would have fucked that girl when she offered, I stead of letting my nerves take control.
I don’t know what I could do, I had an accident that led to my TBI when I was 17 and was in the hospital until a few weeks before my 18th birthday, that year until my 19th was a year of recovery for me.
If OP is saying if that didn’t happen what would I have most likely done?:
-Asked out my Jewish crush if I could take her as my prom date. There would be a chance that she would decline my offer. And I would probably take it on the chin and hang out with my bros during the event.
-Start off on my journey into becoming a firefighter for my city, once I graduated.
That’s about it, though. I’m not The Watcher or someone who could peer into multiple timelines. I just think that I would be more confident & comfortable.
Join the Marine Corps on my 18th birthday. Also tell a lot more people to go to Hell.
I’d start a YouTube and stop talking to people from highschool. Never been used more in my life then by people I knew as a child
Not date that girl. Take better care of my health and mental health
If you focus on yourself women will come, if you focus on women, they will come and they will go. Literally and figuratively. Finding out what type of person you are at the root of it all is way more impactful than trying to be the type of person you think people around you expect you to be. In ten years you will talk to one out of the twenty people you were “best friends with” in college.
Wouldn‘t do engineering
Not join the military, read books on pickup and dealing with women (lot of wasted potential and missed opportunities there). Start lifting weights and getting into self defense sooner for self confidence. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten married, still wouldn’t have gone to college or had children and probably would have gotten into the flight attendant career field because I believe it is just the type of lifestyle I would have loved.
Buy more amazon stocks
I joined the military at 18, and really enjoyed my career as an Infantry NCO, especially that most of my time was in a very specialized, elite (but still conventional) type of unit.
BUT, in hindsight, I would have either went to special forces selection or got my bachelors and tried for flight school. I feel I left potential on the table because I got comfortable. Tons of guys would have loved to have my career, so I am thankful for the things I did accomplish. But I could have done more.
So, my biggest piece of advice to you would be, don’t get comfortable in your career. When you find that you’ve fully settled into the position you are in- immediately look for an exit to move to something bigger or greater. Only exception to this is, once you have a family, they become the priority. You cannot get back the time missed with your children, and that is far more valuable (assuming your family is living with reasonable comfort and security).
Also, spend time with your parents. As much as you can, assuming you have a good relationship. In my mid 40’s and both of mine are gone. Still feels like their passing left a void that cannot be filled.
Probably not snort that OxyContin in Eric’s basement that one time
i would have invested my money; i hate that a little investing could have gone such a far way for me and now i’m SOL.
I would avoid substances and the people who partake in them, I’d study a trade or at least try harder to get steady work, and I would take my health & mental wellbeing more seriously before it’s too late.
Invest more in my retirement fund!
Grind harder in undergrad. I got the job I wanted anyway, so I know I have a good avenue to explore there, but I want to see what other doors I can open.
Get into dancing and weightlifting earlier.
Don’t waste time fixating on women at this age. But if I follow the same career path and meet one in particular that I never did anything with the first time around…maybe try her again.
I had a much later relationship that was the best of my life…but I can’t assume it would happen again this time around. And the ethics of starting a relationship on false pretenses (pretend like you don’t already intimately know the person) are doubtful. So unfortunately I have to let that one go.
The butterfly effect will probably make sure a friend of mine doesn’t get maimed in a car accident this time around…but just in case, I’ll make sure to be at the time and place to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Invest sooner. $TSLA, Bitcoin, etc.
Work harder in college, party less. Not rack up a gargantuan credit card bill. Exercise more, do yoga, quit smoking. Put more into my IRA, and savings. Not think the world is ending because you were dumped by that redhead. If I knew what the future would bring – invest in Apple stock until 2012, and then put everything in Bitcoin.
Depends. Do I still end up with my kids? Not interested in doing anything that changes that. The thought of it gives me a small panic attack.
I’ve thought about the question you’ve asked many times before: what would I do if I could start over again at some age. The answer depends on whether I would start over again back when I was 18 or if I was 18 again today.
If I started over again all those years ago when I was 18 there’s a lot of things I wish I’d done differently, but my quandary is that there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t want to change for fear of making things worse. But perhaps that’s actually part of the problem, I’ve often taken the safe path instead of taking more chances. I was lucky enough to go to college when it was much cheaper that it compared to today, but I wish I would have worked harder and not become as distracted by college life. After college I should have worked harder at finding a better job. The way things worked out I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time to wind up with jobs where I learned a lot and did well, but there’s been lean years too.
If I started over again at 18 today, I’d still do college in the technical fields that most interest me. I’d try to find internships during the summers with companies in my fields of interest. The reason I mention internships is that I’ve had to opportunity to work with interns the past few years, some were actually hired or stand a very good chance of being hired. One thing I know now that I didn’t at 18 is that making connections is more important that I’d ever thought.
You say that you don’t know what you want to do with your life. What are the things that interest you the most which have practical value or where you have practical skills? By practical, I mean things that can more easily be used in a job, such as technical skills or deep interests which can lead to bankable jobs. Few people have the luxury to not have to work for a living, so it’s best to focus on a path that will lead to job where you can support yourself.
There’s an old saying that goes something like this:
>Everyone has three jobs: the job they are best at, the job where they make the most money, and the job they love. If you can align two of those you’re doing very well; If you can align all three, you’ve got it made.
With luck, you’ll have each of those jobs at least once in your life.
Best of luck…
Invest little by little, start actively saving up as much as possible for a large down payment on a house, find a cheap/free hobby, and don’t forget to have fun once in a while cuz life goes faster when you think it’s going slower
Socialize more, play video games a lot less
Invest in blue chip stock for the dividends and diversity! Every penny not going towards living expenses would go to investments to grow that portfolio. Setup the dividend reinvestment so it automatically just grows in the background. Skip day trading!
I wouldn’t limit my understanding of education to a classroom environment because I would be downloading Udemy courses and spending a day at the University library reading books, talking to other kids, (no one would care if you’re a student or not). I would discipline myself to expand my mind on the subject of religion and be less religious and more spiritual.
I would be more discerning in my close relationships, be kinder to others openly and pay attention to people smarter than me while learning to speak to them on their level. I would understand that future me will thank me for working hard and doing what needs to be done.
Personally I’d work out, invest less and spend less money going out regularly and direct it all on travel. You may think you have all the time in the world to do things but you could run out of time tomorrow
Not smoke.
I’d just die. It’s been a rough struggle to get to where I am. Would prefer not to live through it again.
I wouldnt, but if i had to start over. Id join the military or get into a trade job. Either heavy machine operator or electrician. Because by now id be making great money. And wouldnt have had to struggle as much as i have
Get a hobby that isn’t just sitting around playing video games.
Invest nearly everything I could in dividend stocks and retire at 30
Don’t settle down with someone early on.
Your 20s is supposed a period in your life where you take risks, visit places you’ve never been, work on your desired hobbies, just enjoy where you’re at and live in the moment.
Because once you settle down or start to have a family, you’re going to be tied up so much that you won’t have any time to yourself and do all the things you wanted to.
I’ve made this mistake early on, and wished I can rewind to do the things I’ve missed out on before settling.
Do something creative every day, even if you suck at it. Hard times will come and go and finding an outlet while they’re here is so incredibly important.
Keep one car and drive it into the ground! Buying a new car every few years was such a waste of money.
Pursue any and all interests. Don’t worry about stupid girls. They will be there.
Move around while you can.
Do everything while you can.
Save money better.
Take college at an easier pace, and not immediately after high school.
Don’t focus on other people that includes relationships or “ finding the one”
Focus completely on yourself, reject a couple people on the way, give YOURSELF a chance.
What’s meant to be will be.
If I can go back to 18 this is what I would tell myself. I love my kids with all my heart, they saved my life- but I wish I could have experienced life in my twenties without being in a toxic relationship. If I knew then what I know now I would have been unstoppable, mentally. I’ve had to pick myself up so many times, it’s natural now. But now I’m hesitant to allow people in, I don’t trust people.
I would focus on my career, hobbies, having fun with friends, traveling, concerts, nature, working out, complete and utterly yourself. At the end of the day you need to be whole and secure. Putting your focus into anyone else’s life or drama is the downfall of so many people.
Stop being afraid of what people think of you. 18 isn’t the time to impress others. That’s the time to impress yourself. Think of the man you want to be everyday, and take a step towards that. Whatever it is, work for it. Don’t let anybody tell you it isn’t possible, it isn’t worth it, or it isn’t for you.
Regrets most often come from the people we meet and that we didn’t get closer to, or got too close to. Value yourself, and others, and stay away from people who talk down about others, or you.
Lastly, when something feels intimidating, but your gut is telling you to do it, don’t hesitate. Take that step and do it. The things that require you to step out of your comfort zone are the things often worth the discomfort.
I barely graduated high school, entered college, got kicked out of college (piss poor GPA) worked a shit job, joined the air force, served my full enlistment, got out, got a job fixing trucks, it didn’t pay, started an apprenticeship in a skilled trades union, became a journeyman skilled trade mechanic, learned to fix nearly anything, became a full time instructor. Only thing I would change, is begin investing when I was younger instead of spending money on stupid shit. Outside of that, no regrets. Even getting kicked out of college was a valuable life lesson. Working a shit job was a valuable life lesson. The air force was a valuable life lesson. I’m probably a bit over mid-way through my life, but I don’t look back with many regrets. Oh, I wish I’d have taken more long-shots with women who I thought were out of my league. You never know.
Union Operator. Dozers, backhoes, etc. Good money, good pension, almost always in demand if you are dependable and especially if you are willing to travel. Plus, equipment is fun.
Dont play it safe, if you want to be different you have to do things that are different than what other people normally do.
18 now or go back to when I was 18 and redo?
Guitar. Not to be a celebrity, but because I feel through music. I wish I could make it better.
I wouldn’t take the job at the jail out of stubbornness and just accept the position I was offered at a different company, stay at my apartment longer, and I would go to my doctor so I could catch my problem sooner.
Say no to going to post secondary. Start working consistently like I am now. Keep my first car for as long as possible. Save more.
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Idk, havent gotten to that part yet
Invest, take more risks, not rely on my GF’s birth control.
My life would be so insanely different you have no idea lmao. I didn’t have the most involved parents so I kind of raised myself since I was like 14 and had to figure all the adult shit out myself, including college and what I wanna do. Nobody smart or wise to help me figure anything out. But you learn a lot from your mistakes and I’ve made a shit ton of those so I did turn out pretty wise.
I’d definitely go into a different program in college and might get a masters eventually. I would absolutely avoid getting a certain job or even needing it in the first place. Probably just getting as big a loan as I can, line of credits and everything to put it all into bitcoins until it reaches its peak a few years later. I cash out and dump it all into gamestop at the right time before finally just investing my then new wealth into apple and nvdia. Then I’m back to 2025 with 100s of millions, easily living a life of luxury off the dividends alone. My initial goals and jobs were still necessary otherwise I couldn’t have afforded to live and couldn’t invest anything into bitcoins or the following stocks. I definitely would’ve spent a lot of my early money on different stuff than I actually did. I’m not even just talking about some boring “invest instead of living” type of shit, but like even the fun money I spent I could’ve spent in better ways. Situations where I should’ve reacted different. Situations I could’ve avoided. With money my life would’ve been near perfect tbh. I’m good in every other way.
bitcoin
Love myself and follow through with nuking the world. Respectfully.
Not be born with Spina bifida
Stop focusing on women.
Learn to be secure than following the herd for approval
Realise that pretty much anyone at school will be gone from your life after you’re done. They’re not important.
Figure out what you like and dislike regarding jobs. If you hate administrative stuff, but love to organize chaos, look for something which pays well doing that.
Spend more time skiing and zero time with the woman who is now my ex wife.
Probably make most of the same mistakes as I did the first time.
45 year old – i spent exactly 0 minutes giving a fuck about potential or what I was supposed to be doing with my life. If I could go back and do it all over, I would have spent less time that that.
If I could go back to 18?……..hmmmm…….
I’d work out more, probably. Avoid my exes like the plague, and just move on right after uni and NOT take on that training position they promised me and kept dragging their feet about for years.
Holy fuck, I really screwed myself in my pre and early 20s 😂😂😂😂😂
Get an education. Growing up I always felt I’d go to college but turning 18, I had to become an adult quick and support myself financially. College took a back seat. Although I’m doing good for myself now, I still think about my decisions in my early adulthood.
I wouldn’t change what I’ve done, but I would try to get back into school sooner
Drop out of college, not take out a credit card, find a nice cardboard box and stick to that.
That’s what I’d do if I could do it all again from 18. I’d be in a much better place.
Don’t marry, eat less, drink none, don’t marry, don’t marry and don’t marry.
I would become a dentist or an electrical engineer. And get my motorcycle license earlier.
Go straight into college and not bother with trade school. I tried to do it my parents way and I wasted 2 years of my life that way. Now I’ll graduate in a year but be almost 25 when I’m fully done.
I’d have been rather…. I’d have made my brother admit to framing me for his crimes. Then not have started supporting my parents, having filed charges when they stole my car, cash and got loans in my name. I wanted to travel the world, to teach in various foreign countries. I’d have completely cut out my family.
I would save my money, not play “keeping up with the Jones’s”. I would invest in stock a LOT! And travel, I’d travel as much as possible whether with friends or by myself, I’d travel.
The most important thing I would do is focus on understanding who I am and what I really want, instead of trying to please others or following paths that aren’t mine. I would enroll in a university that truly excites me, not just one that feels like the “right choice.” I would be more open to having new experiences, traveling and failing, knowing that failures are the best lessons. I would invest in myself, learning new skills and building strong relationships. And most importantly, I wouldn’t be afraid to ask for help
The main one is to take better care of my body. Dont smoke. Work out. Take care of my teeth etc
Fully commit to whatever it is Im doing. Ive always taken a very “relaxed” approach which always means Ive done okay, but never done as well as I should. That’s been the case with education, work etc
Take a different career path. Ive done okay financially, but its not particularly fulfilling
Dont sweat the relationships. I wasted so much time stressing over rubbish relationships. Just dump it and move on
Travel more whilst you’re young and have the time and energy. Go see the world before youre tied down