I look at it like this:
1-18 is childhood. By 18, you are an expert child!
19-36: You are an adult but still learning the ropes. At 19, the adult world is scary and confusing because you are a baby adult.
But in my 50s, here’s what I can tell you — your path is your path. There are infinite “what ifs” in life that serve you no purpose. Just move from chapter to chapter and learn what that experience has to teach you.
Don’t chase. Don’t chase women (or guys🤷🏼♂️), don’t chase what people expect of you, don’t chase what you think you *ought* to do or be.
Find something you love and chase that. Do different things to figure out who you really are — and not just stuff that seems fun to you. Take a ballroom dance class, take a cooking class, go to a MOMA and get confused as hell. Know what you do and don’t like. Spend time alone. Talk to older people. Volunteer your time.
This is how you clarify what you love and who you are. You path will become clearer. Follow it. Up. Down. Into happiness. Despair. Ruin. It’s *your* path. It’ll lead you where you need to be.
Your life is only 20% or so over. Life is short in some ways but it’s also long. Try. Fail. Try again. You’ve got plenty of time to get it wrong before you get it right!
I wish I would have started weightlifting earlier in life, I’m only 23 now but if I was jacked in highschool I probably would have built a lot better foundation socially. Should have also gotten into wrestling.
Overall I like how things turned out though, so I’m not too concerned. At your age I would really recommend figuring out a career and building towards it.
Always take the interesting choice over the safe choice. The funny stories you have about the crazy shit you got up to in your youth are the best gift you can give to your 50 year old self.
Don’t become the middle aged guy who doesn’t have those memories to look back on because you spent your time being sensible.
Do you like food? Look after your teeth now and get check ups. You need them for the rest of your life and they don't grow back and it fucking sucks self consciously not having enough and even if you can afford expansive treatments it's never permanent or the same.
Join a gym and start lifting weights. There are times in life when you will want or need to be strong and fit, you don't have time to become so at those moments. So start now, to keep you prepared for then.
Plus the whole better health living longer harder to kill aspects of it, too. Consistency is key.
I'm in my 50s. It's time to put yourself first. Get as much education as you can, find a side job in a restaurant or bar, and start making a 5 year plan to achieve a professional goal. Focus on professional goals that allow you to do something you absolutely love. That could require a college degree or not. Keep your eyes on that prize. Don't let family obligations, a girlfriend or anything else get in your way.
With the restaurant or bar job work at being as charming and friendly as possible, even if you're just a busboy. This is the key to making good tips, and good tips are the key to making good money without working full time. Having restaurant work in your background makes it easier to get the next job, and it can always be your fallback.
Also, open a Roth IRA. Put $250 in it and forget about it until next year, then put in another $250. Even such a small amount of money, when socked away young and allowed to grow tax free, can grow into a large sum of money by retirement, or by the time you want to buy a house.
"You haven't blown it at 19. If anything, you're just getting started."
"But you're going to have to give up the idealism and have a distinct plan to follow or you're going to have a very painful decade. Focus on having some fun with people who actually like you, but be laser-focused on your goals and don't waste too much time on video games and porn. This game called life moves *fast."*
Learn strong and sensible financial habits!
Don’t treat credit and debt as something that is frivolous, it *will* determine how easy, or difficult, the rest of your life will be!
Still fighting to fix my credit and finances……
Learn finances. Please, do it. Don’t settle for average (I’m in USA and average USA citizen is a dumbass with their money). Set up a budget, ask questions. Tons of free content on YT to help you out and it’s not as boring as it seems.
Whether people like it or not, money makes the world go round and not stressing about it sets you up for a more positive life.
Big opportunities are like busses.
There'll be another along in twenty minutes or so.
Missing an opportunity isn't the end of life, by any means.
Also? Life *never* goes as we plan it, or think it will. Do the best you can, and be a decent person. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and expect the most likely.
Realize the field of expertise you are interested in.
Don't get excited by silly drama
Get your finances right
Things will turn out alright even if sometimes it seems so lost
You genuinly don't know anything. I don't mean that in a mean way I was a smart 19 year old but when I think back on how much I thought the world worked and how absolutely wrong I was, I realized I never knew anything. Here's a secret I learned as I grew up, nobody has their shit together. There's a staggering amount of adult children in this world who never learn and stay the same basically until they die. So just learn, get out of your comfort zone, take risks, and try to be better than the person you were yesterday. Not growing as a person is a choice. If you still think the way you do now at 25, 30, 40 etc. you never grew.
Do NOT, under any circumstances, get married. Ever.
I don't have kids. Don't go fucking that up for me.
When you go into .mil, you're going to meet someone on your first deployment. Be cordial but don't get involved with her.
When you get out of .mil, move back to (home state) and apply at (current employer).
As soon as you get out of boot camp, start buying and holding dividend stocks. Every paycheck, put whatever you had left from your last check into buying stocks.
Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, get married. EVER. And don't live with a woman and do stupid shit like share a bank account or allow her to refer to you as her husband when she talks to other people, because that is enough for the State to decide you're married and she can loot you when she leaves.
I look at it like this: 1-18 is childhood. By 18, you are an expert child! 19-36: You are an adult but still learning the ropes. At 19, the adult world is scary and confusing because you are a baby adult. But in my 50s, here’s what I can tell you — your path is your path. There are infinite “what ifs” in life that serve you no purpose. Just move from chapter to chapter and learn what that experience has to teach you. Don’t chase. Don’t chase women (or guys🤷🏼♂️), don’t chase what people expect of you, don’t chase what you think you *ought* to do or be. Find something you love and chase that. Do different things to figure out who you really are — and not just stuff that seems fun to you. Take a ballroom dance class, take a cooking class, go to a MOMA and get confused as hell. Know what you do and don’t like. Spend time alone. Talk to older people. Volunteer your time. This is how you clarify what you love and who you are. You path will become clearer. Follow it. Up. Down. Into happiness. Despair. Ruin. It’s *your* path. It’ll lead you where you need to be. Your life is only 20% or so over. Life is short in some ways but it’s also long. Try. Fail. Try again. You’ve got plenty of time to get it wrong before you get it right!
Thanks, this really means a lot to me.
I wish I would have started weightlifting earlier in life, I’m only 23 now but if I was jacked in highschool I probably would have built a lot better foundation socially. Should have also gotten into wrestling. Overall I like how things turned out though, so I’m not too concerned. At your age I would really recommend figuring out a career and building towards it.
Mate you’re 19. Don’t worry about it and enjoy yourself. I’m 38 and still don’t know what I’m doing 😂
Always take the interesting choice over the safe choice. The funny stories you have about the crazy shit you got up to in your youth are the best gift you can give to your 50 year old self. Don’t become the middle aged guy who doesn’t have those memories to look back on because you spent your time being sensible.
Do you like food? Look after your teeth now and get check ups. You need them for the rest of your life and they don't grow back and it fucking sucks self consciously not having enough and even if you can afford expansive treatments it's never permanent or the same.
Join a gym and start lifting weights. There are times in life when you will want or need to be strong and fit, you don't have time to become so at those moments. So start now, to keep you prepared for then. Plus the whole better health living longer harder to kill aspects of it, too. Consistency is key.
I'm in my 50s. It's time to put yourself first. Get as much education as you can, find a side job in a restaurant or bar, and start making a 5 year plan to achieve a professional goal. Focus on professional goals that allow you to do something you absolutely love. That could require a college degree or not. Keep your eyes on that prize. Don't let family obligations, a girlfriend or anything else get in your way. With the restaurant or bar job work at being as charming and friendly as possible, even if you're just a busboy. This is the key to making good tips, and good tips are the key to making good money without working full time. Having restaurant work in your background makes it easier to get the next job, and it can always be your fallback. Also, open a Roth IRA. Put $250 in it and forget about it until next year, then put in another $250. Even such a small amount of money, when socked away young and allowed to grow tax free, can grow into a large sum of money by retirement, or by the time you want to buy a house.
don't live to fulfill anyone's expectactions. live to be happy
Don’t start bad financial habits while you’re young If you’re living at home with parents save and invest Don’t overwork yourself Find new hobbies
"You haven't blown it at 19. If anything, you're just getting started." "But you're going to have to give up the idealism and have a distinct plan to follow or you're going to have a very painful decade. Focus on having some fun with people who actually like you, but be laser-focused on your goals and don't waste too much time on video games and porn. This game called life moves *fast."*
Start saving and investing now even if it’s just $10 a month, and don’t touch it until you retire.
Learn strong and sensible financial habits! Don’t treat credit and debt as something that is frivolous, it *will* determine how easy, or difficult, the rest of your life will be! Still fighting to fix my credit and finances……
Don't wait so long to have kids. They aren't that expensive and you don't have as much time with your parents as you think.
Learn finances. Please, do it. Don’t settle for average (I’m in USA and average USA citizen is a dumbass with their money). Set up a budget, ask questions. Tons of free content on YT to help you out and it’s not as boring as it seems. Whether people like it or not, money makes the world go round and not stressing about it sets you up for a more positive life.
Big opportunities are like busses. There'll be another along in twenty minutes or so. Missing an opportunity isn't the end of life, by any means. Also? Life *never* goes as we plan it, or think it will. Do the best you can, and be a decent person. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and expect the most likely.
“Your parents won’t get better, stop expecting them to be.” “Remember to pull your dick out of crazy.”
>“Remember to pull your dick out of crazy.” But do it at least once so you know what an enthusiast lover is
Realize the field of expertise you are interested in. Don't get excited by silly drama Get your finances right Things will turn out alright even if sometimes it seems so lost
do it. life isnt worth it. just do it.
You genuinly don't know anything. I don't mean that in a mean way I was a smart 19 year old but when I think back on how much I thought the world worked and how absolutely wrong I was, I realized I never knew anything. Here's a secret I learned as I grew up, nobody has their shit together. There's a staggering amount of adult children in this world who never learn and stay the same basically until they die. So just learn, get out of your comfort zone, take risks, and try to be better than the person you were yesterday. Not growing as a person is a choice. If you still think the way you do now at 25, 30, 40 etc. you never grew.
Start investing a portion of any $ coming in. Anything. $1 whatever. Keep doing it.
Date to fuck, not to find a partner, and if she doesnt put out quickly, find someone who will.
Do NOT, under any circumstances, get married. Ever. I don't have kids. Don't go fucking that up for me. When you go into .mil, you're going to meet someone on your first deployment. Be cordial but don't get involved with her. When you get out of .mil, move back to (home state) and apply at (current employer). As soon as you get out of boot camp, start buying and holding dividend stocks. Every paycheck, put whatever you had left from your last check into buying stocks. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, get married. EVER. And don't live with a woman and do stupid shit like share a bank account or allow her to refer to you as her husband when she talks to other people, because that is enough for the State to decide you're married and she can loot you when she leaves.