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What advice would you give your younger self?

DV8

Experienced Member
Joined
28 April 2005
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460
Location
Midwest
I know there are a lot of older and most certainly a lot wiser members on Prime than me. But if you could go back in time, what are the things you would or wouldn't do differently? This is not meant to be a regret thread, just a post to provide insight to others, specifically younger members. And who knows, maybe I'll learn something too. :wink: I'll start off:

1) Invest earlier in a 401K and Roth IRA
2) Pay as much as you can in cash (i.e. cars)
3) Live below your means (i.e. don't rent/buy housing you can't afford!)
4) Don't be afraid of change or get too comfortable career-wise, know your worth!
5) Learn more about health/nutrition early on

I know most if not all of the items listed are common sense, but back then it was a premium :biggrin:
 
Invest in Microsoft stock. Could have retired a while ago.:frown:
 
Get a lot while you are young .

1. You're looking the best you ever will now. You're not nearly as blah looking as you think; ten years from now you'll be shocked how good looking you were today. That may help you now with Milton's advice.

2. Ten years from now you should have a lot more money in the bank, experience, and inner calm and confidence than ever, and you'll be so much more handsome then to the opposite sex then than you are today.

Oh and I would have told myself: You really should have asked out Danielle Barletta, you dumba**.
 
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Dont spend too much money on depreciating assets....Buy vehicles 2-3 years old and keep them for 10 years.
Invest in real estate as soon as possible.
Save at least 10% of your income
 
This is an interesting thread. I was driving not too long ago (not in my NSX) and I had a "moment of clarity" for lack of a better phrase where I came to the realization that if I died in that moment I would really have no regrets on how I've lived my life. It was very calming. I've had some ups and downs but those are the moments in your life that define who you are and without them I don't think you'd be the same person. If I had to nit pick though the one thing that I would tell myself is to join the Air Force instead of the Army back in the day and maybe try and become an officer instead of being enlisted. I was 17 when I went into basic training and what I wanted was to be was a high speed, low drag solider. The Air Force is a better branch of service, in hind sight, in that you have opportunity to take college classes while there. It was fun shooting machine guns and blowing stuff up but, ultimately, it's not very marketable. Okay time to get back to work on the time machine.

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Do you consider 28-30 too late? Just curious.

I would say it's never too late to start investing.
 
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This is an interesting thread. I was driving not too long ago (not in my NSX) and I had a "moment of clarity" for lack of a better phrase where I came to the realization that if I died in that moment I would really have no regrets on how I've lived my life. It was very calming. I've had some ups and downs but those are the moments in your life that define who you are and without them I don't think you'd be the same person. If I had to nit pick though the one thing that I would tell myself is to join the Air Force instead of the Army back in the day and maybe try and become an officer instead of being enlisted. I was 17 when I went into basic training and what I wanted was to be was a high speed, low drag solider. The Air Force is a better branch of service, in hind sight, in that you have opportunity to take college classes while there. It was fun shooting machine guns and blowing stuff up but, ultimately, it's not very marketable. Okay time to get back to work on the time machine

You weren't afforded the opportunity to take college classes while you were in the Army? How long ago was that? They push joes to go to school nowadays (for the last 6 years I've been in, at least)

I would tell myself:
-Go ROTC and commission
-Don't get a serious girlfriend so early
-Don't get married so early
-Play more and don't take life so seriously
-Pray more. Spend more time with God
-Don't buy that orange NSX from that one a$$hole in Texas (was practically a lemon)


LoL. Some of these ideas contradict each other in their intentions. I'm a dude. what can I say.
 
1- don't stress about the future. Just do your best, be your best and the future will take care of itself

2- should have tried harder in math class in grade school
 
You weren't afforded the opportunity to take college classes while you were in the Army? How long ago was that? They push joes to go to school nowadays (for the last 6 years I've been in, at least)

I would tell myself:
-Go ROTC and commission
-Don't get a serious girlfriend so early
-Don't get married so early
-Play more and don't take life so seriously
-Pray more. Spend more time with God
-Don't buy that orange NSX from that one a$$hole in Texas (was practically a lemon)


LoL. Some of these ideas contradict each other in their intentions. I'm a dude. what can I say.

I was in the Army way back in the mid 80's. I could have taken college classes while in but with my job in the Army (Airborne Infantry) we were out in the field so much that it just was not practical. That is why the Air Force seems so much more appealing (better food, cleaner work, better hours, and lets not forget, coed barracks!!!:wink:)
 
If I could go back to give my younger self advice it would have to be to travel and see as much of the world as possible before settling down. Doing so later in life made me realize how many different cultures, scenery, and just overall different experiences I missed out on before settling down.
 
I was in the Army way back in the mid 80's. I could have taken college classes while in but with my job in the Army (Airborne Infantry) we were out in the field so much that it just was not practical. That is why the Air Force seems so much more appealing (better food, cleaner work, better hours, and lets not forget, coed barracks!!!:wink:)

LOL. Well, thanks for your past service. I'd love to go to jump school, but they've restricted it now to Soldiers in Airborne units. And I agree, overall, the Chair Force has it pretty nice. By coed, does that mean your roommate could be the opposite gender? if so....
 
become a fireman.
You are payed to work out and stay in shape
Salary is very good
retire young with a great pension
all women love firemen
 
If I had to nit pick though the one thing that I would tell myself is to join the Air Force instead of the Army back in the day and maybe try and become an officer instead of being enlisted.
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Today, I'd say "special ops" in any service...

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Start shaving my head at a young age...then balding is no big deal!
 
There are plenty of jokes to make with this topic..but in all seriousness i would have told myself to take more risks when you are young because the consequence of failure is much easier to rebound from than when we are older and have more to lose or are responsible for more than just ourselves.Make as many omelets as you can if you catch my drift.
 
I would not say don't get married young, but that's not bad advice. For me it would be "don't get married if you have that nagging doubt", (at any age) in the back of your mind. As far as marrying young, it depends on whether your core value system has matured and stabilized. What was important to me when I was 21 was way different from when I was 32. From 32 to today (59), my values have not changed that much. Catch phrase: First know who you are and who you want to become.

The other piece of advice I would give is along the same lines: trust your gut. Even young, inexperienced, naive people usually have some feeling on major decisions, from financial to jobs to career paths, to where to live, to love. And I'd bet that those gut feelings are pretty accurate, it's just that we often don't listen to them and make emotional decisions or base them on short-sighted criteria. Catch phrase: Trust your gut.
 
That everything that happens from elementary to high school, no matter how life affecting it may feel at the time, ultimately will mean absolutely nothing.
 
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