Sometimes, men go through life and end up not doing certain things and regret not doing them altogether. Sometimes, there are things men do, but they start too late in life. What are these things that you would like to share with younger men?

32 comments

  1. I wish I would have taken investing for retirement more seriously when I was younger. A few small changes early on could have made a big difference over time.

  5. My list of things is so long… let’s just say a lifetime of regrets and leave it at that.

  6. Looking back

    In my teens – I wish I had started dating. i was a “late bloomer” and missed out on a lot of time.

    in my 20’s – having kids I waited until I was in my 30’s and there’s some advantages and disadvantages to that. (e.g. physical resilience and dealing with sleep deprivation/energetic kids, the likelihood of meeting and spending time with my theoretical grandchildren etc.)

    In my 30’s- breaking my habit of eating out so much. I could have saved so much money and been so much closer to retirement.

    One thing I wish I hadn’t stopped is working out. Around 28, I helped a friend with rides home at one point and stopped working out for ~2 weeks while his car was in for repair… and then never really got back into it. I went from losing weight and building muscle to regaining and getting weaker. In my late 40’s now and it’s a shame how much I lost and how much potential I let slip away.

  7. I wish i learned to be happy with index fund returns instead of chasing the 100%+ stock gains. I would have been in a better position financially (im in a good place, but it took a lot of work n time). Also learning that you should focus on community and social skills earlier in life.

  8. Recognizing when a woman did like me. I absolutely could have dated in highschool but I never did. I was horrible at realizing in the moment when a girl was into me. If I could meet my 15 year old self I’d smack the shit out of him.

  9. I think most of us in our 40s wish we’d been better about diet and exercise in our 20s/30s. I know I do.

  10. Maxing out my Roth IRA, or just knowing what it was. But in my 20’s I struggled to pay rent and buy food so I’ve forgiven myself for the ignorance.

  12. Not older but stretching. Stretching after a workout has been making my mobility increase ten fold.

  13. Gone back to school. Dropped out in my early 20s. Went back and I’ll be finishing in my late 30s. It’s so much harder when you’re older and trying to start a life with someone. If I would’ve just started 2 years earlier..

  14. I wish I would’ve went for a trade a lot earlier than I did. I just started a new job/trade in February and I see myself moving out and learning new things that I can finally make a career out of it. It took me up until now to start my career and I regret it.

  15. Spending some of my time learning a skill. When you see someone who has been playing guitar or building furniture for 10 years you’re like “Damn, all that time has paid off.” Of course it’s never too late. It’s like that saying “The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The second best time is now.”

  17. 32 here and not sure if “older” but I only started with skin care recently. I have been one of those who has been luckyenough to have good skin on my face without ever putting as much as sunscreen on it, my girlfriend gave me enough flack for it that I got around to taking better care of my skin

  18. Investing/building assets as a way of buying my freedom while young instead of a “retirement plan” at age 65+ and working 49 years.

  21. – working out seriously (no program hopping)
    – investing money
    – enjoying life more instead of living the day
    – take dancing lessons
    – don’t be shy
    – opening a gym/starting a business
    – keep going to school
    – read more books
    – talk to older wiser people
    – follow their advise

  23. Wished I invested less in sports and more in learning was good in sports t’ll I got injured kept going t’ll it went chronic with delay everything came to a good end but it could have been sooner, the only thing I got from that time I love working out and be in better shape than 90% of my age peers

  24. Sometimes I think: learning how to gain self esteem, take chances, live a little. Then I think: it probably wouldn’t have changed anything anyway. And if it did, it may have been for the worse. But it’s something I think about more and more often, *”What if…”*

    Oh, well…

  28. I wish I would have invested in myself. My aspirations and dreams are all on a shelf collecting dust. The older I get the sadder I feel, and the more I feel inclined to pack them away.

  30. I’m sooo much wiser and thoughtful now. I did stuff in my 20s that I look back on and cringe… like dumping a lazyboy in the woods on the side of my parents house. Who does that? I guess 24 year old me did.

  31. Thinking about life in general and leaving the specifics aside: I wish I had accepted what I am, and redefined my expectations around that truth. Trying to be a winner when you are a loser is the most frustrating experience imaginable. So don’t try to be a winner. Instead, realize that even though you are a loser, accept the fact that you will have to work 10 times harder than winners to make half the progress. Be ok with that. Stop comparing yourself to other people and focus on what you can do to change and improve. Celebrate the small successes, because as a loser, they are mostly all you will get. You will still never compare to the winners, but you can absolutely build a life you can be not too ashamed of. I am a happier old man because of it.

  32. Getting to my peak body as a late teen. Learning more on social interaction. Really trying to solve instead of run and complain.

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