I turn 20 in July. Ik not 30, but asking 20 year olds for life advice seems a little more short sighted
I’m sure this post is fairly played out, sorry.
I know nothing inherently changes when I reach 20, but it feels like an opportunity to start a new chapter and really hone in on what’s important.
For my situation, if you’d like to comment on it-
I dropped out of college at 18- Joined the military shortly after- got injured and separted after a little less than a year- now I’m moving 1000 miles away to a new state and starting community college there with a plan to eventually transfer to a larger college.
I love weightlifting, travel, and am an adrenaline junky. I’ve been to 30 or so states and for this next year I plan on climbing Mt Kilimanjaro as my main “adventure”.
Sorry for the long post, but help me out.
13 comments
Take it easy on yourself. As a non-military person, I feel you already accomplished a lot! Don’t fall on the trap of always depending on the next big thing to find purpose and happiness. Enjoy connecting with people and show love to those who are there for you.
Some boring old people stuff, but take care of your teeth and glucose levels. Floss, brush regularly because tooth pain isn’t something you can tough out. In the US, our food supply is abundant, but so much of it is nutritionally trash that over eating it will eventually catch up to you.
Good luck and have fun, man.
the only advise i would give you knowing i wished now im 29 someone gave me when i was 20 is….
start saving.
be it, etfs, mutual funds, 401k, anything, just start, doesn’t matter how much you put in, but put aside a figure every month that goes into saving.
i wished i knew this sooner.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Learn to forgive yourself, and seek fulfillment
You’re already doing everything I wish I did when I was in my 20s.
Make sure you still do those things when times get tough.
Hey OP. 48 year old married father of two in the UK here.
– Identify your values and live to them. I’m not talking about “living your dreams”, I’m talking about knowing who you are, what motivates you and being authentic to that
– Never, ever, compare yourself to other people. Never, ever, think that you should be at a certain point by the time you are XXX age. This is really important.
– Stay out of debt and stay in shape. Everything else in life kind of sorts itself out… ***but those two are on you***
– This one’s personal to me, but if you like alcohol a little too much… lay off it sooner rather than later!
Enjoy turning 20 – it was 28 years ago for me in 1996. I’ve enjoyed my journey and hope you do too.
Just a few thoughts…
Go easy on yourself, you’re still learning and figuring out who you really are.
Make money, but also save money, you don’t need to start off. Huge just start. You have something that many of us do not have, you have time. Compound interest over time is a massive thing. You don’t want to be working into your old age just because you haven’t saved.
Figure out the type of person you want to be and the type of relationship you want to have. Doesn’t mean you won’t change in time, but at least you’ll have an idea of what you want and why you want it.
Find out who Good and lifelong friends are… Friends like these don’t come easily or very often and as you get older they can become a lifeline and you can be their lifeline also…
Anyway, good luck on starting out anew!!
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to chill tf out on drinking. It catches up to you. It’s poison. And hangovers in your 30s are rough.
It’s very easy to go from casual drinking, to binge drinking , to full blown alcoholism… It would have helped if my parents would have told me that my father’s side are all addicts I may have been able to realize I had a problem way before I needed the detox..
Index fund, understand it’s power, go to Google and search for an index fund calculator
Now calculate, $200 contribution every month, 8% return, and let’s say a 20 year time window
Crazy ehh? So you can make damn near minimum wage and eventually become a millionaire if you stay consistent
Don’t get dragged into some hot stock, hot investment play crap, that’s gambling not investing, don’t play with your life savings
If you invest in crypto, bitcoin only and only a small percentage of your overall investment fund
Oh and stay away from pain pills…haha lost a fortune to an addiction from that
Here: https://www.aarp.org/money/investing/investment_return_calculator/?cmp=KNC-DSO-COR-Core-Money-NonBrand-Phrase-30830-GOOG-MONY-InvestmentReturnsCalculator-Phrase-NonBrand&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwhIS0BhBqEiwADAUhc1b-UsBMVTpH3Wa0lEDaIVJ35gOWyynrsCYg_ARgBZup_H-w-C59fBoC3XcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Enjoy every moment. The years will go by in the blink of an eye. Like Ferris Bueller said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Floss your teeth and wrap it before you tap it.
Silliness makes for a joyous life. Participate in everything even if you’re embarrassed or think you’ll look stupid. At the end of the day it’s not the things I did that I personally regret the most, it’s the things I didn’t do. Let your moral compass guide and be silly.
Also, save money. You have to live your life, but save what you can.
Go for it now not later. Don’t wait to peruse your dreams, goals, ambitions until you are “ready”. Do it now and learn from the mistakes. Time goes by faster and faster the older you get. Before you know it, you’ll be over 30 wondering where all your time went.