Today is my 21st Birthday and I would appreciate any answers. Thanks in advance!


34 comments

  1. are you on the path to getting a career (going to either university or trade school and attending class everyday, making good grades, and progressing towards graduation)? If not, go join the military and go active duty. Dont waste time working at a minimum wage job and/or dropping out of school just to go back a quarter later and change your major.

  4. Start investing right now. It doesn’t need to be much, but it needs to be regular.

  6. Texting didn’t exist when I was 21 so not sure how to reconcile that, haha.

    But the more practical answer is that as much as you feel like you know right now, you don’t know shit. The fundamentals are there, but you need years of experience before you earn the right to feel confident about the things you believe you’re good at.

  7. “You know that $1000 in bitcoin you’re going to sell in 2011 to help pay for your wedding? Don’t do that.”

  8. Leave her the first time she does it, she’s gonna do it again and the next time you are going to pay for her trip to see him, she is using you, don’t buy her the ring 😢

  9. Go to therapy. You’ve no idea the garbage your parents put in your head.

    Be okay with rejection and failure. You’ll never get anywhere and do anything if you’re scared to make any mistakes. Someone says no, you say OK, learn your lesson and move on.

    Find something that makes you happy that isn’t dependent on a spouse/partner.

  10. Work out, buy Facebook / Amazon stock, invest in bitcoin, don’t buy that particular house because it has a LOT of hidden costs, save money, use protection.

  11. “You dont need to be so hard on your self to make the right decision now about your career, but instead follow your interests and what draws most interest for you”

    I found esp in my early 20s the pressure to jump to what made more money, the prestige and appearance – rather than sustainable career that might have not been so flashy, but aligned more with my values and interests.

  12. Pick up a copy of The Heart Of The Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. Read it.

  14. “Just do you, enjoy turning every mistake into a story, you magnificent idiot. Love you, bye.”

  15. You’re going to be a knockout at 34 (you already are but it just keeps getting better!)

  16. Love your job (you will be doing it for 40-50 years), only get into a long term relationship with someone you share interests/values with and love deeply (never settle), and invest in your retirement immediately. The rest will work itself out.

  19. I’m old and I’ve heard this question a lot from young people. I read it on here a while back and it comes up a lot, so I stored it in a Google Keep note, I really like it, here goes.

    You’re walking down the street, you seen an older man approaching you, he looks familiar and he looks like he wants to talk to you. As he gets closer, you realize it’s the 70 year old you and he has something to say. Would you rather he came up and embraced you and kissed you on the cheek and thanked you for the smart moves you made that are benefitting him now? Or bitch slapped you for missing many opportunities, the consequences of your previous actions/inactions having screwed him royally?

    Do stuff that benefits the old guy you. Some things might be retirement savings, fitness, dental care, etc. I did the first 2, sucked at the last, paying for it now. But I’m 65 and am good on the first 2, which makes my life really easy. </end of parable>

    I would also suggest learning emotional intelligence and being a kind person, as you’ll have more lifelong friends and have a lot better chance of getting and retaining an SO, which also adds a lot of value.

    Also, I like to do hard things (playing piano, golf). Both can be frustrating and I can get down on myself when I’m struggling. My inner voice sometimes shouts, “I suck!”. But the better thought it, “I suck NOW. I will bear down and suck less later. Because in that moment of frustration, there are 2 ways to go. Quit. Or bear down.

  20. Buy as many bitcoin as you can. Sell at 60k.

    Get therapy. It wasn’t your fault. I love you.

  21. No matter how good the stock you bought in the employee stock purchase plan looks, sell it and diversify. Build your retirement early.

    Of course, I won’t get a text until I’m almost 30, but that’ll still be good advice.

  22. Just come out dude, it will only improve from there.

    Don’t let your parents sell the downtown apartment they bought for you to go to college.

  23. Invest more time and effort into family and friends. Be kinder to yourself and others.

  27. Buy a house, be house poor if you have to, you’ll never see 2% int on a mortgage again

  28. Other people’s opinions about you, do not matter. Use that as a basis for building your confidence so you can be happier with yourself earlier in life.

  29. You cant effort your way out of mental illness. Be kinder to yourself. Stop and smell the roses. Stop buying shit to make yourself feel better. Invest that money or take some vacations instead. You’re not going to get fired. You’re good at your job.

  30. She’s gonna cheat and then leave you. Either work on the relationship or break it off now. And invest in Amazon stock.

  31. I’d say best money spent is on experiences and not things.

    Your things will become old and out of date, but the stories you tell from and remember from will be with you for a lifetime.

    I still have conversations about concerts and festivals over 10 years ago. Camping trips, vacations, Caribbean, spending a week in the Caymans, mountain climbing, New York, LA, Chicago, for conventions. Lots of conversations, nostalgia, pictures, friendship moments, girlfriend moments, from all that.

    My 62 inch projection TV that doesn’t even have HDMI… Not much to brag about 10 years later. Nor my PS3, or those collector editions of World of Warcraft.

  32. Stop being such a dumbfuck and go to therapy: (therapist’s number)

    The 21 year old me would be upset because that message cost me 10¢.

  33. Adopt a casual lifting routine and stick with it. Just maintaining being lean is so much easier than losing weight you’ve already gained.

  34. I see a lot of “should have bought crypto, don’t marry this particular person”

    You’re not a god damn Oracle or time traveler. How were you supposed to know? How were you supposed to know how fucked up things would get or what strikes oil down the road?

    These “what if” posts are sometimes too much time traveling.

    Give advice to your 21 year old self assuming the timeline will split, crypto becomes a failed fad, they stopped making Marvel movies, Tesla gets bought by GM, Harambe never got shot, Nipsey Hustle still on tour, Hillary was elected. 3rd stock market recession crash happens, there was no covid.

    What real advice would you give that is actually timeless in every multiverse?

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