The Advice I Would Give My Younger Self

I heard the question asked, “If you could go back in time, what one piece of advice would you give your younger self.” I think it was from a movie. Though, I can’t remember for sure. After doing a quick search, I found a number of articles and posts asking the same question.

I don’t think there is a single piece of advice that would have made a real difference in my life. However, there are some things that probably would have improved it to some degree. Below, I detailed the advice I’d give my 18-year-old self (I’m in my 40’s).

• You’re gonna get laid! I promise. (That should ease quite a bit of stress from my mind.)
• Keep a daily journal. Write down the things you want to remember, especially the good times. In 25 years from now, there are many things you won’t remember. You’ll be able to go back and read about them. They’ll jog your memory and bring a smile to your face.
• You have decent instincts, try not to compromise them as you get older.
• Good friends are difficult to replace. Keep in touch with the people who look out for you and make life enjoyable. This is an area where you shouldn’t compromise your instincts. You know the difference between the decent people you’ve known and people that aren’t as decent.
• Obviously, I know how much you enjoy the sport of baseball. I also know (as do you by this time) that making the majors wasn’t in the cards. There are hundreds of different career opportunities related to the sport. Stats become an extremely important part of the game. That might be something to look into. There are equipment manufacturers, minor league teams, and different softball leagues just to name a few. If that is something you decide to peruse, there are plenty of options. Life often presents multiple ways to achieve the same goal. However, those options aren’t always known.
• Hold on to the items that have the most sentimental value. They are the most difficult to replace and provide memories much more valuable than their material value.
• Life is long and sometimes very painful. You’re going to have many years where you’re simply not happy with the way life turned out. There isn’t anything I can say or do to prevent that. Live spontaneous, but don’t disregard the length of life.  A five-year period of misery, feels like a 100 years. And a five-year span of the best years of a person’s life, flies by in what feels like a moment. Enjoy the moment. Remember the good times. And to reiterate, keep a journal. During the times that aren’t as good, you’ll have that to remind you of the good times.
• Create options for yourself. Try going to trade school. There are hundreds of different trades a person could learn. One day technology will take away many jobs. Learning a trade, such as working with metals, automobiles, ect, will be very valuable. Once you learn a trade, you’ll always be able to fall back on that skill if needed.
• Another way to create options is to purchase a small piece of land at a young age. Look for something with liberal zoning laws. The cost to keep the land will be minimal. That piece of land will ensure you’ll always have a place to stay if ever needed later in life.
• You’re stubborn. Very freakin stubborn. Even though most might disagree, I still don’t feel it’s a bad trait. I look at it as determination rather than stubbornness. With that said, there are times in your life where you probably could be a little less stubborn.
• Cardio! This is something you know you should do while at the gym. Though, not till you get much older, do you dedicate time to cardio. Cardio is a great benefit. Try mixing it up a bit. One day use the treadmill, the next use the exercise bike. Try to do at least a mile or two for five days a week.
• When you take longish trips, leave early. Take the scenic route. The country offers incredible views and attractions. However, most of them can’t be seen from the highway. You live a very fast life. Often ensuring you get to different places via the fastest possible route. Sometimes it’s good to slow down and take the scenic route.
• Last and certainly not least, life has many unexpected twists and turns. Things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes they’re worse and sometimes they’re better.

There are probably many other things I could tell you, but that might take away from the actual experience of living your own life. You only get one life. Live it the best way you can.