What advice would you give to a person in their early 20s?

Having been a long time visitor of ATS I have realized that there are many members here that have jumped through many of the ropes and faced some of the unique challenges that life throws at you; sometimes with success and sometimes with failure. And it leaves me wondering,

What advice would you give to a young person in their early 20s based on your personal experiences that may help them while they build their future? I know many people here have a vast amount of experience and I was hoping you could share some of the lessons you have learned from your successes and your failures.

Maybe you could look at this as a "what would you tell your younger self if you could go back in time?" but I would prefer some universal advice that may apply to all of the young adults here at ATS with hopes that it may improve our chances of success.

As a 20 year old myself, I am very curious to hear what some of you have to say and look forward to implementing any solid advice.


Thank You!

reply to post by Honestabe28


Be kind and honest and keep yourself and your loved ones out of the system at all costs.

Never work for anyone...

If you found ATS in your twenties.

You are obviously smart enough to do your own thing.

1. Enjoy your youth- you're only young once.

2. Pace yourself. Life is a long-term (or should be) endeavor- set strong, reasonable goals and plan accordingly.

3. Leave no regrets.

whyamIhere
Never work for anyone...

Excellent point. Best thing I ever learned was I am in the business of me.

- Make education a priority.
- Keep a spiritual center within you. (Note - I said spiritual, not religious).
- Remember - nothing is as it seems and nothing lasts forever except your soul.
- This too shall pass. (whatever the overwhelming issue of the moment may be).

reply to post by Honestabe28


Start a band..go on tour....get it out of your system or you'll always wonder the rest of your life if you really could have made it to the big show.

reply to post by Honestabe28


First, don't waste time and money on booze and drugs.
If you do, moderation is highly suggested.
Stay out of the "bar scene" or nightlife.
It only leads to trouble.

Try to develop your personality according to what skills are useful in everyday life.
Be humble.

You will always learn something from someone else no matter what you think you know.
Everyone knows something that you do not know about.

Remember not to let money control your life, let happiness control it.
Read a ton of books, travel anywhere and experience all that life has to offer within your bounds.
The only thing that limits you from life is your mind.

Don't allow yourself to become a mindless zombie who does nothing but consumes and couch surfs. Stay away from corporate branding and allow yourself to see that there are corporations that pay people tons of money to market directly to you. Do not let anyone make decision for you. Be your own person.

Stay active or get active if you haven't by now and eat healthy! Stay away from junk. Period.
Literally become physically able to lift yourself off the ground and help others who need it.
You should want to be an inspiration to the youth around you.

Be courageous in all walks of life and be brave.
EXPLORE! Life is an adventure if you allow it to be.


That is how I live my life now that I am in my early 30's. I only wish I had someone to tell me these things and actually adhere to them when I was 20. I wasted alot of my youth giving in to temptations and things that didn't build my personality. It wasn't until my late 20's tht I changed for the better. I hope anything helps.


Last but certainly not least:
Learn about history and what makes this world go 'round. The more you learn about the past, the more you can predict the future and the more you recognize today. Enrich your mind.


I could go on for hours with advice...be it good or bad.

learn Chinese

Don't look for a job, pursue self-employment. (Hint: aquaponics!)

If you really want to do something or learn something, do it. Don't let anyone dissuade you, you'll regret it forever.

If someone smiles at you, smile back and start a conversation. You've just met a soul mate of one kind or another.

Smile at strangers.

Stop worrying about finding that certain someone, and become someone that certain someone is looking for.

Don't let electronic media and 'games' swallow up most of your time. You really don't want your gravestone to lead with the phrase, 'he so loved WoW...'

Read. Read, read, read. The wisdom of the ages is there for the taking, and you can make friends with people who are long gone.

Avoid addictions as much as possible but if you succumb, make sure they're enjoyable ones and not destructive.

Life throws choices at you constantly. Be aware enough to step back when the big ones come up and think before you proceed. It's really difficult to back up once you've gone down the wrong path.

Avoid people who suck your energy, turn off the teevee, think for yourself.

Good Question OP, and you've asked at the right place IMO.

Here's my advice if it were to me:

Find a balance between my head and my heart.

Invest in myself

Buy land & Learn to become self-sustainable.

Never take family for granted, they won't always be there.

Stand in someone's shoes before you make a judgment

Never own a credit card

OP it's your life to make of it what you will, use it wisely.
SnF

Life goes by faster and faster the older you get....and time IS running out. Life is too short to waste, too precious to waste. Start exploring hobbies and skills NOW, so that you can find out what you are good at/what you like doing while reasonably young, and dedicate time and effort to mastering your craft. Life is too short to master more than a thing or two.....so find out what it is you want to devote your life to, and chisel away at perfecting it.

In your 20s is when holding on to friendships gets more difficult. With the passing of time and space, relationships, people marrying and having children, careers starting, etc....friendships become more difficult to maintain. My advice in that department is to not let the ones that matter slip from your grasp. True friendships are worth maintaining, and it might take some work to keep some friendships going, but if they are worth it, then don't let them slip away.

Your health is in YOUR hands. Eat lightly, and try to eat pure, simple foods. Find the PLEASURE in exercising, or else it'll be a chore, and eventually you just won't do it anymore. Whether it be the gym that motivates you, working out alone or in groups, maybe outdoor activities, or perhaps asana yoga and stretching. Maybe hiking or cardio? Whatever gets your blood pumping, and keeps your body toned, and your organs functioning properly, make and keep it a habit. You will have decades of joy ahead of you if you eat and exercise well.


This life is a tricky one, it really is. There are an infinite ways to fall off the path....the path which cultivates and preserves YOUR happiness. It is up to YOU to stay on the path. No one is going to do it for you. It is up to YOU to find YOUR path in life, and to STAY ON IT. Do not fall off YOUR path!

Stay very, very far away from credit.

Moderation is key.

Kindness is reciprocated.

Listen to those who have been there, they are trying to help you not repeat their mistakes.

And lastly, the advice my father gave me "live every day as if it were your last, but knowing it probably isn't."

Always invest in food. Gold doesn't have a good flavor. Stick currency back in a locked safe at the house and call it D.N.T. (Do Not Touch - unless for emergencies); even if you have a savings account, power/elec does weird things in strange weather.
Knowledge is power; Learn something new everyday, the day you stop learning is the day you die, whether you physically die or not; I have too much to do before I die and I want a lot of power. Besides, you never know when that information will be useful.
Always learn how to cook, clean, sew, leather-work, wood-work, grow plants, butcher, first aid, find and clean water, , set up shelter, "camp", etc. These are NOT gender roles, these are survival roles that everyone needs to know.

In essence, learn about stuff that interests you, and other things that will help if you were stuck out in the woods; and stuff that will help run a house. Save money, invest in food (long term storage foods). Save seeds, plant a garden.

Goodness, I could go on forever.

While money isn't everything, if I could go back and save the cash I spent on superfluous items over the years I would.

Just saving a little bit of $$$ whenever you can will add up over the coming years.

Get a tattoo on your face!

Love many, trust few and paddle your own canoe. That phrase always stays in my mind.
A lot of people have written big blogs,but that about sums it up. Although I must say that you should never be scared of anyone and if you take karate courses, not only will you be able to defend yourself but you can also get an instructor position or open your own dojo. Oh, everyone needs their hair cut at one point, so other than getting into the health industry, get into into the industry that has a semi cash basis with tips and make some money. Money does not buy happiness but it makes life a lot easier to deal with. two cents from me. peace

Stay away from debt period.

Put down the electronics once in awhile to get back to the earth.

Love, well and often.

Smile and make personal contact with people around you.

Stay healthy!!! It's harder to get your health back than it is to keep it in the first place.

Grow a garden. If its a plot in the backyard or a pot on a balcony, it gives you a sense of peace.

Have fun, enjoy life constructively before you settle down to star the cycle again.

Get an education in something (maybe more than one) that can support you in the style to which you have grown accustomed. If you are willing to live in a tent, fine. If you want a house with a view and a spare bedroom for guests, fine. I don't care one way or another. I'm not going to be envious of you if you want a house and I'm not going to feel sorry for you if you choose the tent because it's your choice. Now, how do you do that?

You get a "profession" (I use the term loosely) that gives you the skills other people need and are willing to pay for. It may be becoming an attorney who can navigate the minefields and mazes of modern life. Whether you want to become an enlightened idealist and "fight for the people" or go over to the Dark Side and serve corporate interests is your choice. People who are attorneys have told me: "It's the same damn thing" at its most basic level. And many don't like it much. But it can pay the bills.

Or maybe you would prefer welding. People need welders. Small shops, especially, need welders. It's messy and dirty and probably is no good for your respiratory system, but you would not be out of work very often. Or maybe you could learn everything there is to learn about computers, networking, the web, etc. Snowden, for example, is a nerd and a social misfit, but he never had to worry about a job making less than $100K because he was so good at computers. Engineering will likely do you well.

Or maybe you just need to accumulate enough capital to open your own business in whatever you're good at. I just took a course at "Hipcooks" which is a cooking school started by a young woman with an idea. All it is is a space with a u-shaped counter, a big refrigerator, a Cuisinart, and some counter-top butane stoves. She teaches one-day cooking classes in everything from Greek to Chinese to 16 people at a time for $70.00 each, two classes a day. She sells some "cool cooking tools" like Wusthof knives and plastic lemon squeezers (that actually work!) on the side. There are now "schools" (storefronts) in San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. This girl's going national and it's just a simple idea.

Lots of people will wax eloquent here and tell you to do something "good" and "follow your heart" and all that. That's good advice if you can feed yourself on the way, but if you "follow your heart" into a B.A. in English it may allow you to freely quote Shakespeare, but it won't pay the rent, so you'll be over-qualified (kind of) for a job at McDonalds and be miserable. The basic idea here is to find something that supports you so that the issue is off the table for you and you can concentrate on other things. You don't want to be in a position of coming back on ATS ranting about how the world has treated you wrong and how you're in such poor shape. We all know people who come on here every couple of weeks with yet another tale of woe that amounts to their own fault.

Please, try to keep an open mind, when it comes to ideas and beliefs. More times than not, the ones you have now, will change when you get older. So don't be so defensive and unyielding about them now. Being open minded will serve you well.