Today is my 20th birthday. Give me 20 tips for things you wish you knew when you were 20.
At Reddit, of course. Here's the full question
I still feel young today, and I remember my 10th birthday like it was
yesterday (I got a kick ass Cowboy and Indians Lego set that year). I
thought 20 would be a mile stone, but it doesn't feel much different at
all. So, in order to make my life feel a bit more developed, more
knowledge must be gained. So if you have any tips, give em to me! I
don't expect 20 from everyone of course, but write what you can. Thanks!
Here's the best answer.
Twenty it is:
Put 1tbsp of butter in a sauce pan
on medium-low heat, add 1tbsp flour to the melted butter, mix until you
get a doughy consistency, and cook for a minute or two. Add 1cup of
milk. Season lightly with pepper, parmesan, basil. Let it come to a
boil, then immediately simmer it. It'll thicken up. You now have
homemade Alfredo Sauce. Prepare to impress your friends, especially of
the opposite sex.Get involved in the things going on around you,
even if it's just your schoolwork. Sitting in a dark room using a
keyboard to talk to people a million miles away is not a social life.
Talk to the people at class, even if it's just about the upcoming test.
Join a club or something. Intramural sports are awesome. Varsity are
good too if you've got it in you.If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Don't rush it.
It's nice to be a fiercely passionate person in all walks of life, but
it's a lot less nice to be the guy who can't think ahead, or the girl
who can't see the forest for the trees.Slow and steady does not mean glacial.
You're going to get spread pretty thin in life if you're doing it
right. Learn to cut your losses on a project that's not going anywhere
rather than wasting five minutes every two months on it. Better to come
back to it refreshed.Exercise really is important.
We harp on it all the time, but if you seriously want to improve the
way you FEEL about life: go to the gym. I come from a wrestling
background, and Dan Gable is quoted as saying "Once you've wrestled,
everything else in life is easy." Same thing with working out. If you
go to the gym and work yourself out HARD a few times a week, you will
come home and everything else will seem to fall into place.They've all said it already, but it's got some truth to it. Disregard females. Acquire currency.
It's nice to have someone who is a close friend. It's nice to have
someone who will sleep with you. Do not make either a priority. If you
treat people right and respect them, they'll be there in a few years
when you're ACTUALLY an adult, and you guys can start making plans.
However, you don't want to go out there wasting your time and money on
somebody that's going to have giant life decisions to make in a few
years, one of which will be "Has it gone as far as it's ever going to
go?" Treat the opposite sex well, and feel free to spend time with
them, but make it a fair deal, not a one-sided pursuit. Don't waste
your time and money on them until you're ready to make a commitment to
someone. (ps- At 20, you're not ready.)Take every opportunity to travel.
Broaden your horizons. See the world. If you're lucky, and aren't
digging yourself into student debt, go on foreign-aid jobs during
vacation periods. If you're like the rest of us, and need to make
money, look into working abroad for a few years when you're done.
Overseas experience is a HUGE boost on a job application. Many
countries offer "working vacation" visas.Always have fun.
Work is hard. School is hard. Find something that's fun and keep doing
it, no matter what else is going on in your life. Make time for it, or
use it as a reward, but keep having fun. When your life becomes all
work and no play, you become one of the drones helping to make this
world a colder, more boring place.Control your vices.
Fun is fun, but too much fun is exactly that: too much. I like a drink.
I set aside time and money to partake. It's not a lifelong commitment,
but it's something I do to socialize with friends. I do not, however,
fall down drunk four days a week. No one ever should. Once a week is
plenty.Milestones come and go. Woohoo!
You're twenty! Big deal. You said it already: "it doesn't feel much
different at all." The same is true with holidays, anniversaries and
other celebrations. Too much stock is laid into arbitrary dates. Make every day count. Do things for a reason, not for a season.The brands you wear are less important than the total package.
If you're concerned about the way you look, it's better to spend time
learning about Colour Theory than it is to figure out where you can
find a good deal on designer
phones/mp3players/computers/pants/shirts/cars. Buy for build quality,
not perceived quality. Buy to last.Your taste in <insert object> does not define who you are.
You are not a collection of songs, movies and TV Shows. Be proud of
what you like, but don't turn it into the definition of your
personality (see: Goths, Trekkies, Metalheads.) Experience the
multitude and be open to it all."Be the change you want to see in the world."
Gandhi was a wise man, and this is probably the most important thing he
ever said. No matter what you want from the world: be the exemplar
rather than the fool crying for change. Lead by example, and preach
from that example, but do not become the hypocrite who strives for a
green planet while trashing his own house.Respect yourself.
Far too often in life do we question our instincts and decisions. If
you're faced with unquestionable evidence that you've done something
wrong, then accept it and move on. Until then, believe in who you are,
and believe in what you do. You're right more often than you're wrong,
even if you seem to be wrong an awful lot.Get shit done.
Work to completion. Finish what you start. Do everything within your
power to make sure that the important things in life happen on time and
with minimal worry. Procrastination is both a valuable stress-relief
tool and a dangerous enemy. Use it wisely.Learn the value of hard work.
If you've never had a job: get one. ESPECIALLY if you don't need it.
When I was twenty, this was one of the biggest lessons I had yet to
learn. I still haven't learned the whole of it. Learn exactly what a
dollar is worth to people. Learn how much it takes to earn one, and
learn how much you can buy with one. Learn the lessons that money can't
buy you at school. Learn punctuality and teamwork in a real environment.Set your goals and achieve them.
Think about it now. Where do you want to be when you're 25? 30? 40?
Retired? Take some serious time and write out some serious goals for
your personal life, your career, your fame and renown. If you want to
be the billionaire madman with a harem and your face on the nightly
news: plan it out. If your goals are much more humble: plan them out
too. Even if you just want a nice, simple job with a wife and kids...
start planning. Look at the road in front of you, or you're going to
finish school/whatever and be left with no idea where to go from here.It's okay to fail.
Sometimes you are going to make the wrong decision. Accept it. Move on
with your life. No one's perfect, they only pretend to be. Learn from
your mistakes, but don't be afraid to make them. Someone's already said
it above, but you learn more from what you do than what you don't do,
and when you're old and dry, you're going to regret more the things you
shied away from than the things you threw yourself into.Don't argue on the internet.
There are exceptions to the rule. It's one thing to make a strong
argument. It's a whole other thing to be dragged into a drawn-out fight
with an anonymous stranger. Avoid the latter. It's a waste of valuable
time and you're going to gain what from it? Superiority? Be the better
person to start with and walk away from the fool that wants to waste
his time arguing trivialities.Stop asking for advice on the internet.
How much time have you spent, TODAY, watching this thread for updates?
If you NEED advice, the internet is a great place to get diverse
viewpoints. You didn't NEED advice today, though. Go outside and play.
