If you could go back in time, what advice would you have for a younger you?

[prolesunited]

I would warn myself against all my self-destructive ways of my teen years.

And you?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. Don't waste your money.

SAVE IT ! And invest it wisely.

[Fran Kubelik]

2. Be nice to people.

I could still use that advice.

[Kutjara]

3. Grain alcohol is not a food group. n/t

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. One word.

Plastics.

:evilgrin:

[SPKrazy]

5. Don't get on the fucking bus...

just forget it

fuck it

[zingaro]

23. It sounds like there's a story there.

[SPKrazy]

34. yes, there is

a story there...

:mad:

[zingaro]

35. mmmm I'm sorry.

Whatever it was, I'm sorry.

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

38. thanks zingy

that helps...

:hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

40. Which bus is that?

:hug:
Unless you'd rather not say...

[SPKrazy]

47. just a bus from long ago

when i started jr. high

[GoddessOfGuinness]

52. Jr High sucks.

:hug:
I wouldn't relive those years for a million bucks.

[SPKrazy]

54. Yo, Tell Me About It...

it was a 20 mile ride too. No exaggeration...

20 miles with nowhere to sit...

pushed around and smacked up back of the head, made fun of, etc. the whole way for 9 months.

don't get on the fucking bus, ever would be my advice.

fuck them...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

55. What happened after 9 months?

:hug::hug::hug:
Why is it that the people who are picked on the most are the nicest folks?
:hug::hug::hug:

[SPKrazy]

56. School was out...

the 9th graders were gone

the next year was better, not perfect

it ended as abruptly as it started.

:hug:

:hug:

thanks

[GirlinContempt]

6. I like the way you turned out more or less

Do the same shit, except a few minute not character building things that could be avoided, mostly people.

[Shine]

7. Don't be so hard on yourself.

:hug:

[Texasgal]

8. Love yourself

because no one will love you like YOU.

[zingaro]

24. Yes. This is great advice - at any time.

[BulletproofLandshark]

9. Jeez, where to begin...

-Pay attention in school once in a while
-Treat your siblings better than you do
-They might sound stupid now, but Mom and Dad know what they're talking about
-That girl that sits in front of you in AP Government: do NOT let her get away
-Put $1000 on the Patriots in SB XXXVI, no matter what the spread says

[Fenris]

10. I would give my teenage self a stock tip.

[Rhythm]

11. I'd tell myself "Don't try to be 'straighter' than you are"...

I knew as early as jr. high that i was at least "bi", and by high school, i had dated as many girls as i had guys, and the relationships with the girls were always 100% better.

By 20, i was married, and that, for the most part, was a nightmare...

[Jamastiene]

12. Take those self defense classes so you can kick some

homophobic ass instead of falling victim to the haters. That's what I would tell myself.

[LostInAnomie]

13. Keep your damn mouth shut when talking to that cop!

And, quit wasting your damn time with Abby!

[auntAgonist]

14. Don't do it.

Just don't.

aA

[unsavedtrash]

15. run away!

Those blue eyes might be inviting you to fall in love but she will crush your heart like no one ever has. run away now.

[Esra Star]

51. It was just a lesson you had to learn. It was you.

Remember you learn from experiences that don't kill you.
And then you're a better person. Onward and upward.

[liontamer]

16. you really are smart, trust your instincts.

[devilgrrl]

17. Don't waste your time hanging around the people you chose to...

they were HUGE assholes!

[raccoon]

84. Same here!

And,

Don't get involved with Bob.

Don't get involved with Ed.

MAJOR IN SOMETHING MORE MARKETABLE!

[Burma Jones]

18. Buy Intel and Microsoft

oh, and accept that job at AOL you were offered in 1989........

[crim son]

19. "There is no reason to be afraid of other people."

Also, "Don't waste your time with him." Lastly, "It takes continued effort, but if you don't give up, you will accomplish your dreams.

I wasted my childhood and younger years thinking I wasn't good enough.

[zingaro]

25. Good enough.

That one is tricky, isn't it?

:hug:

[raccoon]

86. Same here, but even if you could tell yourself that, would you believe

it?

I don't think I would have then, if I could go back and tell myself that.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

118. I'm an overachieving underachiever.

I got a biology degree. I wasn't smart enough to go to medical school and be a doctor.

I got a law degree. That paper doctor took five years of HELL in night school while working. I didn't pass the bar exam. So I'm not a lawyer either.

The moral of the story is that: I have never gotten a job based on those qualifications, I still can't get a job anyway with those qualifications, so I should have majored in what I wanted to, which was art, instead of what my parents forced me to, which had to be a hard science, thus the biology. They wouldn't hear of liberal arts, or social sciences, or the ABSOLUTE WORST, fine arts.

If I had it to do over I would have gotten a BFA in painting. I'm a creative soul and just am not truly happy unless I'm doing music or acting or art.

[Wapsie B]

119. You could still take classes.

After a long time in a hard science field I've got a strong desire to do something much more creative. You need to do something that is more in your true nature.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

131. Yes only vocational school helped me get a job

That two year vocational degree was the only one that helped me get skills and a job.
And the typing mom made me take in high school.

Dad told me about my job, "Well, you'll be ok as long as you don't get burned out before you're forty." He was a lawyer and that's why I went to law school. He was my role model. Mom was a vegg.

I was in the legal field as a court reporter (lawyers and judges) and I got completely burned out on it before I was forty, and ran away because I couldn't take the verbal abuse & general stress anymore. And the market was disappearing in the mid 90s.

[crim son]

124. That would be me, probably.

I have minor talent in so many areas - my mother laughingly calls me "Jack of all trades, Master of none." I'd rather be hopeless at virtually everything and have one real skill than be able to do a little drawing, singing, writing, sewing, counseling, parenting, thinking, cooking, needleworking, designing, etc. etc. :hug: Next life, eh, Perragrande? :hug:

[Left Is Write]

20. Grow a spine, look Susan R. in her beady little eyes, and tell her to fuck off.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

21. The advice I'd give my younger self:

1. You can afford to be a bit more rebellious.

2. Take that job in Ehime, Japan.

3. Take that job in Norway.

4. Follow that man back to Australia when asked.

5. Leave that last teaching job earlier and answer the ad for in-house translators in San Francisco.

(Some of these bits of advice may cancel each other out.)

[InvisibleTouch]

22. "Do not, under any circumstances...

...allow others to coerce you into something that you know is not right for you. Only you know what's best for you. Fight them tooth-and-nail now, or you'll be fighting them for decades later."

[idgiehkt]

26. run away from home

and never look back.

[SeattleGirl]

27. Listen to your inner voice more often.

She can keep you out of situations that you may later come to regret.

[XemaSab]

28. I would tell myself that Brian, Carter, Jake, David F., and David P. were worth it

The rest of them, notsomuch. :P

[krispos42]

29. Don't date (name of my ex)!

Run, Krispos, run!

Hit on that nice Sarah girl in college instead!

[krispos42]

30. Oh, and I'd also give my past self some winning Powerball numbers...

:evilgrin:

[asthmaticeog]

31. Go to college out of town.

[momophile]

32. stay far away from him nt

[zingaro]

33. Never lose control of your life. Never become dependent.

Ever ever ever ever.

Stay at the helm, even if the motherfucking ship is burning around you. Better to sink on your own that to be dragged along by another's anchor.

[AshevilleGuy]

36. Reverse every decision I ever made

Except voting Democratic of course.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

37. "The world will take a turn for the worse in ways you never imagined"

"Be prepared and be strong -the good times won't last"
"Do not trust anything that comes out of George W Bush's mouth and recognize that he is an arrogant, smug, egotistical little creep who will set the nation and the world back decades"
"Recognize Ralph Nader for the lies he tells and don't be sucked in by the rhetoric that there is no difference between Bush and Gore"
"Your family will go through some hard times -be prepared"

[pitohui]

39. buy gold in 1978 and sell at $800 in 1980, buy apple computer and...

you get the idea

scoldings and warnings about wild ways are not useful, for they are not heard

give me the practical advice i can cash in on

[swag]

41. Don't put it inside you-know-who.

[Control-Z]

42. Take the apprenticeship

I was offered with Eyewitness News. Gawd, I was soooo stoopid back then.

Also, move near to and get to know my (distant) family.

[Nicole]

43. Don't light up that first cigarette.

It took me 30 years to break that habit.

[Ariana Celeste]

44. you deserve to be happy

don't run away because you don't feel like you deserve it

[AlCzervik]

45. take better care of your teeth.

[Dastard Stepchild]

46. Once you hit 30, you'll really love your life...

so hang in there.

[u4ic]

48. 1. Don't do it...

2. You are good enough, and capable
3. Follow your passion, and not what you think is expected of you

[sir_captain]

49. Don't post in certain threads

where you are bound to get into pointless flamewars.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

50. 1) Trust yourself as much as, if not more than others.

2) Sex, booze, cigarettes, food, and drugs will not help you feel loved.
3) What others think of you is not nearly as important as what you think of yourself.
4) Hard work is worth more than talent.
5) Try to think in positive terms.

[gmoney]

53. A few things...

Women adore men with confidence, so get confident, stupid...

Find a way to buy the 1952 Mantle...

You don't have to answer the door because someone's knocking...

Don't let your father tell you that video game design is a field with no future...

Stick with your photography/cinema major...

Learn to drink, but don't get stupid...

Don't quit that sweet job to work for the family business... and if you do, do NOT cash in your 401K...

Do not get a credit card...

Buy Google stock early, even if it seems really expensive...

and about 975 other things

[Oeditpus Rex]

57. 'Your mother is deeply disturbed

Do not listen to her. She is wrong. You are none of those things."

[Celeborn Skywalker]

58. Don't ever get a credit card

and save your money!!

[Wapsie B]

59. Believe in yourself.

Trust your instincts instead of looking to others to tell you how to feel or what to do. And don't be afraid to just go for it. Let loose and have fun. Just get laid and chill out. Question things more, especially at home.

[UrbScotty]

60. Dear 1997 ih8thegop: Exercise. Love, 2007 ih8thegop. (nt)

[wildhorses]

61. i made a BIG mistake when i was 15

i would tell myself to NOT make that same mistake again

[philosophie_en_rose]

62. Save money, eat less food, and exercise more.

Work harder, so I can slack off now. :)

[leftofthedial]

63. more sex

less work

[Random_Australian]

64. 1) Learn 'the clearing kinaesthesis' earlier. It should have been real obvious.

2) After she waves goodbye on the (certain place and time), she stops going to school. Give her your fucking number, moron.

3) In just one year you manage to be rude three times, dumbass. Watch what you say a bit more carefully.

4) Your self loathing is going to find another outlet. Get ready.

5) You're not a sociopath - it's just getting adjusted to this new personality that was the problem.

6) 27/02/06 never was going to be the end. Sorry to say it, but you'll never escape. Not for a second, not for an hour. Not in your sleep, not in the real world, not in the myriad unreal world that claw at your brain. They get smashed, but never completely go away.

7) Maths is not for morons. Try not to be such a moron.

8) Why don't you get some friends? Huh? Because you're kidding yourself if you think anyone wants to see you practically anytime they don't have to. Of course, they're not averse to you, just indifferent.

And that's about it for now.


Edit: For other people reading this, don't be concerned. My emotional reactions to many things are so low I have to lay things out in... blunt terms.

[atranssexualgirl]

65. Transition earlier

I would transition to be a girl when I was still in high school, as opposed to now. (23)

I would not let those bullies get to me.

I would um....I don't know? that's it. I would probably not lose my virginity to that guy.

[MrSlayer]

66. I would advise myself to write several hit albums, books and movies.

And then give myself the albums, books and movies to write.

[China_cat]

67. Raise goldfish

they're cheaper than kids and you can legally flush them if they cause problems. Without feeling guilty.

[spiderpig]

68. Get involved!

Protested in 1969. Protested in 2005/2006/2007. Should have got off my butt sooner.

[NC_Nurse]

69. Don't put up with shit.

[dropkickpa]

70. Run.

Far and fast. NOT worth the trouble.

[Patiod]

71. Buy real estate

and don't date actors.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

72. Stop playing soccer before age 13.

I'd still have my ACL intact and happy...

[AngryAmish]

73. Bet everything you have on Buster Douglas v. Tyson

Take winnings and buy Microsoft or Berkshire Hathaway.

[NashVegas]

74. "Tell Your Father What's Going On"

and give him the chance to help.

[av8rdave]

75. "Stay away from that blonde you'll meet spring of '80....no matter how good she may..."

um...seem.

[tk2kewl]

76. Fu*k a lot of women!

[JitterbugPerfume]

77. Love yourself

because you have to love yourself before you can love another

[Forkboy]

78. Learn to cook

[JitterbugPerfume]

88. Hi Forkboy!

I am so glad my boys know how to cook! My oldest son surprised me with that one when his new wife bragged about HIS chicken and rice

HIS???? I have been making that recipe for over 40 years! I have no idea how he learned to cook

[Forkboy]

95. Hehe

Us guys are like that.

Personally,I'd screw up boiled water.If I can't nuke I can't eat it. :)

[azmouse]

79. I'd tell myself to stay in better contact with friends.

A good friend of mine died about 1 1/2 yrs ago and in those last few years I didn't have much contact with her. Now I'm really sorry I missed what time we would have had.

[Kali]

80. Travel.

Anywhere and everywhere. See some of the world beyond the familiar and beyond your comfort zone.

[Raffi Ella]

81. had I had advice like this early on my life might've been different:

Don't get caught up in family drama;Quit reacting to it and letting it overwhelm your life,let them take care of their own problems.Get away from them,focus on yourself,make plans.Your life is important,YOU are important!And deserving and worthy of love and attention and time and energy.You matter.

[geiger]

82. dont take so much advice

[MissMillie]

83. Very few men are worth what they will ask you for

or what you are willing to give them even without asking. Guard your heart and wait for a worthy one.

[JitterbugPerfume]

89. Me too Miss Millie

me too:cry:

[unpossibles]

85. My younger self would try to kick my ass

but then we'd just sit and laugh about it and I'd forget to tell myself anything at all.

[Rising Phoenix]

87. tell everyone how you feel about them

[bridgit]

90. the abusers in your life part of a passing parade therefore hold firm...

[Zuiderelle]

100. Good advice.

And nicely put. :thumbsup:

[bridgit]

102. love you...

just know that i love you :)

[Zuiderelle]

103. That's very sweet of you.

Thanks. And that's also good advice to give our younger selves. :) :hug:

[HughBeaumont]

91. Got a couple of days?

Go to school for computer science and finance. It will make your life a hell of a lot easier than your English major. Take all the math you can and listen intently. You won't have to go through temp hell and will probably be making a lot more. That is, until your job, like everyone elses, is sent to cheaper pastures.

Continue music. You'll be in a band and they'll break up and then you'll forget about going on stage again. You enjoyed it immensely. You're happier for it, not slaving away in some damned cubicle.

Stay away from porn, or be moderate. Although you won't spend that much on it, it will be an addictive waste of time that will plague you throughout your college and adult years.

By 1986, save, steal, borrow, do whatever you can and put that cash on a stock called MSFT. Then in 2000, SELL it. Trust me on this.

Those jocks will stop growing, go bald, get fat and become unathletic and heinous. The girls who call you asshole and other assorted fun names will age quickly, some will STILL have the same hairdo they graduate with and for 90% of them, their looks will worsen as they grow older. You will be more attractive, stronger, more intelligent and more articulate than ALL of them. Trust me on this.

You have severe ADHD, possibly a touch of Asperger's syndrome. That won't be a recognized affliction until 1994, but you have it. This is why high school classes and some of college will be a low-grade-point-average nightmare. Get study guides and start doing exercises to help you concentrate.

In 1988, you'll meet a girl at a football game called Rosanna. Stay the FUCK away from her forever. She'll be employed at the same place as you during college in 1989. Just walk the hell away PLEASE. She'll cheat on you twice and not give back that expensive ring your young-and-dumb ass gave to her.

In 1992, you'll meet a woman named Paula. Once again, damn it, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER! Don't be fooled by her unique looks and hot ass. She's a bitchy headcase who will end up being sick to death of you. Oh, and don't be afraid to break up with someone!

In 1986, you'll meet a girl named Racheal. Eventually, she'll have trouble talking to you because she's nervous. Be patient and stay with her. She'll end up as your wife.

Speaking of young-and-dumb, STOP thinking Alex P Keaton is kewl and vote for Dukakis, not George Bush. Republicans suck the giant corporate phallus and they hate your kind. Just because they're the "party of the rich" does NOT mean you're going to BE one of them.

Keep up the nerdy habit of trivia. It's going to make a wonky mormon named Ken Jennings a ton of cash one day.

Tell your sister NOT to date that guard on the men's basketball team. His Jamaican drug dealer friends with cash laying all over the house like spare change should be a neon sign saying BAD NEWS, but it won't. This is your oblivious sister we're talking about here. Tell her to stay away . . . you know, unless she LIKES being a single mom until 2010.

[prolesunited]

117. Wow

That's an awfully long list. I hope you're living with no regrets now.

[MonkeyFunk]

92. I'd tell me this:

Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it.

[Zuiderelle]

101. LOL!

:rofl:

[Mad_Dem_X]

130. !

:rofl:

And don't forget the difference between shit and shinola.

[bikebloke]

93. There are a couple of women to avoid.

*Especially forget about the Swiss loonie and instead hitch to Berlin, since it'll be a cool place in the 80's.
*Forget the job at the uni for free tuition (you'll get laid off anyway), then go to New Zealand a couple years earlier. Emmigration might work out then.
*Get the family relics before your father has them stored with his sociopathic daughter, who then destroys them.
*Don't ride your bike over that patch of ice and play soccer wearing loose sandals.

If you choose to ignore this advice, then you'll still survive.

[Sequoia]

94. Stay away from boys and keep studying.

Boys will always be around. Crack open those books, take that SAT, don't join the military. Finish college. Don't leave the job because your boss is a jerk. Buy a house. That boy is bad news. Don't watch so much TV.

[ileus]

96. Avoid females until you're 29.

[RebelOne]

97. Do not marry until I am at least 30 and then only to a rich man.

I made the mistake of marrying a poor jerk when I was only 16.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

98. Don't drink, stay in college

eom

[Zuiderelle]

99. Don't smoke. Don't get involved with assholes.

If you think someone is cheating on you, they probably are. Don't ever stay in a relationship that you know is doomed to fail, it hurts you and the other person more than leaving right away. You never know how your life is going to turn out, just live it and trust. Everyone else is insecure too.

That's about it.

[eyepaddle]

104. Stay away from girls named "Juli" nt

[Giant Robot]

105. Give yourself more credit for what you can do

And try more. Apply yourself in college, and not wait 8 years to go to grad school. Work to stay with *her* so that you don't wonder every so often where she is and what she is doing. And no credit cards. Ever. Oh and enjoy your family while they are here and never miss an opportunity to spend a minute with them. You will also spend a lot of time replaying that morning when you drove by that greasy restaurant that your father was eating in at the time, and just kept on driving to go home after an overnight at work. A lot of time. Enjoy them while they are here.

[Dukkha]

106. Move to Canada before 2000!

by ANY means necesary!

[Javaman]

107. Take the blue pill, the red one is for suckers. nt

[guitar man]

108. make a move

....dammit, those other guys left and she stayed here with you for a reason, dammit, what are you waiting for? :shrug:

sigh......the things that one finds out years later. :(

[Rob H.]

109. A not-so-short list

Don't automatically trust girls/women who express an interest in you; some of them are not who they seem on the surface.

You can be nice without being a pushover.

You'll meet a woman named Cindy E. while you're in college. Avoid her. Not only will you be wasting your time if you try to win her over, she is evil incarnate.

You'll meet a great woman, Paula H., in college. You'll be goofy in love with her, but it won't do you a bit of good unless you tell her so.

Stand up for yourself.

Study harder.

Tell the people you love that you love them, and do that every day because they won't be around forever.

And most importantly, even if you forget or ignore everything else I've said, be damned sure to take at least this piece of advice: Believe that you have it in you to do great things.

[ceile]

110. Stay away from drugs and musicians.

Be nice to those who love you.

[Guava Jelly]

111. A few things

1 listen to my friend Janell.She's right!
2 Don't sit around with friends and get plastered every night
3 Don't be so shy
4 buy stock in Microsoft
5 I would also give my self the winning lottery numbers for a big jackpot

[Blue-Jay]

112. Bet all your student loan money on Buster Douglas.

And don't date Maria. She might try to brain you with an iron skillet.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

113. me too.

[femmocrat]

114. Finish your education before you get married. What's the rush?

[Generic Brad]

115. Some day a crazy old guy claiming to be a scientist or a kid will show up

They'll ask for the Sports Almanac. Don't give it to them.

[Art_from_Ark]

116. Wow, where to begin?

Elementary school--
Enjoy this time more if you can, it's America's Golden Age, you'll never live it again.
Don't rub it in to others that your team won yet another stupid kickball game.
Treat all classmates as friends.
Hide in a very secure place all those Mickey Mantle, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Roberto Clemente, Steve Carlton, Denny McLain, Carl Yazstremski,　et al baseball cards.

Junior high--
Don't do stupid things to get attention.

High school--
Clean up your act.
Don't insult anyone.
Don't sell that 1906 quarter eagle gold piece! Don't cash in those savings bonds!
Buy as much cheap gold and silver as you can, and hold it until December 1979.
Do not even THINK about moving to Missouri.

[NMMNG]

120. The BS in Psych is a waste of time

:shrug:

[billyskank]

121. I'd warn me about a couple of people who are no good.

Oh, and a group of fuckups at university who should not be associated with.

[GalleryGod]

122. E-Z: Accept the Job Offer from NFL FILMS

Who knew?:shrug:

[SKKY]

123. Yahooooo-hooo!!!

[youthere]

125. 1. Don't hide your Hallween candy where your brothers can find it...

2.Don't pull on the car door handle when your mom is driving on the highway.
3. Don't give your sister money...EVER.
4. Frogs don't sell well (Long story..just trust me on this)

[bertha katzenengel]

126. Stay the fuck away from Karen Sue Reid.

She is a psychotic bi-- uh, c-- uh, woman (by gender only) from the seventh level of fucking hell and she will take you there with her.

Also: you are not responsible for anyone but yourself. You can't make another person happy, and if someone else isn't happy, it's not your fault, it's not your problem, and it's not up to you to make her happy.

:smacks forehead: if only i had known.

[Arkansas Granny]

127. Take some time to be your own person between

being someone's child and becoming someone's spouse. This is the advice that I give to any young person I know today.

[Jimbo S]

128. Be more outgoing

even if it requires professional help.

I'd give myself this advice at age four.

Life would so much easier:
*more friends
*more enriched hs and college experience
*more gal friends/better relationships with women
*more social contacts
*more professional contacts/rewarding career

[Mad_Dem_X]

129. "Hang in there - it'll get better." n/t

[Katina]

132. cutting is not cool

though at the time, I didn't think I had any other option.

[qnr]

133. Never upend a bag of Salt & Vinegar chips to get the crumbs. Or Dill Pickle, either n/t

[kedrys]

134. Take the freakin' music lessons already

and take 'em seriously.