20 years ago - Advice to your younger self

[sbaker0029]

Man this is a tough one because all that wasted money on booze, stupid shit i got into, the mistakes made and learned from, and the wisdom gained from all that put me in the position I'm in now and I'm pretty happy with it.

BUT I would have been starting my senior year of high school 20yrs ago so some key pointers would have been nice even though they would have completely changed the trajectory of my life.

Don't date or chase after girls with names that start the letter A, is definitely a good one for me as well like others on here have stated.

If it sounds like fun and you want to do it, go for it. Working at summer camp in upstate NY probably would have been a blast even though it was a 1000mi from home.

Don't listen to what other people think.

Go with what's in your heart more.

Maybe you should join the Marines, after spending several 2-3hr sessions talking with a recruiter.

There's lots of crossroad points that would have changed the trajectory of my life that I would like to tell my younger self about and to pick a different road.

In the end though, I am where I'm supposed to be.

 

[Customweld]

Put that $h!t down brother, you don't need it.

 

[chasewild]

Break up with her. Go hunt.

 

[OkiechasingElk]

BUY DIRT!!!

 

[IdahoElk]

Never trust a fart

 

[timekiller13]

I’ll second, spend less save more.

I’m going to say the exact opposite.

Spend more to make more. If I would have bought that land and house 18 years ago and sold it today, I’d be a multimillionaire and could retire comfortably.

 

[WMag338]

Start applying for points in all western states

 

[Greenbelt]

Always say a proper goodbye cause the next one might just be that real one.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

This thread reminds me of the song "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley.

I wish I would've started building points in multiple states earlier and staying away from nicotine would've been nice.

 

[BowTrout]

I would take the advice that I was given…. BUY LAND!!!

Forgot to say this is another thing I failed at…

 

[hunterjmj]

I forgot a huge regret of mine. Self, don't sell your 72' Chevy 3/4 ton pickup.

 

[Silveroddo]

Buy the restored ‘72 k5 for $10k
Don’t buy the realestate in 2010
Stay away from the career oriented catholic daddy’s girls. ( dodged a bullet there)

Honestly in the big picture you’ve gotta learn some stuff the hard way or the lesson doesn’t mean anything. Embrace the screw ups, figure it out, and keep moving forward.

 

[woods89]

Always say a proper goodbye cause the next one might just be that real one.

This is a good one. The minister who preached the sermon at my brother's wedding had lost a son who was in his teens to a car accident. He told all of us at the end of his sermon that we should always kiss our wife when we leave the house, because it could be the last time we do.

As far as for myself, I don't know. Life has been kind to me. I have a wife I love a lot, 4 great children, part owner of a trades based business that is in high demand, able to hunt a moderate amount. Most of all, a functional faith that gets me through the bumps. It's not that I haven't made some mistakes, but I'm not sure I would want to have skipped some of the lessons I learned from them.

I suppose if I could narrow it down to one thing, it would be to really learn to listen to people. It's often the door to success.

 

[Z71&Gun]

Hunt ducks

 

[kentuckybowman]

Buy those farms for cheap

 

[49ereric]

same as I did 20 years ago.
work IUOE union jobs no matter what good years and bad cuz
pension pension pension matters when retired.

 

[justinspicher]

Stop wasting my time with archery.

 

[MattB]

. . . and don’t date the crazy ones!

Blasphemy, just don’t marry the crazy ones.

Or go to bars with them.

Or have them around your friends.

 

[MattB]

Always say a proper goodbye cause the next one might just be that real one.

A buddy is at the hospital with a sister he hadn’t spoken to in 14 years. She is in ICU and sounds like he got there after she ceased being able to communicate. It is a hollow “goodbye” or “I am sorry” when you may never know if it was heard.

Don’t put yourself in a position to have to live with that, be the bigger person, clear the air, and get on with life.

On a similar note, never go to bed angry with your spouse.

 

[MattB]

One thing I learned early in my career that has application throughout life is to figure out what the person you are “negotiating” with wants and find a way to align their interest with yours. This is not always possible, but where it is it makes life so much easier.