It would take a while for me to answer everyone individually but I wanna thank you all for your words of wisdom.
This is especially interesting. Right now my friends and I are all on the same level in terms of struggling through the normal college-life trials, but I guess I could see it happening…
Easiest way to become a rich prick: Do better than the guy that hasn’t done anything.
Always wear your seat belt.
Terrorists will fly airplanes into the WTC and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001
Me: " Okay Future me, I bought an apple, some goggles but the Amazon river is not for sale. What to do?"
I would have to 3rd the motion that 20yo me wouldn’t listen to present me, or anyone else for that matter. I’d have to go back in time and smack him in the face to get his attention.
School: change your major you fool! You chose poorly. Better yet quit school and your 3 jovs and be a bum for a while. Don’t rack up debt and get pigeon holed into stuff you don’t want to do anyway because it’s “practical” and “safe”.
Work: figure out your why. Don’t outwork everyone around you just because that’s how you’re programmed… But figure out what you actually want to do. Question your goals and who put them in your noggin in the first place. Don’t mistreat lazy coworkers, it’s counterproductive… it makes them work less.
Relationships: learn empathy and employ it.
Training: figure out goal oriented behaviour and apply it. Don’t just mess around with weights and diet and wonder why your results aren’t stellar.
In general: calm the fuck down. Nobody gets out alive.
Stop smoking weed. Oh and for fuck’s sake cut your hair, you’ll actually get laid after.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of truth in this.
A good friend will have your back when you’re going through some hardship, or when you’re low. They’ll be there when you’re in the hospital, you get fired, your wife leaves, or your father dies. That’s a good friend.
Still, more often the test of true friendship is if they can be there for you when things are going really well. Can they be genuinely happy for you when you win, when everything goes your way, or when you experience great success. That’s often a more difficult thing for humans to do. To be genuinely happy for their friend’s successes.
To not feel diminished by the beauties and talents of others is one of the biggest tests in this life, IMO. We’re prone to envy, and pride. Coveting what other people have. These things are are the root of a lot of unhappiness. Humans often live in comparison to other people. We have a very hard time living by our own internal compass for success. We feel better about ourselves when we can think we’re doing slightly better than the neighbors, or when we can tell ourselves that we’re better, nicer, smarter, or happier than the people around us.
We have all kinds of excuses and defense mechanisms to help us pretend that we’re better than we are.
Sorry, I know that’s super dark, but I think it’s true.
It’s far too true and not dark, IMO.
Certainly worth un-deleting
Alright, dchris. I put them back. Dark. And Creepy.
Don’t sell the WRX and never buy an automatic.
Be patient in the gym. Your hard work will pay off, but it’s going to take A LOT longer than you want it to. Keep grinding and enjoy the ride.
Don’t sleep with that girl. It’s not worth it, and you will regret it FOREVER. Yes, that one. (I needed to hear this at 19, but still.)
Don’t pursue girls that are clearly not into you. It’s pathetic, even if you eventually “get” them.
Study harder, or the first 8 years of your career are going to be miserable.
Start training bjj NOW. Compete as much as you can.
Needed to hear all 3 of these. I’ve been meaning to get back into japanese jj lately because my first time around was a lot of fun and I learned some useful things
I once read a sad/funny article by a writer who lost half her friends when she became a success.
I would tell him to spend more time studying and weight lifting and that it was going to take a lot longer to reach his dreams than he thought so to plan ahead. I can’t really tell him much more, because if I change his future too much, he won’t be in the right time and place to save someone from drowning. But it would be nice if he looked better in a bathing suit when he is doing so.
After today, I would change my advice.
You’re an adult now. You’ve had 20 years of dealing with childish nonsense. You might think it’s time to put it behind you but the reality is that it only really just starts now and the 20 years until now was just practice for the real stuff.
Don’t let this upset you. The faster you accept it the easier life is.
Also, learn to wave your dick at people. Not literally, that would be disgusting. Metaphorically - the socially acceptable way - because 80% of interactions are just this, so get good at it.
Very good input. As usual of course
Dark? Maybe a little, but I think people suffer when they don’t know or understand or fear to face reality. I think I’m probably the most optimistic person I know, but I absolutely understand that a healthy organism seeks its own advantage. As people we struggle with the morality of doing so at the expense of others, as well as the envy and pride you mentioned, but it is built into our design. So yes, it’s the dark side of our natures, but the light is there, too, in our attempts to resist envy and avoid covetousness. In addition to defining the darkness of our natures, you outlined the struggle to be better, to be more than our impulses would have us be. That’s all light.
Nothing creepy about what you wrote.
Certainly,
is darker. Both remarks are still worthwhile reads though.
I’m twenty-five so I don’t have much distance to my twenty-year-old self. I’d urge my twenty-year-old self to stay on the path he was on, as opposed to switching gears to a different more prestigious path because it would end up costing far more than it was worth.
Did I reply to this thread? I’m too lazy to see if I have so here’s mine :
-shitty men don’t matter
-respect yourself
-seek help for your self esteem issues
-focus on your baby more than hating your body. Someday he will be 12
-never give up on sign language
-hire a powerlifting coach because you love this more than anything and you don’t want to waste time doing it all wrong
-being single is better than being in emotionally abusive relationships