There are so many things about life that we can’t know until we know, until there’s more perspective and experience under our belts.
If you’re someone whose younger, perhaps still in your twenties, here are 15 things older people wish they’d started doing when they were your age.
15. Regretting this now.
Exercising.
Could’ve avoided so much joint and back pain, asthma and self-confidence issues if I started years earlier.
14. Absolutely no one should start smoking.
Taking my health more seriously.
Specifically quitting smoking and making it stick.
I am now 5 years nicotine free, but that’s after 33 years of smoking.
13. Reading is an excellent habit.
Reading.
It’s like being able to steal years of people’s life experiences in just a few days without having to go through any of the bullshit.
12. If you can master this you can change your life.
Getting up when the alarm goes off instead of hitting snooze.
11. Finances are important.
Look up topics such as investing, personal finance, economics. I find youtube to be an easy way to learn things, just gotta be able to filter out the bullshit.
Also, Khan Academy has some great lessons on finance.
What branch of finance are you particularly interested in? I could recommend some sources
10. Brush. Your kids. Teeth.
Brushing my teeth 🙁 no one made me when i was too little to care and by the time i wanted to do it for me the damage was done
9. Skin cancer is no joke.
Wearing sunscreen every time I go out.
Skin cancer sucks.
8. Yes. Do this TODAY.
Being myself more.
I remember I constantly changing my personality based on the friends I was hanging out with which made me very unhappy.
But now that I started being myself around people that actually like me has made much more accepting of myself.
7. And also pain.
Taking care of my teeth.
I didn’t take my dental health seriously when I was young and now I need a decent amount of work done that will likely cost me a lot of money.
6. You need like 5 good ones, tops.
Not worrying about having lots of friends.
In my younger years I tried to be friends with too many people at once and didn’t have any solid friendships.
Having a few really close friends is far better than many wishy-washy friends.
5. Little changes every day.
Getting up early and just doing what needs to be done in a day instead of putting it off forever
I got started by getting up early for work. Slowly it became my new norm to get up at 7am on my days off. The getting things done part was trickier.
I guess I started by doing small things like cleaning or doing errands right away. Like if I was washing clothes, I wouldn’t let them sit in the dryer. I would take them out right away and hang them up.
Eventually it just became a routine and part of my life.
4. There’s no downside.
Being honest with the people around me, and not lying to myself about who i am.
3. I’ve really got to give this a try.
Yoga – made me a much fitter, more confident, and happy person!
2. It’s not a bad word.
Telling mfs no.
1. Self-esteem is everything.
Accepting myself and not tying who I am to other people’s perceptions. It took me so long to accept my brain and my neurology, much less be proud of it like I am now.
It really screwed up my self-esteem when I was little and I didn’t really get out of that until high school.
I definitely agree with most, if not all, of these!
If you’re on the older side of life, what are some things you would add to this list? Share them with us in the comments!
