vigilante Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I'm 22 years old, ready to graduate soon. School can only teach you so much. The best things you can learn is from experience and advice from those who've been through it. I'm looking for any tips and lessons from anyone, particularly the older folks here, about life, money, love, whatever. It doesn't matter. All I need is a little bit of insight and wisdom. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Can you narrow it down just a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Old folk here- In any endeavor take your chances win or lose them. You'll regret not doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vigilante Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 I mean, I'm just looking for things that you learned as you got older. Obviously you guys are more experienced in every aspect of life than I am. Your mindset back when you were 22 is not the same as it is now. What exactly do you tell yourself now to be the best you can be? And what aspects of life have you discovered throughout the years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 First lesson, be specific. It's hard road out there and if you aren't specific in your requests then you can't get useful help. Second, figure out what your priorities are. Some people are primarily motivated by money, others by family, others by stuff, or fun or helping others or carving out a place in history. What you want helps define who you should become. If you are primarily interested in status don't become a teacher. If you want to accumulate a lot of stuff don't become a monk. Figure out what your drives are before you buy the car or turn the ignition. ---------- Post added February-9th-2011 at 12:03 PM ---------- Most people act out of self-interest, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be a good person. Make sure you can live and are happy with yourself. Edit: Seriously though, if you're not more specific this could wind up to be the Fortune Cookie thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Take time to allow yourself "feel" each moment...good, bad, happy, sad. That's the experience of life and no life is complete without some ups and downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?309838-The-tailgates-lil-tips-for-life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USS Redskins Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Good luck when you graduate... my advice is that if you need to take chances with jobs, relationships or just life - do it now while you are young and dont have the responsibilities of a father or husband. Within the last 2 years I turned down a job opportunity that would have required me to move and travel allot. The money was incredible but I wont give up time with my family for anything - I provide fine now but this would have been a big leap... if I was younger and single I would have jumped on it in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Life is long. Don't sweat the small stuff, which is about 99.9% of all stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 On money, I would say don't obsess about it. Money will take care of itself if you get life and love correct. If you don't get life and love correct no amount of planning will help you. The secret is pretty simple. save a little bit of every paycheck and don't spend more than you make. Not being flippant but that's really the deal. With credit cards and advances and loans you can spend more than you make for years if you want too. But then you pay it back with interest. If you never spend more than you make, you will always be ahead. My primary advice for a 22 year old young man would be to take some chances. I wouldn't get a job, buy a house, and settle down. I would travel and see the world some. if you don't do it now, you won't ever do it because it's much harder after you are maried, have a kid, and own a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedr01 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 ReallyOld folk here- In any endeavor take your chances win or lose them. You'll regret not doing so. Fixed it for ya ---------- Post added February-9th-2011 at 12:22 PM ---------- The more you know the less you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Some of what I've learned since 22.... Re: Marriage/Love life: When money problems enter the door, Love flies out the window. Make sure you and your other have the same financial goals. Or enough $ where it's not a problem. It's not always necessary to be "right". Pick your battles. Your wife IS more important than your friends. Work: Always look for the next opportunity Learn as much as you can. If your employer offers education, take advantage. Don't participate in the gossip mill. General Life: I stopped being concerned with having the latest/greatest, and instead go with what fits my lifestyle/budget/NEEDS best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 It's better to regret something you did than something you didn't do. AND It is far easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FanboyOf91 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Your wife IS more important than your friends. I want to add to this...if you don't feel that way, then you're not ready to get married yet. I'm in my 30s and we already know 3 couples who are divorced. They basically got married because the rest of us were and none of the marriages lasted more than 2 years (with 1 of them lasting less than 1 year). If you still would prefer to hang out with your friends than spend time with your girlfriend, don't even think about getting married. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Be careful of love. You're young, and the next ten or so years are the best time for your youthful energy to springboard your life. You've spent all this time running up to the edge of the board and making sure you get the highest spring possible, now, be wary you don't tie down your flight with a wife and kids and such before you're ready. Love is nice, and it feels great. But love in our 20s rarely lasts as long as our youthful optimism believes it will. It would suck to work so hard, and then have to give half of it all away by 35, plus pay child support, etc. i know I sound like an awful pessimist here, but the fact is this. You've got time for all of that. Don't rush into it, and don't be fooled by youthful infatuation. One of the thngs I did with my life that I feel i did 100% right is I didn't have a child until I was 33. By then I was MUCH more mature and prepared for what it entails than I was at 23. When my ex ditched out on us (and what do you know, we'd been together since we were 22) I was able to handle it. If I was still in my 20s when she did that, I have no idea how I would have coped. Use your youth for yourself and your future family. You will get a lot more accomplished and by the time you're ready for a family, a lot of the real hardships that come from them will be under control. Lots of folks have kids before they're ready emotionally and financially. You'll see them,, your friends will do it, if they haven't already begun. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Fixed it for ya---------- Post added February-9th-2011 at 12:22 PM ---------- The more you know the less you know. :paranoid: :handicap: :slap: :moon:: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Old folk here- In any endeavor take your chances win or lose them. You'll regret not doing so. Exactly, take chances. You don't want to be wondering "what if" when you are older. Live life to the fullest. As my good friend Mark Twain once told me: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." And don't take minor things too seriously. You will learn to know what matters in life and what doesn't. Most things that people get fired up about really are not that important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endzone_dave Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 - If you are working for a boss who doesn't appreciate you, find another job. - Don't burn bridges when you leave a job. - Do fun things before you have kids. Once you have kids, it's hard to break free to do cool things. - Don't take advice from a stock broker, due your own due dilligence. - Start a 401K and a 529B as soon as you can. - You can have good time without getting wasted. You start thinking you know everything when you get older. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Get and keep your financial life in order. Having good control of your money doesn't buy you happiness but it brings a heck of a lot of peace of mind. My rules: 1. Emergency fund (a "liquid" stash of money that's easily accessible) 3-8 months worth of expenses. You just never know what life is gonna throw at you. 2. Resist the urge to borrow money and spend money you don't have (don't be in debt and don't use credit cards if you can't pay off the balance monthly) 3. Spend less than you make each month 4. Set aside in savings (savings account, retirement account... these all count as savings) a portion of each paycheck AUTOMATICALLY...aim to get to at least 20%... I started out at 5 bucks a week and now I'm up to several hundred a week. 5. Harness the power of compounding interest. When you're interviewing for jobs, make sure your boss is someone you respect or inspires you or is a good leader. There are very few people that can impact your quality of life like your boss. Don't let a girl/woman get you down for an extended period of time. Move on as soon as possible. Don't make life plans around a woman (moving, job) unless she has your last name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Get and keep your financial life in order. Having good control of your money doesn't buy you happiness but it brings a heck of a lot of peace of mind. Don't let a girl/woman get you down for an extended period of time. Move on as soon as possible. Don't make life plans around a woman (moving, job) unless she has your last name. Excellent advice. And things I wish someone would have drilled into my head a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmySmith Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 If I was 22 again I would travel for a couple of years. Not much time or money to do it when you turn 40. Then concentrate on a career for a couple of years without distraction. Then find a girl who shares my spirituality and start having children. That is just me. One thing that applies to everyone, stay out of debt. If you cannot pay cash for it, you don't need it. If you can pay cash for it, you probably still don't need it. Save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoEd Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Until you're happy with yourself, you can never make somebody else happy. Relationships complicate things, kids compound that. There's a lot of people who get into relationships because they think it will "settle them down" or "give them direction". Sometimes that's true, often it's not. If you're already on rocky ground and having a hard time dealing with your own problems (emotional, financial or whatever else), when you get married their problems become your problems and it only gets tougher. Just be cautious and don't rush in to anything. Don't chase money! Money is necessary but is $10K extra a year in a job you don't like worth it? You can't put a price on happiness, do something you love doing, something you're passionate about. Don't tie yourself down to a job because it's what someone else thinks you should do or because it comes with a cool title. When you do settle down and find the "one", go all in. Marry your best friend, someone that makes you laugh, understands you, loves you unconditionally. So many people make the mistake of getting involved with someone that has tons of baggage because they think they can "fix" them. If they haven't "fixed" themselves, you're not going to be able to do it for them. Live, love, laugh...cliche, simplistic, but so damn true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Don't chase money! Money is necessary but is $10K extra a year in a job you don't like worth it? This is a good point. $10,000 is a lot of money but it really only represents an extra $270 in a biweekly paycheck. Don't get me wrong, I could do a lot of good with that extra cash but it's not exactly lifestyle changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwyl Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Get off my damn lawn. er I mean don't shop for and buy a large purchase in the same day. Don't take at face value anything a salesperson of any sort says to you. (You can trust, but verify) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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