Ask HN: What one thing would you tell your younger self? Hi guys, just came across this crowdsourced social experiment Twitter account: @AYoungerMe There were some really cool Tweets of lessons people would tell their younger selves. However I thought the HN crowd is so smart that I’d like to hear what all of you would tell your younger self, if you had the opportunity. |
You may have to get older, but you don't have to grow up.
I'm sure they mean "What advice would you give to a youth similar to yourself today?"
But hey if that's legit, then "February 18, 2006: 15, 17, 43, 44, 48, Powerball 29".
This question leads to another...why don't people tell these things to their kids?
"You don't have to wait to grow up to do great things. Do something now."
"Embrace the mistakes. They eventually pay off."
"What makes you "different" makes you AMAZING!"
Parents NEVER say these things. Parents say "do your homework", "practice the piano", "be nice to your sister". If, god forbid, I ever have a child I will have a very difficult time resisting the urge to tell him or her what life is really about. If I knew then what I know now... how could I keep that same valuable knowledge from someone I care about?
The rest is directly countered by teachers and classmates in public school. You're told you can't do things until you're older, and mistakes and differences are punished.
"Don't overvalue the whole 'good things come to people who wait' thing. Be really f%!#ng aggressive in going after what you want, life is short, don't wait around."
or something to that effect.
Ignore almost everything anyone else tells you unless you can independently verify it, especially your parents. In fact, just divorce your parents now. The correct answers always come from within your own head. Your first impulse is always wrong, but doing the wrong thing almost always turns out well. You're almost always the smartest person in the room, and everyone knows it, so calling yourself "stupid" is calling everyone in the room stupid, even when true. Confidence is key. Talk more slowly. You can't be anyone other than who you are, but you can be the best "you" that can be. Nutrition is entirely applied physics (calories consumed - exertion = weight), so count calories. Yes, you'll live to see 85, and yes, life gets better at 30.
The world is big, huge, and interesting. Don't think its as small as the adults want you to think it is. Don't even think its as small as your friends of the same age say it is. They are are just repeating other 'cooler' adults are saying. 'Cooler' adults are still adults. Chances are they too will end up being just like the adults who are lying to you right now. Stop thinking about them, go out there & explore!! See what's really out there.
And if you feel like giving up after exploring, don't. Stop staring at the ground, look up, open your eyes, and see the wonderful scenery your in. Will it be painful to try to look up? Of course! However, if you can overcome that pain and actually look up, you will see a marvelous sight that few other humans can see. A sight that is worth all the pain and troubles you will face in reaching it. Only then can you see the truth that exists in this world. Only then can you truly start your life as well.... you'll see :)
P.S. If it's not painful to try and look up, stop pretending your exploring!! Go out there and explore for real!"
For my younger self, the word I'd use would be "smartphones".
Compile your first program earlier, because from there the slopes keep getting better, and the peaks have nicer views.
And also, finish your projects and focus!
And also, finish your projects and focus!
Acquire the habit of finishing stuff, dammit.
Finally, not only is life short, it's shorter than you think.
To my eighteen-year-old self: That girl that sits on your lap sometimes before class? She probably likes you. That one that always finds a way to stand next to you? She probably likes you, too. Maybe think about asking one of them out.
To my twenty-two-year-old self: Experience matters. Pay attention to what the successful forty-year-olds in the office do rather than spending all your time with the other recent grads. Watch how the partners handle clients.
Sex, drugs and rock n' roll is all fun until you realize the emptiness inherent in all of it. Freedom, love, truth, and peace are more than just flowery overused words; they are all that matter in the end. Make these values the pillars of your life and all else will fall into place.
Never stop asking questions. Never. Challenge every institution and learn where you really stand, not where others would like for you stand. Shine your unique brilliance unto this world and take no ownership over what you accomplish, everything is a group effort.
Help out around the house a lot more, you are not a king.
"Don't be afraid of being different - What seems now like a curse will be your biggest gift in some years"
Also - don't be impatient.
I would tell myself to go all in on whatever I was interested in, no matter how young I was. I would tell my parents to let me go hard at whatever I was interested in.
I'm not quite sure I would want to tell my younger self anything that may inevitably change the outcome of the future. We all knows what happens when people travel back in time, the future gets all screwed up. But if there was one thing, perhaps to not look for validation in what you're doing from other people who don't do what you do.
'Everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it. You can influence it. You can build your own thing that other people can use'
- Stop wasting time watching TV.
- Instead of taking BS classes in highschool, go to a CC and get some college credit so you don't have to kill yourself taking 18 credit semesters just to graduate in 4 years with two majors.
- Stop procrastinating. There are things you'll have to do and doing it sooner is almost always better than later.
If you don't mind "taking one for the team", consider bringing a taser and a tree chipper to that meeting you're about to go into. Be sure ____ goes in feet first.
Thanks!
Your future self.
I wish I had realized that 15 years ago.
Among other things that I don't feel comfortable saying in a public forum.
I'm 46 now, and there are so many things I wanted to do with my life that I don't think I can start now. Some I have tried anyway; banjo, bass guitar; but some I think are going to be forever gone.
When you fail, smile, because you realize that you pushed your boundaries, you grew, and you learned something. And then either try again or try something else.
"pitfalls that we know are there, drugs, debt....study or whatever"
Congratulations! Out of the infinite amount of things in the world that are good and the infinite amount of things in the world that are bad, this parent just taught the kid to worry ONLY about drugs, debt, and homework.
If there's one thing about children I can say without a doubt is that they are the ultimate copy machines. The thing they are completely focused on desperately trying to copy? Their parent.
So in reality, the best possible way for a parent to teach their children their dreams they want is to personally live those dreams. However, for 97% of people in this world, this so hard that they don't want to do it. Thus they choose the easier alternative - lying. This, ironically, then teaches the kid this technique as well since kids, well, copy them.
Take the initiative and recognize that the stuff worth learning takes tons of work, so stick with it and don't give up!
But, i doubt a younger me would listen ...
Oh :-(