Hi,

I though about starting a thread for the younger posters here to give good advice about life in general. Please feel free to add your own.

1. Being polite is free. So be polite.
2. Are you parents doing well (not rich, but lets say no debt, bills are paid and they own their house.) Do as they say. Having a good relationship with you parents has more benefits you can possibly imagine.
- Possible financial support during education. (I never got this, but I worked my ass during evenings and weekends to support myself financially thus getting masters degree in engineering in four years. No student loan.)
- Free advice. They have perspective and experience in life. Do as they say. See - 3.
3. Learn from OTHER peoples mistakes.
4. Get education and degree. This gets you better change of getting a good job.
5. Learn skills. It saves truckload of money. Example. I bought cheap old sports car back in university. Zero mechanical experience. 5 years later its now completely rebuilt and restored. (Learned to everything myself except bodywork and paint job.) Now I can rebuild engines, do my own wrenching and this enables me to drive older (but cooler) cars since I don't have to take them to shop and get raped if something goes wrong. I have renovated my flat and rebuilt all floors with less than 500$ per room. This includes everything.
6. Buy only the shit you need. But if you really need something - buy the best you can affort. This applies to guns and tools. Buy cheap - buy twice. Also note - buy "quality items" does not mean "buy brand items".
7. Pay your cars and other stuff in cash.
8. Pay your credit card debt at the end of every month. All of it!
9. If you buy expensive stuff - shop around and get at least 5 offers.
10. If you dont know who is being screwed - it is you.
11. Save 10% of all your income. Behave like you earn 10% less.
12. Don't tell anyone how much you really make. Instead complain to everyone that you make too little money. Use every opportunity you have to complain and dodge taxes. (While staying on the right side of the law - this not tax evasion - its financial planning.
13. Have long term plan. Have a back up.
14. Have health insurance.
15. Have credits cards, but NEVER live beyond your means.
16. Family comes first.
17. Balance in every area of your life. You live only once - I suggest you make most of it (but remember 15). Free time is valuable. Don't spend all you time working. You are lucky if you have a job which only takes 8 hours of your day - the rest should be dedicated to hobbies, friends and family.
18. Do not get married unless you really want to and are 100% sure that what you are doing is what you want and not what she wants.
19. City girls are all spoiled and rotten. Dead inside. Find a nice country girl who shares your passions and is not afraid to get her hands dirty. If she does not ask you to fix her car, but asks you to teach her how to fix her car you have found a keeper.
20. Date girls in your own social class - for example engineer & engineer relationship works lot better than say mechanic and doctor. You have more things in common and you most likely have similar attitudes and opinions.
21. Avoid girls who get in debt - avoid like a plague!
22. Date her at least 5 years before marriage. This way you know what you get.
23. Only have real friends. Ask youself - if I would call him 3 am and told him that I woke next to a dead hooker - would he call the cops or help me to get rid of her body. (This is just an example. )
24. Respect other people but know your rights. Don't be a door mat.
25. Avoid travelling to third world shit holes.
26. If 25 can not be avoided due to work, hide your money. Drink only bottled water. Dont buy anything from street vendors. Try to blend in. Respect locals and their habits. Have always copies of passport and other important documents, dictionary, and enough money to bribe a cop or to get a cab to airport. Have at least 3 alternative exit strategies.
27. The only ones you can really trust have same family name as you. This not a coincidence. When it comes to others - trust but verify. (Edited - Might not always apply)
28. Obey the law.
29. Alcohol makes you do stupid things. Avoid it. One glass of good redwine to relax after work might have health benefits though.
30. Smoking. Don't do that.
31. Get in shape. If you can run 10 miles - stay in shape.
32. You remember that little voice inside your head that said "dont do this you idiot" when you used hammer to remove primed shell from reloading die? Listen to that little voice.
33. Nothing in life is free. Be prepared to work ass of to achieve something. World does not owe you anything. But remember 17.
34. Try to get yourself to a position where you are independent. (Financially and otherwise.)
35. Bring your own rubbers and use them. :)

I am now 26 years old. I consider myself lucky since I made this list when I was 17 and have followed it ever since. So far, everything has worked you far better than I could have possibly imagined.

If you have any advice, feel free to add your own.

Good luck,

EDIT: I left these out since I thought they were common sense:

1. Always think and take free advice with a grain of salt. Applies very much to advice given in internet.
2. They say exceptions make rules. They say every rule has exception. Just think long and hard if you are that exception.
3. Never buy new car.

Don't play World of Warcraft.

-Don't think you're wise enough to dispense life advice just because you made it to 26. Before 30, nobody should care what you think. After 30, wait another few years, just to be sure.

Age =/= experience and wisdom. I know plenty of old people who are dumb as turds and plenty of young people who make 3 times as much money as anyone should.

First few I was all on the train, 29, 30 and 31 exclude me. 30 because I chew Copenhagen like a fucking champ. 29, because I love me some beer. 31 meh too lazy.

You're right. There are lots of old, dumb people.

But there are virtually no young, wise people. If there were, i doubt they'd post here.

(And no, their income isn't a measure of wisdom...)

I agree. :)

I do not consider myself wise - just lucky.

I just thought I would share what seems to have worked nice so far and has saved me from a lot of grief.

And the advice above does not ensure everything will work out - it just seems to increase the probability. There are always unknown factors that you can not prepare in advance, such a health problems and so on.

Experience is something you earn two seconds after the fact.

To be old and wise you have to be young and stupid.

"They say that in your 20s you're trying the work out the man you want to be, and in your 30s you discover who he is. And warped and all, beer gut and all, brain damage and all, you just kind of go."

Live life to the fullest, don't try to live life wondering.

If you're damned if you do and damned if you don't, just  be damned and do it.

A great chance is rare, a second chance at it is pretty nonexistent, so grab it and make the best of it –– whatever it is.

You're OK on most - not all - the financial stuff.

I pity you when I read your marital advice.

I've coached a lot of younger people in how to get ahead in life, and I've found it useful to distill my advice down to two rules, six words:



1. Actions have consequences.

2. Knowledge is power.



You'd think this is obvious, but it's been very useful to use this framework to talk through some problem or opportunity.



It's really gratifying to hear that it's been applied in my absence, like "so I remembered what you always say about 'knowledge is power' and I thought I should learn all of the band's main songs before the audition..." or "I realized I shouldn't be hitting on his girlfriend because, you know, actions have consequences". It may sound weird but I've had a lot of conversations like that over the years. Maybe because of my family and where I live I run into a lot of kids that need really basic life planning skills.

I've always listened to what my older family has told me, and tried to apply it if it sounds reasonable.

One thing that my dad has always burned into my brain, and has probably saved my life on multiple occasions,

"When you are working at heights....one hand for you, one hand for the company".

Other good ones I've been told

"You have to start planning for your retirement, as soon as you start working, life will creep up on you."
"Don't ever let a woman run the household, thats the MAN'S job".
"When you meet someone, a firm handshake and eye contact will gain their respect".
"If someone punches you, punch them back twice as hard!"
"Treat other people the same way you would want to be treated."
"When you see someone doing a good job, pay attention to every thing they do. There is a reason they are good at it. Figure out why."

I try to drill this into people's heads. Not only do your actions have consequences, so do your words. Choose each wisely unless you want to deal with the aftermath –– many do not get this.

Another good one, if anything is worth doing, do it right and do it proudly.

I agree about the words. I've seen guys who apparently went through their first 20 years or so without facing any consequences for their words. Their teachers couldn't do anything about it and most of the time their parents were just overgrown children. And now they're trying to get a job and they have no idea how bad they look, how disrespectful or scatterbrained or unreliable, because of what comes out of their mouths or what's printed on their t-shirts.



ETA: In my entire childhood my father laid hands on me only once, and my grandmother laid hands on me only once, and both times it was because of something I said. Those incidents made a big impression.

They don't understand that just because a company is EEOC compliant doesn't mean the hiring manager isn't going to profile you from the second you step into the door. You may be the best damned employee ever, but if you present yourself wrong, you'll never be able to prove it.

Well - we have all heard the saying "Better to have loved and lost than not loved at all" or something like that.

Im just saying that these days when "lost" refers to half of your shit love does not have to refer to marriage. Lots of people forget that.

And note - I am not saying "dont get married." I am saying "Take your time to find the RIGHT girl to get married" (and have fun while doing so.)

I saw what was posted, I will be concise. Surround yourself with the best. I know, I'm being way to chatty.  love u.

Your list sucks.


1)Drive fast

2)take chances

3)drink too much

4)smoke something once in a while

5)Sleep with women you know you shouldn't

6)Go to strange countries and do shit you know you shouldn't do....ANYWHERE....

7)Act like an idiot, but admit you're not really acting

8)Trust everyone...At least once

9)Fall deeply in love with someone

10)Be honest, loyal and trustworthy

11)Cuss whenver possible

12)Drive across the country for a seemingly stupid reason

13)Sleep outside once in a while

14)Blow shit up whenever possible

15)Eat meat at every meal

16)Pray

17)Share whatever you can, especially if you don't want to

18)Disregard anyone that makes a list telling you what you should and shouldn't do.

19)Do what you want, when you want, with no regrets

I have a simpler view.  

Don't smoke.  (that includes the marijuana)

Eat more salad.  

Floss your goddamn teeth.

Run around the block often.  

Cancel the cable and throw away the video games. If you absolutely cannot take the cold turkey approach, buy a Kindle in the meantime and read a book.

Bang as many girls as possible!

Don't worry about stupid shit.  Life can be taken from you at any time.  Traffic moving too slow?  Consider that to be more time you have alive..............

You have to be fucking kidding me.



 

One more thing:

Take the time and spend the money to see the world while you're young enough to do it well and enjoy it. My arthritis limited my ability to enjoy London, Paris, and Normandy the last few times we were there. It would have been much nicer if it didn't hurt so much to walk. Getting old ain't for sissies.

budget.

After the first one, the rest are free.
Don't trust someone with something they'd care about controlling.
Be humble.
Be polite.
Always keep your promises.

There are people in the world who you don't know, never seen, and have never wronged who will FUCKING KILL YOUR ASS. Plan accordingly.

Real men don't wear flip flops.

Edit: page 2 ownage

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Mobile site fail. Still on page 1.

And I wear flip flops. So?

I`ve got a couple, gleaned from fifty seven years here....
The FiveWordRule. How You Treat People Matters.
and of course the flip side is, how you treat me matters...

Money is a sorry way to measure wealth.
The bigger the head, the bigger the target.
Happiness is not having what you want, its wanting what you have.

Money matters. It is not the stuff of life, but it can provide freedom.

Any one who wants you to be unarmed and weaker, for whatever stated reason,
is not your friend, Avoid them and get around them at all cost. Your friend wants you
to be strong and safe. thats a good measure of friendship.

You can disagree with someone on principle and remain civil occasionally. Not often.

A job supports the life, not the life supports a job. That gets reversed too often.

Some more will probably occur to me later, enough for now.

Ol Scruff

Do as much dumb shit as you can while you are young.  When it gets boring it is time to grow up.

I'm rollingtrouble13 and I approve this fucking post!

A name like 8balls and no advice on blow, wtf?

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Virginia Reed to cousin Mary Keyes, May 16, 1847

virginia was a member of the donner party

This isn't mine, but it sure seems like good advice.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
––Frank Outlaw

Mommy and Daddy's little over achieving Stepford child.
I probably wont be around but get back to us in 20 years.

That is a very true statement.................