For people over 20

LVNF04

What would you change differently if you could go back and be 20 years old again?

ParadigmShifter

I would not be in any exclusive relationship until later in my life. I have realized it is very hard to grow as a person when you are in a committed relationship. There might be some relationships that are beyond amazing where both people grow together and have many similar interests; while pushing each other to be the best version of themselves. However, this is far from the norm and the best way to grow is to be single and create the person you want to be.

Vikka_V

I would not be in any exclusive relationships either.

I would try to not be as sentimental about "home" and friends and move around more.

I would travel as much as I could.

MrStabbems

you don't need to eat batteries to prove you're the duracell bunny.

Unknown

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MNTom

As an old guy, I don't think I would do much different overall. There are numerous mistakes that I have made and some things I wish I could have done better for my family, but overall life has been good to me. Most of my good fortune has come because I was born in the US. Just luck, I guess. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

Ironandwine69

I wouldn't change a thing. I had a lot of fun in my 20s but also invested in myself.

LAWoman72

I would wait to have children. I would wait until I was very, very established and 100% certain of and secure in the relationship I was in. If that meant I'd be 35 then okay, fine. If it meant never it meant never. You are talking about a child's entire life here.

WeAreTheMassacre

Never start drinking. Took years away from my fitness goals, lost a lot of friends.

MichelleWithMoxie

Drink less. Smoke less weed. Go to class more. Care less about what people think of me.


My 20s sucked. The entire decade, until about the end of year 28. You couldn't pay me enough to relive that mess.

Just_Mel_

So many things.
Wouldn't have let parents with very old school views on marriage and dating influence me into marrying at 19. Finished college, made a career doing what I love instead of settling for a mediocre job. Made good financial decisions. I would have traveled and figured myself out before settling into marriage and mommyhood. I wish I would have made myself and my health and fitness a priority. I feel like I've had to start over my life in my mid thirties. Lots of time wasted.

ParadigmShifter

Someone needs to make a book about this. I call dibs on 3% royalties.

jw0110

I'm another one that would have lived my life a bit more and not settled down so young, I don't regret having the children at all however am now trying to do all the things i should have done when I as younger but being a 34 year old single mum, this isn't always overly easy to achieve.

browneyedgirl749

I would have stayed in school. I went back later in life, graduating college at the age of 31. If I could go back to 18 I would have joined the military. Besides those two things, I wouldn't change a thing. I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with family members throughout my 20's.

duddysdad

I would have had a child earlier. My son was born in 2013 when my wife and I were 33. When he graduates high school we will be 50. I have a progressive neurological disability, so my chances of playing with grandkids isn't looking too good, and I don't want to miss it.

ShellyPru84

I wouldn't have gotten married right out of college. We didn't have kids and divorced two years later but that followed me and influenced my behavior and decisions for two years after the divorce. I also would have traveled more and worked on myself more.

Chadxx

I would have made better choices with my health and career and bought stock in Apple.

cee134

I would of played more video games and talked to people less.

Unknown

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everher

I wouldn't change a thing.

My advice to anyone 20? Be 20. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to do stupid things, but that's all part of being 20. Just do what you think is best and try to do what makes you happy.

The funny thing about life is it all works out in the end. Sometimes the things that you think are the worst things to ever happen to you are the best and vice versa.

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LAWoman72

I'd love to do my life over and be selfish as a young person.

Live just for me. Not step on anyone else or be a tyrant or a jerk or anything, but go to work for me. Do just my laundry. Wipe just my own leavings out of the toilet bowl. Eat lunch when I wanted to eat lunch and have that lunch be something I wanted, and not have to feed someone else first. Watch what I wanted on TV. Save money so I could go on vacation where I wanted to go.

Living your life for every other damned person except yourself is supposed to "build character" and blah-blah but as I see things, all it does is reinforce how you really don't count...ever. Other people do. All the time. So I feel for balance, within the boundaries of self-responsibility (as I described above), EVERY young person should be lucky enough to at least have a few years that describe the above. If I could go back to 20 that's what I'd do, at least for a few years, to have that experience underneath me. To know what the hell *I* actually wanted...not what it was okay for me to want, per others' parameters, and after everyone else had what they wanted first. When you live life as the latter you never, ever do learn what you want. You just never know...even when you go back later and try. That's not character-building. It's enforced, useless martyrdom and there's NO character involved because who are "you" in this scenario?

Timshel_

LVNF04 wrote: »

What would you change differently if you could go back and be 20 years old again?

Travel more, be less afraid to pursue what I want, including women, follow my gut more than my logic and buy more Apple stock.