Turned 18 this week got no clue how anything works in the real world so to say any advice on how to survive adulthood?
32 comments
Start saving money. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have much. Literally any amount will do as long as you get into the habit and do it regularly. You may find this hard to believe right now but one day you’ll wake up and be 40 years old.
And take it from one who knows, it’s better to be 40 with 22 years worth of savings in the bank than being broke. Much better.
It gets better
Pick a trade, get qualified.
Biggest asset you can have is a trade qualification even if you choose something else one day.
Either way, learn, get good, make money, save it. Find a nice hard working girl/ boy, buy a house, pay it off asap, keep saving.
Other than money, be respectful, be kind, have integrity, dont be the person that stands back and lets others do the the work.
Stay away from drugs and alcohol, make sure your partner does too, its a slippery slope that many fall down.
Your partner will be the most important person in your life, they can help or hinder, you fuck up, they can take everything, but when you find a good one, you can build empires and live life on easy mode. Choose wisely.
I’d say understanding that you don’t know anything puts you in a more intelligent bracket than most of your peers. I’d say you’re doing just fine young man. Keep at it. Life made more sense in my 30s. Made the most sense once I had kids.
Well, the first thing u said is u have no clue, so my advice is to get a clue. Start educating yourself on everything u want to do in life, and don’t wing it. Idk if u graduated yet or not, but u are NOT educated just because u graduated HS or even if u go to College. All those annoying topics that schools don’t bother teaching: economics, personal finance, child rearing theories and strategies, how to plan and execute the lifestyle u want, how to drop your childhood trauma, how to find the right partner… All things u have educate yourself on. Do not try to half-ass wing these things like people do. That is not even a bad plan, it is a complete lack of a plan… And then they wonder why things don’t work out and they fail…
Dont get into debt
Try a bunch of things to find out what you really love to do. Don’t confuse that for a career, because the career will ruin it for you. Find a passion in something that takes your mind off of work. Work is not going to stop being work unless you’re one of those lucky bastards who gets paid for everything they endorse.
Don’t be too eager to get into a relationship. You are not less for not being with someone, especially if they’re a net negative in your life.
Don’t be afraid to get into relationships without being whole and complete. Dating is a skill that should be developed.
Be wary of anything that can cut off opportunities for you in the future. Sex, drugs, but strangely not rock and roll.
Start investing now. Time is on your side with this one.
Learn basic skills. If you’re not handy, get handy. Learn how to unclog a toilet, change tires, change oil, cut lumber, and perform repairs to things. Know the difference between a 5/16″ and 10mm socket.
Learn to recognize when you’re being manipulated and used. Employers will do it. Love interests will do it. Even family has the capacity to screw you over.
Learn to forgive yourself. You’ll often cringe at the thought of who you were a few years ago.
Learn to embrace growth and change. If you’re not uncomfortable with who you were a few years ago, maybe you should be.
Think about the future, but don’t always sacrifice the now. You might have a life altering event that ruins the future you’re working for.
Your existence is important. Don’t accept that you’re only as valuable as your labor or cannon fodder, whose only use is to sacrifice yourself for someone else’s yacht payments.
To be honest, you’re 99% of the way there just by having the awareness to ask this. Most people your age (including me) think they have it sorted and don’t need advice from others.
To be honest, we really are just all winging it as we go on.
Tips:
– Think of your future (save money)
– think about your future (what do you want, kids or not, married or not, …)
– prepare for your future (exercise so you will stay healthy)
– Enjoy the now, you’ll regret not enjoying your youth if you let it pass by
Slow is smooth,smooth is fast, guns cars cash and women. And literally everything can wait tell you are ready no reason to rush it get a job Any job.
1 you were looking for a job when you found this one.
2 it is easier to find a job when you have one.
3 you are here to make money not friends. And not it is not ever a family..
Dont take shit personal who or whatever it is doesnt mean shit .
Dont have children before youre 28
Dont sleep with someone unless you’d raise children with them. Save money. Play sports. Fight for your mates.
Lift weights. Being in shape and somewhat physically attractive is one of life’s biggest cheat codes. People are nicer to you and it even helps you at work.
Be smart with money. No credit card debt. Skip buying snacks everyday. Buy ingredients and cook meals to save money. Always put some money away. Surprise $1000+ bills are gonna hit you out of nowhere.
Network. Be kind to ppl but not a pushover. Going to school and getting a degree is great and expected, but knowing someone with connections can make even more happen. I have friends with boats, campers, fireworks, parties, etc…
Watch your drinking and your addictions. A habit you can’t share is a habit you shouldn’t have.
I like to operate under the saying “if you don’t want certain things coming to light, you shouldn’t be doing them in the dark”. Just live a good life and work on your flaws.
Don’t fall into the man—o-sphere trap. It will just make you permanently angry and lonely. Treat women with respect and kindness and you will find the good ones.
Find a hobby that you enjoy.
Save for retirement early. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but when you are young your income will likely be low enough that you can put money in a Roth IRA and get all of that money back from your taxes.
Learn how to do things yourself. Not everything obviously, but a lot of things can be done yourself fairly easily. YouTube has videos for everything.
Learn basic cooking. This will pay off in multiple ways, health, financially, relationships ect.
Your peers dictate who you are much more than you realize. Hang out with people who have goals. Your friends will either lift you up or bring you down.
Play intramural sports if you can. Join clubs. Socialize as much as possible. Life is about who you know and how good you are at talking to people (I am an introvert so this was tough for me).
Take care of your health. Drink water. Go to the gym.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. Just be smart (don’t drink and drive. Wear a condom. Avoid fighting unless you have no choice).
Don’t crush too hard on that girl/guy in your life if there is one. They will be fun, but a lot of times it doesn’t materialize into anything more than that.
START SAVING AND INVESTING MONEY.
Work on yourself, be the best you can be in every aspect of life.
Stay away from drugs, weed and too much alcohol.
Live your own life, not a woman’s perception of what your life should look like.
Regarding marriage, figure out what your core values are and what your deal breakers are in a relationship and don’t compromise them. Also don’t marry too young. People continue to change but really I didn’t feel like my final self until like 31ish. Also if your girl says she’s just a flirty friendly person don’t believe that (this last one is my personal cynicism peaking through).
1. Save money, even if it’s $50/month, it adds up.
2. Learn about investing.
3. Invest in real estate, if you want to get wealthy this is the easiest way. Rental properties or house flipping or development or a combination.
4. Be very careful with relationships, those can destroy 1, 2 and 3.
5. Maintain a healthy weight.
6. Stretch everyday. When you’re 60 you will be very glad you did that, if you don’t, come back in 42 years and tell us how your back and shoulders are feeling.
First of all… most of us were clueless at 18… so welcome to the club.
Who you are sticks at 21. Prepare now for who you want to be at 21. How the world works will not be obvious until you are 24. You need to make decisions now without being sure how the world works. You will find out if you trusted the right mentors when you turn 24.
Slow down and put more effort into all you do. Live life with intention.
– Drugs and alcohol might seems cool right now but they will quickly be extremely lame and you might regret the lost time and damage it did on your body and brain for not much in return.
– In your 30s you will have a lot of responsibilities that you don’t have right now. Meaning right now you have a wealth of time and opportunities that you should use and not waste with bullshit.
– Dating is messy and whack and intense at your age. If a relationship dont work out don’t force it. When you meet the one it will feel completely different to the rest.
LMK if you need advice in a particular direction
Establish and keep a good credit score. Life is difficult with poor credit. Not that you want to use it to get into debt, but everything financially-based going forward gets a bit easier by having a good credit score.
Self-preservation. Learn that. You will be fine if you can learn that or have it in you already
You are all clueless, some are just good at hiding it. You live and learn from your mistakes.
Only get into a relationship with someone who’s responsible with their finances. They don’t need to be rich, but they need to be responsible.
At 18 I wouldn’t have listened to this advice, but I’m hoping you’re smarter than I was.
**Save.**
– Save as much money as you can.
– Save yourself from toxic relationships/friendships.
– Save yourself by getting 8 hours of sleep each night as often as possible, staying physically and mentally active, and eating well
The foundations you set early on will save you from troubles later on down the road.
Is the military an option? In the 1970s I was a mixed up 17 year old kid with no sense of direction and an inferiority complex bigger than all outdoors when I walked into the Navy recruiter’s office.
4.5 years later as a somewhat(?) arrogant Second Class Petty Officer, I was handed my “Walking Papers” (DD214), thanked for my service and allowed to go along my merry way.
Bonus: I was on a destroyer and visited 20+ different countries.
Honorable Discharge, General Education Development (GED), Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science, Master of Education.
I know things are different now but the lessons I learned have gotten m through life.
Save money. For what? A house. Start now.
Invest in stock market
Floss teeth
Eat salad
Exercise. Pick a physical activity and get good at it
Don’t smoke so much weed
Read and study hard.
Develop a work ethic.
Life is the same as running to me. It can get really tough, but as long as you focus on keeping your head up, back straight, focus on your breathing and keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. As long as you stay consistent it gets easier, and eventually ppl will ask you how do you do it. And the answer is simply it’s just what you do.
A lot of good advice here, save money, take care of your health, work and study hard.
But also, don’t forget to have fun too. Your 20s are kind of for fucking around and finding out, it’s part of the journey. I have some great memories of late nights with my homies, or experimenting with psychedelics, or going on fun trips I probably couldn’t afford in retrospect.
You don’t have to get it all right. Just be smart and do your best, and don’t beat yourself up for making some mistakes along the way, it’s part of being human.
32 comments
Start saving money. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have much. Literally any amount will do as long as you get into the habit and do it regularly. You may find this hard to believe right now but one day you’ll wake up and be 40 years old.
And take it from one who knows, it’s better to be 40 with 22 years worth of savings in the bank than being broke. Much better.
It gets better
Pick a trade, get qualified.
Biggest asset you can have is a trade qualification even if you choose something else one day.
Either way, learn, get good, make money, save it. Find a nice hard working girl/ boy, buy a house, pay it off asap, keep saving.
Other than money, be respectful, be kind, have integrity, dont be the person that stands back and lets others do the the work.
Stay away from drugs and alcohol, make sure your partner does too, its a slippery slope that many fall down.
Your partner will be the most important person in your life, they can help or hinder, you fuck up, they can take everything, but when you find a good one, you can build empires and live life on easy mode. Choose wisely.
I’d say understanding that you don’t know anything puts you in a more intelligent bracket than most of your peers. I’d say you’re doing just fine young man. Keep at it. Life made more sense in my 30s. Made the most sense once I had kids.
Well, the first thing u said is u have no clue, so my advice is to get a clue. Start educating yourself on everything u want to do in life, and don’t wing it. Idk if u graduated yet or not, but u are NOT educated just because u graduated HS or even if u go to College. All those annoying topics that schools don’t bother teaching: economics, personal finance, child rearing theories and strategies, how to plan and execute the lifestyle u want, how to drop your childhood trauma, how to find the right partner… All things u have educate yourself on. Do not try to half-ass wing these things like people do. That is not even a bad plan, it is a complete lack of a plan… And then they wonder why things don’t work out and they fail…
Dont get into debt
Try a bunch of things to find out what you really love to do. Don’t confuse that for a career, because the career will ruin it for you. Find a passion in something that takes your mind off of work. Work is not going to stop being work unless you’re one of those lucky bastards who gets paid for everything they endorse.
Don’t be too eager to get into a relationship. You are not less for not being with someone, especially if they’re a net negative in your life.
Don’t be afraid to get into relationships without being whole and complete. Dating is a skill that should be developed.
Be wary of anything that can cut off opportunities for you in the future. Sex, drugs, but strangely not rock and roll.
Start investing now. Time is on your side with this one.
Learn basic skills. If you’re not handy, get handy. Learn how to unclog a toilet, change tires, change oil, cut lumber, and perform repairs to things. Know the difference between a 5/16″ and 10mm socket.
Learn to recognize when you’re being manipulated and used. Employers will do it. Love interests will do it. Even family has the capacity to screw you over.
Learn to forgive yourself. You’ll often cringe at the thought of who you were a few years ago.
Learn to embrace growth and change. If you’re not uncomfortable with who you were a few years ago, maybe you should be.
Think about the future, but don’t always sacrifice the now. You might have a life altering event that ruins the future you’re working for.
Your existence is important. Don’t accept that you’re only as valuable as your labor or cannon fodder, whose only use is to sacrifice yourself for someone else’s yacht payments.
To be honest, you’re 99% of the way there just by having the awareness to ask this. Most people your age (including me) think they have it sorted and don’t need advice from others.
To be honest, we really are just all winging it as we go on.
Tips:
– Think of your future (save money)
– think about your future (what do you want, kids or not, married or not, …)
– prepare for your future (exercise so you will stay healthy)
– Enjoy the now, you’ll regret not enjoying your youth if you let it pass by
Slow is smooth,smooth is fast, guns cars cash and women. And literally everything can wait tell you are ready no reason to rush it get a job Any job.
1 you were looking for a job when you found this one.
2 it is easier to find a job when you have one.
3 you are here to make money not friends. And not it is not ever a family..
Dont take shit personal who or whatever it is doesnt mean shit .
Dont have children before youre 28
Dont sleep with someone unless you’d raise children with them. Save money. Play sports. Fight for your mates.
Lift weights. Being in shape and somewhat physically attractive is one of life’s biggest cheat codes. People are nicer to you and it even helps you at work.
Be smart with money. No credit card debt. Skip buying snacks everyday. Buy ingredients and cook meals to save money. Always put some money away. Surprise $1000+ bills are gonna hit you out of nowhere.
Network. Be kind to ppl but not a pushover. Going to school and getting a degree is great and expected, but knowing someone with connections can make even more happen. I have friends with boats, campers, fireworks, parties, etc…
Watch your drinking and your addictions. A habit you can’t share is a habit you shouldn’t have.
I like to operate under the saying “if you don’t want certain things coming to light, you shouldn’t be doing them in the dark”. Just live a good life and work on your flaws.
Don’t fall into the man—o-sphere trap. It will just make you permanently angry and lonely. Treat women with respect and kindness and you will find the good ones.
Find a hobby that you enjoy.
Save for retirement early. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but when you are young your income will likely be low enough that you can put money in a Roth IRA and get all of that money back from your taxes.
Learn how to do things yourself. Not everything obviously, but a lot of things can be done yourself fairly easily. YouTube has videos for everything.
Learn basic cooking. This will pay off in multiple ways, health, financially, relationships ect.
Your peers dictate who you are much more than you realize. Hang out with people who have goals. Your friends will either lift you up or bring you down.
Play intramural sports if you can. Join clubs. Socialize as much as possible. Life is about who you know and how good you are at talking to people (I am an introvert so this was tough for me).
Take care of your health. Drink water. Go to the gym.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. Just be smart (don’t drink and drive. Wear a condom. Avoid fighting unless you have no choice).
Don’t crush too hard on that girl/guy in your life if there is one. They will be fun, but a lot of times it doesn’t materialize into anything more than that.
START SAVING AND INVESTING MONEY.
Work on yourself, be the best you can be in every aspect of life.
Stay away from drugs, weed and too much alcohol.
Live your own life, not a woman’s perception of what your life should look like.
Regarding marriage, figure out what your core values are and what your deal breakers are in a relationship and don’t compromise them. Also don’t marry too young. People continue to change but really I didn’t feel like my final self until like 31ish. Also if your girl says she’s just a flirty friendly person don’t believe that (this last one is my personal cynicism peaking through).
1. Save money, even if it’s $50/month, it adds up.
2. Learn about investing.
3. Invest in real estate, if you want to get wealthy this is the easiest way. Rental properties or house flipping or development or a combination.
4. Be very careful with relationships, those can destroy 1, 2 and 3.
5. Maintain a healthy weight.
6. Stretch everyday. When you’re 60 you will be very glad you did that, if you don’t, come back in 42 years and tell us how your back and shoulders are feeling.
First of all… most of us were clueless at 18… so welcome to the club.
Who you are sticks at 21. Prepare now for who you want to be at 21. How the world works will not be obvious until you are 24. You need to make decisions now without being sure how the world works. You will find out if you trusted the right mentors when you turn 24.
Slow down and put more effort into all you do. Live life with intention.
– Drugs and alcohol might seems cool right now but they will quickly be extremely lame and you might regret the lost time and damage it did on your body and brain for not much in return.
– In your 30s you will have a lot of responsibilities that you don’t have right now. Meaning right now you have a wealth of time and opportunities that you should use and not waste with bullshit.
– Dating is messy and whack and intense at your age. If a relationship dont work out don’t force it. When you meet the one it will feel completely different to the rest.
LMK if you need advice in a particular direction
Establish and keep a good credit score. Life is difficult with poor credit. Not that you want to use it to get into debt, but everything financially-based going forward gets a bit easier by having a good credit score.
Self-preservation. Learn that. You will be fine if you can learn that or have it in you already
You are all clueless, some are just good at hiding it. You live and learn from your mistakes.
Only get into a relationship with someone who’s responsible with their finances. They don’t need to be rich, but they need to be responsible.
At 18 I wouldn’t have listened to this advice, but I’m hoping you’re smarter than I was.
**Save.**
– Save as much money as you can.
– Save yourself from toxic relationships/friendships.
– Save yourself by getting 8 hours of sleep each night as often as possible, staying physically and mentally active, and eating well
The foundations you set early on will save you from troubles later on down the road.
Is the military an option? In the 1970s I was a mixed up 17 year old kid with no sense of direction and an inferiority complex bigger than all outdoors when I walked into the Navy recruiter’s office.
4.5 years later as a somewhat(?) arrogant Second Class Petty Officer, I was handed my “Walking Papers” (DD214), thanked for my service and allowed to go along my merry way.
Bonus: I was on a destroyer and visited 20+ different countries.
Honorable Discharge, General Education Development (GED), Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science, Master of Education.
I know things are different now but the lessons I learned have gotten m through life.
Save money. For what? A house. Start now.
Invest in stock market
Floss teeth
Eat salad
Exercise. Pick a physical activity and get good at it
Don’t smoke so much weed
Read and study hard.
Develop a work ethic.
Life is the same as running to me. It can get really tough, but as long as you focus on keeping your head up, back straight, focus on your breathing and keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. As long as you stay consistent it gets easier, and eventually ppl will ask you how do you do it. And the answer is simply it’s just what you do.
A lot of good advice here, save money, take care of your health, work and study hard.
But also, don’t forget to have fun too. Your 20s are kind of for fucking around and finding out, it’s part of the journey. I have some great memories of late nights with my homies, or experimenting with psychedelics, or going on fun trips I probably couldn’t afford in retrospect.
You don’t have to get it all right. Just be smart and do your best, and don’t beat yourself up for making some mistakes along the way, it’s part of being human.