A lot of good advice already. I agree in particular with LadyDragon, tanookie, Fritz the Cat, butrscotch, DeVena LouisB, Beagle, Gail, CrankyAsAnOldMan, Lyllyan, lightningtool, it’sjustme.
Here are my additions.
In the spirit of the posters advising good care and exercise: when you’re exhausted after partying, give your body the chance to rest the next day(s). Same applies for when you are beginning to feel ill, or when your voice has been strained too much. You won’t notice at first, but after a couple of years your body and/or voice begins to show marks.
With the above limitations, keep on partying. You’ll regret it if you didn’t.
Do not waste too much time behind computers. Interacting with people IRL in the end is much more rewarding. If you must, SDMB is a nice way to waste time, and educational to boot, but even then you can overdo it. It is not something you can put on your resume.
Try to keep on smiling at and in life. If you keep a grumpy look on your face it really will stay there.
Corrolary: try to be genuinely nice to people. It will pay back: people are nice to people who are nice. Same goes for helping people if it doesn’t cost you too much of an effort.
Corrolary II: don’t take things too serious. Even when things seem very dark, what is the worst case scenario? People do get bankrupt and lose their families by divorce, but survive and manage to build new lives. That said, chances that something like that will happen are low, especially if you follow the advice of the previous posters.
Make an effort to keep in touch with people. You never know when they might come in handy. This involves keeping up to date with their address and telephone number, trying to meet once in a while, and making notes of their family life (esp. name of current SO, number of kids and their birthdays). At the very least keep them up to date whenever you move.
Corrolary: avoid being rude or nasty to people, even if they deserve it and even when you are sure you’ll never meet them again. Trust me, you will, and usually in a position where you need a favor from them.
If people are angry at you, stay friendly and courteous. Apologize by saying: if I made a mistake, I didn’t intend to and I am sorry. Often people are angry for their own mistakes or for something with which you have nothing to do. If you reply angry, too, it may get really nasty. Assume that if people are angry they have a personal problem which is not your fault, and try to find out what that problem is.
If you are going to work for a large organization: learn office politics and do not look down on it. (Sorry, Cranky). Ability to be able to participate in politics, or at least the knowledge of how it works, is a major factor to salary and career perspective. But don’t use nasty tricks, since these will turn back on you. Furthermore, never take responsibility for something which you cannot help: if you must follow a company rule or obey a boss his choice, and someone complains, refer them to the proper authority to have it changed. Do not stay in the cross-fire.
Do not focus on obstacles, only on the ways in which you can progress in life. You mustn’t disregard potential problems, but only insofar as you need to take precautions. I’ve seen too many people get stuck because they keep thinking of potential problems that do not materialize, or are easy to overcome when they arise. Fear is not a good basis for decisions; caution is.
If people tell you that you shouldn’t do something, try to find out why they say so. Sometimes it is only because they are afraid, or sorry that they didn’t do it themselves, or have some personal problem with it, in which case the advice may not be very good. If they give a serious warning for a real harm, based on personal experience, pay attention, then make your own considered decision, allowing for your own lack of experience.
In sum, try to live in such a manner that you won’t have to regret anything afterwards. Do not be afraid to make mistakes from which you learn, as long as they don’t cause irreparable damage.
