Well, im pretty young compared to most people here (im 17), and i know i might be doing/not doing stupid shit that im going to regret later. So what would you do differently if you could start off at say… age 16?
16 - Choose a different career path (psychology)
10 (ish) - recognise when a girl (the most beautiful girl in the whole friggin school, if memory serves me correctly) is flirting with me.
I wouldn’t go riding my bicycle over ramps on Saturday, October 26, 1963 (ruptured my liver, and damaged various other body parts).
I wouldn’t have adopted a group of criminals for friends in my teens. And I wouldn’t have let them be my roommates (that college dorm thread has nothing on the stunts those guys pulled).
I would have been a little more demanding of some standards of behavior with the women in my life.
Hmm…, I guess I can say the same about several of my male friends, as well.
I’d swim in the ocean more often. And a lot of that swimming would be at dawn.
You feel your roots stepping out of the ocean in the morning.
14 - When the (possibly second most beautiful in the school) girl, who you used to play frog-bounce-chase with at primary school, joins the high-school I’ve been at for 2 years (so I haven’t seen her for 2 years), and when she spots me, says hi to me in a flirty sort of way, walking away without saying a word was probably not the most life-improving thing to do.
(I was probably shocked to see her, and being amazingly shy at the time I would have said something like “fleemspowl” if I even had the courage to speak at all)
That’s a tough question. Any major change would mean that I wouldn’t have the wife or children I have, and I’d rather have the screwups and pain that I went through that ended me up with them than never be married to my wife and/or obliterate my children from existence. Even my most recent screwup ended up with me in a job I like far more than my last (much less tedious and apparently pointless–the entire laboratory ended up bailing out, including the head, within months of my leaving), in better economic circumstances, and in a climate and locale more to my taste.
But I’m a pretty big “the pile of shit you’re in is just un-spread fertilizer” sort of guy…
I’m only 16 so I am also quite young. I have lived quite a conservative life so far, so I am going to say I wish I would live a little more to be cliche. I wish that when I was in junior high I would of actually asked a few girls out instead of letting them ask me. Basically, I wish I wasn’t as quiet and shy earlier in my life. I am not nearly as shy or quiet anymore, but I’m still not exactly great with certain groups of people.
In fact, now that my 24 year old brain has had a chance to deliberate my 10, 14, and 16 year old actions. I just want to go back and beat myself senseless. TWO chances to be with the TWO most amazingly beautiful girls in my whole school! Not to mention the fact that I was much better looking than my younger self believed, and so would have deserved (at least superficially) to be with either of those girls (that’s not the ego in me talking, that’s from seeing pictures of me when I was younger, and simply recognising that I wasn’t all that bad looking)
I would have kissed the girl I co-starred with in the Christmas play my junior year. We flirted so long and hard. . . and like an idiot, I never made any kind of move at all.
I never would’ve gone to that expensive private university right out of high school, and racked up so much debt.
I never would’ve discarded my first serious college relationship so casually. Or, if it ultimately wouldn’t have worked, I would have ended it much more gently. She deserved that much, at least.
I would’ve stood up to my mother a lot sooner. I let her push me around until I was well into my 20s.
I would’ve partied, drank, and screwed with wild abandon. You’re only young once. Might as well get all the sinning out of the way early. 
I would have listened more to my “little voice” rather than go for instant gratification. That would have saved me more than one broken heart, and so many thousands of dollars.
I would have stood my ground better in certain situations, rather than folding for social favour.
I would have been smarter with my savings.
I would still have gone away to university though. That was worth it for me.
Drink less.
Start working out earlier in life.
Stay with one certain woman.
Never get near certain other women.
Go to college for something that would make me a lot of money.
I wouldn’t hurt someone I really loved. I’m married to a wonderful woman, so I wouldn’t change where I am, but I wish I had gotten here by a different route.
-mdf
I really like your response, Monkey.
I would take more chances.
Research where I wanted to live and move there immediately.
Have fewer possessions; they’ve come to own me.
Travel more. (Learn more languages ASAP!)
Add a screened porch with a six foot swing earlier.
Talk to a reliable financial advisor at the age of 21.
Never smoke regular cigarettes.
Less time with TV. More time with nature.
Whoa… I wouldnt say that im shy with girls, but other than that, i see that you guys would have done shit, that i have been thinking about doing for a while.
I want to do what i love (talking about a carreer), but i dont want to end up not liking it, or even worse, not liking it and not making any money from it.
I want to learn at least 3 more languages within the next 10 years. I can speak 2 languages fluently and when i told someone i wanted to take some classes in swedish or another scandanavian language they looked at me like im a madman. I dont want to be stuck in the country my whole damn life. Who knows where the united states is going to be in 50 years…
I want to retire early and travel around the world.
I want to be a drifter.
I want to lower the number of children that die every day from preventable causes (its currently 30,000).
I want to read every damn book in the library.
Personally, i think school is a waste of time. I learned more over the summer by reading books (and of course SDMB).
I want to do nothing for a few days. Go to the bahamas… sit on the beach one week straight… day and night.
I want to write a book. To write a book i need something unique to argue. So i guess, i gotta find someone im interested in, which needs some explaining/opinions.
Im the OP and i starting pondering on this subject a few weeks ago when i started thinking about benjamin franklin for some reason. Being the best in one certain area is definately something to be proud about, but being one of the greatest in a variety of areas is amazing. If i compare myself to people like him, im a nobody. I guess ive got the rest of my life to live, but i dont see myself coming an amazing politician, scientist, moralist, revolutionary, and philosopher (although i wouldnt mind).
This post was pretty much just me typing what comes to my head. its in raw form so when you see terrible grammar, excuse it because its just a type.
Where do i start my quest?
“This post was pretty much just me typing what comes to my head. its in raw form so when you see terrible grammar, excuse it because its just a type.”
I thought it was funny that i spelled typo incorrectly hahahahahah… just proves that i dont proofread anything. Chances are that there are a shitload of errors in this post too.
I would have bought those lotto tickets when I turned 18. 
I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’m young (17) but I can say I’ve done some “stupid” things, but all mistakes are chances to learn and if I had done a single thing differently I wouldn’t be the person I am today, a person I happen to like. I’ve also done some impulsive things that some might say were stupid but that I don’t regret. I’ll probably do some more, and I hope that I can keep that learning frame of mind the rest of my life.
Eh, of the stuff I regret, there’s very little I could’ve done about it. I was depressed pretty much from ages 13-18, so I would’ve liked to come up normally, but I didn’t know I was depressed and probably wouldn’t have been able to get treatment that was worthwhile if I even knew something was wrong with me. On the other hand, without the depression, I don’t know if I would’ve started writing, which has pretty much defined my life so far.
I had the chance to start college a year early, but my mom wanted me to have the Full High School Experience. So I had the worst year of my life. Thanks, mom! So I would’ve liked that, but it was beyond my control.
I would’ve gone to the Big State School and not bothered with Honors courses. Man, to think of the stress and hassle I could’ve saved. I had more work in one Honors class in my Small Liberal Arts School than I do in my entire courseload this semester at Big State U. And the degree is the same, basically
I would’ve taken that psychology class in high school.
I would’ve taken that year off to work and travel, like I wanted to, rather than going straight in to college and getting jaded right away. Maybe I could’ve gotten jaded later.
And I’ve had a few “Crap! She totally would’ve gone out with me!” moments years down the line.
Yes, I realize some of these contradict, but I’m very contradictory.
Here’s something I wrote not long ago.
A few things I learned along the way may or may not be helpful advice to others. First of all, you need an education, not necessarily book-learning, but some specific education that makes you as a person valuable as an employee. Work hard when you are young, learn as much as you can about everything, and also as much as you can about some specific subject. Be a specialist in a subject you love. Don’t get bogged down on a road to nowhere, take chances. Jump at your opportunities quicker than you jump to your conclusions. Make mistakes and learn from them. Don’t commit to anything more than a few months. Value “experiences” more than “things” in your life. Keep your debts (obligations) few and your expenses low.
Once you realize you are in your 30’s, it’s time to evaluate where you are. If you have dug a hole so deep with your younger life that you feel trapped, you may be a lost cause. Hopefully, that isn’t the case. If you are fortunate enough to have achieved a mild amount of success and have stocked your experiences with more positive lessons than negative, you now have the trappings of personal success. Now you can pursue your passions in life using your acquired skills to fuel your bank account when necessary. Pursue your passions with great intensity, people that love what they do, do what they love. Soon your passions will become your occupation and the term “work” will seem like a bad dream you had in a previous lifetime.
I am certain that many people suffer the “slings are arrows of outrageous fortune” in their younger years and thereby make it nearly impossible for them to be successful in life. My sincere condolences go out to those forgotten souls. But if you were born with a strong body, and sufficient mental capabilities, and you are not able to achieve happiness in life’s adventure, then you are truly lost.
I would enter college without the stupid “I must major in science or engineering” bias. What a crock, and how much time! How many tears! Also, I’d go through high school without all of the stupid insecurity.