The year is 2003.
Uh.
Try harder to meet new people.
Do more homework.
Draw more.
Get a job earlier.
Hug my grandma a bit more before leaving China.
Careful there, you missed an essay question on your year 11 semester one French exam.
Your hair looks better short.
Stop being so emo.
Nothing major at all.
An absolutely marvellous book. I started a thread about it just after finishing it.
For me, the year would be 1991. I would choose another avenue of education but try and make sure that I met all the people that I like anyway, even if I met them at school. I would save up money, start buying IT stock when I could and then sell it all in early 2000. I don’t remember too many sports results, but I guess I could make a little off Sweden’s finish in the World Cup in 1994.
On the personal level, I wouldn’t go back to a certain relationship in late 1996; I’d let it be gone and buried. I would also make sure not to make some key mistakes in a later relationship. I think that would be enough to put my life where I wanted it.
It seems like making changes to my life at 14 would cause man changes later in my life. Changes that despite having a good chance of being richer and having dated more in High School would probably not lead me to meeting my wife and having my kids. I do not think more money would mean happier and so if I could avoid doing it I would.
Now if I were stuck back at 14, I would work on investments, starting in Computer Programming earlier and maybe make enough be retired young. The good thing with IT is my current knowledge would be useful even before I graduated High school and if I could put up with the hopelessly slow machines, I could start earning money for investments at a young age. I would not end up going into the Navy and so I would lose some great experiences and friends.
If I did it correctly, I could still try to meet my wife and hopefully recreate the magic.
Warning people of disasters would become a moral quandary, if you warn them, you might change the future to the point where your investments will not work and alter the world in unforeseen ways. I might limit my warnings to 9/11. That would help the economy, save 3000+ lives and probably prevent the Iraqi war and save tens of thousands more lives.
I have one Navy friend; I might send an anonymous letter to, telling him to please get tested for leukemia. He died when he was only 24. He would not know me in this new timeline, but maybe he would get it checked in time to live.
My betting would be restricted to Baseball and Superbowl bets.
Jim
I forgot to add: even if I had money to bet on things (which I wouldn’t) I wouldn’t bet. It would be a crappy thing to do.
It’d be 1982 for me. I’d stop being such a neurotic wuss and smile at and be nice to people occasionally (oh, my fourteen year old self would kill me for saying that). I’d exercise consistantly instead of getting scared and quitting everytime I’d see a little bit of muscle forming. I’d start studying Japanese right away as I’ve come to realize it’s one of my life’s passions and, dang it, I wish I had started way earlier. I’d stick with the piano lessons. I’d also have stuck to my original major of computer science to graduate college in 1989. move to Seattle, and get a job with Microsoft…
Wow.
I would have kept up with Judo and Ju Jitsu. Probably beat the crap out of my Dad and sent him packing, knowing what was eventually to come.
I would have forgone the emotional and religious wrangling and just slept with my high school girlfriend. What the hell, ALL my high school girlfriends.
I wouldn’t have worn so much plaid.
I would have worked harder on music and computers. Worked harder on everything, actually. Figured out money a hell of a lot sooner, and bought stock in Microsoft (I was 14 in 1981, the year the PC came out)
I would have spend more time with my grandfather.
If I was 14 again, I would not tell my “counselor” about doing any drugs (and like ArrMatey!, I’d try to get diagnosed properly. I would do my very best to graduate early. I’d still go to Germany for my senior year, though. I’d stay away from putting anything up my nose. I’d travel as much as possible during my twenties. I’d try to convince my dad not to marry his third wife.
Lesse… 1990. At the very least I wouldn’t have worn that long-sleeve Polo with the vertical green stripes opened to show my D.C. Hard Rock cafe shirt underneath. I mean, I would have worn it, just probably not for a school photo day.
What I want to know is where all you 14 year-olds are going to place these bets?
I would think in 4 years when we were 18 it should be easy. The really creative can start earlier.
In theory I would get my brother to go in with me and place the bets. He is 6 years older. He used to pick me up beer, I am sure sports betting would not be a problem.
Jim
Me? I probably wouldn’t do anything differently at all. Not because I think everything is working out for the best, but because I’d simply have no idea how to deviate from the course I was currently on. I lack the drive, I guess.
Plus even if I did manage to change course, things would become SO different from what I would “remember” that I’d just end up crazier than I already am.
Do better in high school.
Other than that, I don’t really have much to add, as I was 14 far too recently (1999) for there to be more changes to make.
The year is 1970, and I’m a freshman in high school. Instead of using hippie era pseudo philosophical bs to justify goofing off my freshman year, I bust ass big time for the next four years and try to get admitted to Harvard. Where I would try to meet and make a friend of Bill Gates. Since I am a computer programmer now, at least I have the bent in that direction. Hopefully I could get in on the ground floor and retire by the age of 30 or 35.
Socially, large forget romantic relationships in my life - they’re just not important to me now, although they were back then. Get exercise, and don’t start smoking. Try to get a grip on compulsive eating early. Save money early! Don’t go through long periods of ignoring my parents out of sheer laziness - I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to atone for that stupidity!
In other words, try to end up richer and healthier. Other than that, I’m pretty content with my life right now.
Be really miserable for some time. I hated the first two years of high school, and having to be back in school would be so annoying after ten years free.
Maybe buy some microsoft stock and start growing my hair out a little earlier. Also take up dance lessons earlier.
If it’s permanent… well, to be honest, the one thing I don’t know about is whether or not to track down 2 ladies, and if I can make it happen so that the children I have and love are born. Assuming that avenue is closed off to me…
It’s 1988. I’ve been living with my dad for a year now, roughly, and it’s working out ok. I’m not a big fan of my step-brothers, but it’s not to bad.
Pick my clothes a little more carefully.
Work harder in school.
Read more good books, instead of Gaming Books.
I’m certain my best friend and I will still end up alright, though my steering him away from his ex may change who he becomes a LOT. But it’s worth it to see him mentally stable.
Since I’m doing better in school, I’ll be able to get a job. Continue to do well in school. Start Kuk Sool earlier, get better and more in shape.
Find out if the shaved head works with my skinny body.
Assuming my fashion choices don’t alter my social standing that much, talk my first girlfriend into doing something for me, instead of spending six months going down on her with nothing in return for me.
Surprise the hell out of a number of young ladies.
Start investing as soon as I’ve got some decent money set aside. I imagine I can probably start a stock portfolio by the time I’m 16. I’ll still be able to cash in on the net boom, and the explosion of personal PC’s.
Get laid a LOT more in high school. Really.
Beyond that, assuming I’m not going to wake up and have it be today again, live well and comfortably with my income from investing and such.
Assuming I had the benefit of all my knowledge from 1984 to 2006 still in my head, of course, I would bet on stuff and buy good stocks. I could probably convince adults that I had a knack for predicting outcomes and get them to bet for me, taking a percentage for myself.
For example, I know the Chicago Bears are going to be undefeated until they play Miami. I know the Bears will beat the Cowboys 44-0 that year. I know Danny White will come out of the Cowboys game for a while, Gary Hogemboom will play in his place, and White will come back into the game. I know New England will make it as a wild card team and will advance to the Super Bowl thanks to fortuitous turnovers. I know what William Perry will do. I know the Super Bowl Shuffle will come. I know there will be a Mondale/Ferraro ticket, etc. Knowing that, I’m sure I could get some adults to to bet it all on the Super Bowl and other things.
I’d like to assume for the moment that I have NO knowledge of what the future holds, but I still have all your adult intelligence, practical knowledge, and wisdom at age 14… but I don’t know how I got so smart all of a sudden.
I would probably go to school and soon realize that I already know a lot of the stuff being taught. I may start arguments in social science classes just for fun. I would study for 10 minutes and ace tests. I would rip through Lord of the Flies in a day.
After a while, after turning in some book reports or papers that are far above the typical high school work, I, or someone else, would start to catch on that I’m some kind of child prodigy. I would probably test out of high school and into college. I would probably finish college quickly, realizing along the way that I had a knack for law.
I would probably be in law school or acting as a legal intern by age 18, and ready to take the Bar Exam by age 20 or 21. Basically, I would be starting my career about 10 years earlier.
Gee, it’s 1972…I’m listening to Steely Dan and Led Zepp and the White Album, and falling head over heels for the cute, smart boy who lived across town but who has a mad crush on one of my best girlfriends. I’ll still have all my baby fat for another 2 years, and have absolutely no boobs or a figure to speak of until I am 16, but also I have perfect, clear skin for a little while yet, so I would try to appreciate that more. Knowing what I know now, I think I would make every effort to enjoy myself more, to spend more time with my friends, most of whom are spread all over the country now and whom I seldom get to see. Although knowing that I WILL end up for a while with that boy I have the crush on at 14, and knowing that we will have a fabulous and intense 6-year relationship throughout grad school & afterwards, but that it will end & we will somehow manage to remain friends to this day, MIGHT make the transition into puberty a bit easier for me!
I’d tell myself to stop experimenting with pot, too. It definitely made me lazier, tho I was lucky enough to stay on top of my grades and obligations at least until I was a sophomore in college, even tho indulging regularly.
I’d remind myself to move to St. Louis after high school and look up my current BF. I moved to southern Michigan anyway, at that point, so Missouri wouldn’t have been a great stretch. I’d have loved to have at least met him in our earlier years.
And I’d TRY to live with being a virgin again, at least for a few years yet. But it would be HARD, having tasted the forbidden fruit and being keenly aware that I had. Really damn hard.
–Beck
I would tell myself to buy big into tech stocks over the next several years and then sell sell sell in late 1999 / early 2000. Oh, and spend more time with friends and family that would later pass on.
Call CPS about my stepdad, and possibly brain him with a frying pan.
Do a lot better in school.
That’s pretty much it.