Looking back on your life, what one thing would you have done differently? In other words, imagine giving advice to your younger self (whether one year ago or twenty years ago). What would you say?
I’m interested in actual choices or decisions, whether or not they were realistic or possible at the time…
I would have made several different decisions regarding my health.
This has haunted me my whole life. When I was 19 was the company I was working for shut down. I was given a full scholarship through a displaced worker program to attend the local community college and get a two-year degree. I applied to the nursing program and was accepted! There were only 40 spots for some 300 applicants. However, I didn’t have the prerequisites done, and instead of biting the bullet and taking the classes over the summer (which would have been easily doable), I forfeited my spot in the program and simply quit school. My scholarship was rescinded.
That was without a doubt the stupidest thing I have ever done. If I could knock some sense into that 19yo dumbshit, I would jump at the chance.
I would have had surgery during my senior year of high school so I could have played my sport in college. That would have led to me going out of state for college, which could have altered the direction of my life.
I would have majored in something more challenging than journalism.
Those are the two big ones.
I should have forced myself to be more social in my 20s.
I’ve been working from home since before I graduated college, and it’s a real fucking drag. I wish I had more friends or something…feels like I basically missed my 20s. I’ve been pretty isolated all this time.
Would have:
I wouldn’t have picked a fight with those Nausicaans.
I have given advice to someone who is sort of my younger self, my son. And just like me at that age, he listened to my advice and filed it away, never to be used.
My advice: Take a chance. Whenever you want to avoid something because it might be uncomfortable then that is exactly the thing you need to do. I can remember dozens of times I wish I had made the leap. I can barely remember a couple of times I wish I hadn’t taken the chance.
I would have stayed in architecture school.
I wouldn’t have passed up the invite to go see Nirvana (w/ Butthole Surfers opening).
I’ve made a lot of bad choices in my life, but many of them have led me to where I’m at today and I wouldn’t change a thing about how things have turned out.
I would have maxed out my 401k contributions from the beginning.
I wouldn’t have married someone I wasn’t in love with.
When my ex wanted to break up that first time, I would have said “OK.”
I would have swam in the other direction.
I would say, “young me, in the next few years you’re going to meet two beautiful, intelligent, fascinating redheads. Stay away from both of them!”
But…but…in that other thread (couldn’t find it if I tried) didn’t you say that, on balance, you appreciate what you got in exchange? (I have no dog in this hunt, I just remember reading your posts in that other thread so reading this post of yours has me curious…)
As for me, I would’ve tried to make it clear to my younger self that “potential” or “raw talent” or whatever is no substitute for learning how to grind it out and focus on results - regardless of what you are pursuing.
It took me way too long to get all that straightened out in my head and how I approach work, and I really appreciate seeing it pay off these days - it would’ve been interesting to see what would’ve happened if I had gotten a clue earlier…
And no doubt “young you” would have parsed that as “two… [hot]… redheads…” and thought: “Sweet!” 
For myself, I’d say: getting help with anxiety and depression years earlier. Although who can say exactly what that would have done to my then future.
Alright, I’m only 30, but there are a couple things I’m eager to list here:
1/ I would’ve gotten out of those crappy relationships when I knew they were over. Sure, I learned from those experiences, but I still can’t help but feel like I wasted a few years. Thankfully I didn’t waste more.
2/ I would’ve worked harder at maths and sciences, instead of just “feeling” like I wasn’t good at them. Funny thing is, I always liked science, but since I felt like I wasn’t good at stuff like that, I decided to go for a BA in Psychology, which seemed to me “sort-of-scientifical, but sort-of-creative too.” I wasn’t thinking “useless degree,” I was thinking “fun classes.” Now I’m back in school, which I do NOT regret, and I am ace-ing all my chemistry and math classes and am really quite proud and surprised with myself.
Can’t say I’m miserable about the way things have played out so far though. In all my “bumbling around” time, I’ve gotten my private pilot certification, went backpacking around Europe (twice!), and worked for a travel company that sent me to Africa five times. Looking back, I’m hoping I’ll be able to say I didn’t regret much. All of the major turning points in my life, even ones I didn’t realize were turning points, I’ve felt “iffy” and unsure. A couple of those turning points (namely, the relationship ones), I wish I’d had more balls to really go through with it and take the leap (or cut the cord) sooner. The times I got myself into the most trouble, emotionally and otherwise, were usually times when I took other people’s feelings and impressions too seriously. With things that only had to do with me, it was much easier - I knew that even though something may seem scary, there was no way I could feel good about myself if I didn’t do it. Basically, I would feel crappy for not taking the leap that I desperately wanted to take. Sort of like what shiftless was saying.
I would have dumped my ex husband back in high school, instead of waiting 15 years.
I would have gone to Europe when my parents offered to send me (I wouldn’t go because the aforementioned ex couldn’t go too.)
I would have stopped doing physics when I realized it wasn’t fun anymore and changed majors to something I would find fun, no matter how proud my family was that I was going to be a physicist.
I would have never started smoking (I’ve quit now, since 2006, but still.)
I would have worked harder to maintain a healthy weight, not that I can’t do that now, but it’s a lot easier to fix it when you’re 10lbs over than when you’re a hundred!
If I could have, I would have realized that I was a pretty decent looking and desirable young lady, and not thought I had to settle for sub-optimal partners because I was too awkward and ugly for better ones (that ties in with #1).
At 16 I would have gone through with my plan to end my life.
or
At 17 I would have said fuck it to high school, got my GED instead and run not walk away from my mother.