# Speak to your younger self **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389 "2022-02-13T03:02:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/1 "2022-02-13T03:02:25Z")
Robert Frost said that taking the road not taken has made all the difference. But he didn’t say that was for the better. We all (?) wonder where we would be now if we had taken a different path. It’s impossible to know, of course. I myself think Hollywood encourages us to think that if we’d just had a little more faith in ourselves, we could have been champions or something. Maybe. In a lot of ways in life, I zigged when I should have zagged. Maybe I couldn’t have known. Maybe it’s in my nature. A few years ago there was the woman who “got away” from me. But I later realized (from her posts on social media) that she really wasn’t the person I thought she was. Coach your younger self. What would you tell that person to do? Me? “You’re ahead of many of your peers, but keep improving yourself. Realize that beauty is skin deep. Also realize that there are many ways to be intelligent. Judge people by their actions, not their words. Above all, love yourself.” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/2 "2022-02-13T03:19:40Z")
Use sunscreen ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/3 "2022-02-13T05:11:23Z")
Me to younger me: > Duuude, chill. Don’t worry about skipping Med School. That crazy “touring the country in a van with a Christian Media Company” thing is fine, because you end up teaching art anyways. Younger me to me: > Could you not use words like ‘Duuude’? It makes us sound like we never grew up. Me to younger me: > Duuude, THAT’S the other secret I was going to tell you! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/4 "2022-02-13T05:13:59Z")
_ **Stay out of trouble, study harder.** _ ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/5 "2022-02-13T06:38:50Z")
Cut your hair just a little shorter, and lose the mustache. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/6 "2022-02-13T07:44:41Z")
Nothing. I think what makes youth such a beautiful thing is we’re too stupid to know better. I dread to think what a boring life I would have had, had I always done the sensible mature thing. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/7 "2022-02-13T12:09:18Z")
Put ten percent of your gross into savings and never touch it. Take really good care of your teeth ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/8 "2022-02-13T12:25:16Z")
Don’t return home yet from wandering around Europe; tell mom and dad to sell your car and send you the money so can accompany that nice young lady with the long, curly hair to Nepal. Put off taking that job that will lead you to becoming a cubicle-dwelling corporate drone. Your gut feeling about you-know-who is correct. And yeah, use sunscreen. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/9 "2022-02-13T12:47:30Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > Put ten percent of your gross into savings and never touch it. > Take really good care of your teeth Preach it. Young Boy Mustard needed both pieces of advice. mmm ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/10 "2022-02-13T13:27:40Z")
Don’t be afraid of people - even the popular ones are just as scared and messed-up as you think you are. It’s not the end of the world if someone doesn’t like you. And good for you for not taking the job at Dad’s office - the Navy was definitely the better path! ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/11 "2022-02-13T13:55:42Z")
Younger Self, keep on keeipin’ on. You’re going to have some bumps in the road, and a couple of serious potholes, but that scenic road turns out pretty well in the end, and you’ll have earned a good trail for yourself. Tripler Oh, and “_Go West, young man. . . go West._” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/12 "2022-02-13T14:08:06Z")
1. Give up sooner on things. Your belief that quitting things that make you feel awful makes you a failure is actually just a way to feel miserable longer. 2. The reason most of your family makes you feel so bad is because they don’t like you. Their reasons have nothing to do with you at all. See: #1. 3. There is nothing wrong with your personality. Nor is there anything special. It’s just different than most people’s. Really. 4. Like they said, use sunscreen and take care of your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/13 "2022-02-13T14:20:14Z")
Take no shit from bullies. I eventually got there, but the damage to my self worth lasted through high school. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/14 "2022-02-13T14:40:02Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > take care of your teeth. Yep. And your health in general. lobotomytot, you keep saying money isn’t everything. True, but it isn’t nothing, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/15 "2022-02-13T14:42:20Z")
Me in HS/college - Don’t be SO damned lazy. Sure, you are really smart, but you don’t have to rely ENTIRELY on your innate ability. If you just cracked a book once in a while, or decided to work hard at a sport/music, it would really pay off. Me in college - Learn to imbibe in moderation. You don’t have to get completely blotto al the time. And A LOT of folk don’t start off their days w/ morning bongs. Me in HS/college - yeah, words come easy to you, but science and math are a lot more interesting. Sure, being a lawyer maximizes your earnings our of what you do most easily, but it is a horribly unrewarding career in a field populated by folk you really don’t care for. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/16 "2022-02-13T14:54:07Z")
ignore your parents & school Councillor–they don’t know, & he is a bumpkin. Go to community college. Stop putting your family on a pedestal–they ain’t perfect. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/17 "2022-02-13T15:45:45Z")
Do not rely on family so much – they may not have your best interests at heart. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/18 "2022-02-13T16:14:04Z")
You could skip into 8th grade right after 2nd grade? Hey, don’t be a coward. Do it! You know, just because you’re supposedly “brainy” doesn’t mean that you can’t try to do more physical things. Take some chances and try to get into shape! Stop eating so much, and get more exercise! Put the books down every once in a while. Try to be more independent, and stop being such a “mama’s boy”. She won’t be here, forever! You got accepted to Columbia University, but you’re going to stay in Nashville and go to David Lipscomb College? What is wrong with you? You know that, deep down, you aren’t really a fundamentalist Christian. This is stupid! You’re just afraid of change… Stop spending so much money on books and comic books! Sure, you enjoy them, but this is way too much of your discretionary income. Put some aside in a savings account! I know that you enjoy working at the library, but if you get a higher-paying job, you might actually be able to afford your own home. You’re still living with your mother at 30? 40? 50? What is wrong with you? Oh, that’s right, you don’t actually have any ambition in the conventional sense of the word. Weirdo! Maybe I’ll think of more, later on… ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/19 "2022-02-13T19:45:07Z")
Man, I wish you guys had all had a word with me when I was young. Even just the teeth thing would have helped. For myself, I would tell the younger me - the mid-teens me, when it all starts to matter - _Stop listening to these people, they are giving you bad advice. You happened to be born in a burned out town with no future. All these adults around you can only tell you how to be a better class of loser. That’s all they know. You’re going to have to get out of here and not come back. Don’t fret about things - act on them. Learn to trust your instincts. Better you make your own mistakes than have other people make them for you._ _And for Christ’s sake be more confident!_ j (the older one) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389/20 "2022-02-13T23:09:35Z")
To my 15 yo self: Put down that first cigarette, else you will have a heart attack at 28. And you don’t need orthodontia; she will ruin your perfect teeth. Even now, 70 years later, I have had no cavities or other problems on the teeth she didn’t put braces on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-your-younger-self/959389.md?page=2)