Things I know now that I wish I knew at 20

[MightyGiants]

care to name a few?

I will start with a few

1)  take care of your knees, if you don't, you will regret it
2) listen to mentors, they are invaluable if you get the right ones
3) You may be smart, but at 20 you are not wise (experience and learning from experience is important)

[Bill Brown]

Listen to as many stories and asked a lot of questions from my parents and grandparents as I could. Now it's too late. 😔

Bill

[T200]

Be on the lookout for a couple of guys named Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

[MightyGiants]

Be on the lookout for a couple of guys named Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

   I knew something like that would make the list, the question just who 

[T200]

  I knew something like that would make the list, the question just who 

Either that or any of the winning lottery jackpots.   

[Sem]

Listen to as many stories and asked a lot of questions from my parents and grandparents as I could. Now it's too late. 😔

Bill

Exactly this!!

[MightyGiants]

Either that or any of the winning lottery jackpots.   

Why not take a sports almanac to your younger self, Biff

[DaveBrown74]

I have been fortunate to have a number of very close, meaningful friendships throughout my life. There are two people though whom I was close to years ago whom, not through any sort of falling out or anything problematic, I just drifted out of touch with over the years. I have re-connected with both of them, and we are somewhat close again, although I would say probably not nearly as close as if we never drifted out of touch years ago for what ended up being a good 15 years.

I think it's very important to identify who your true friends are when you're young and invest heavily in those friendships throughout your life. That doesn't just mean being in a WhatsApp group with them - it means getting on planes, seeing them, calling from time to time, taking a genuine interest in their families, being someone who is there for them during difficult periods, etc.

You meet tons of people throughout your life. Some become acquaintances, some become decent friends or business relationships, and, if you're lucky, a handful become true, lifelong, very close, dear friends. The sort of people you can trust with anything, and vice-versa. I think it's really important to do everything in your ability to maintain those friendships throughout your life. It's easy to be lazy about that, particularly once you have kids. I would remind the 20 year old me of that.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

For me:

- Don't get married so quickly
- Invest, invest, invest (buy Microsoft when it goes public - dittos with Amazon, Tesla, and Google)
- Stay way the hell away from Sheryl - she has a demon inside
- Don't sell your classic cars, store them and keep them in tip-top shape ('55 2-dr Chevy, '69 GTX, '72 Cuda, '64 Chevelle, Triumph TR6, to name a few)
- Ask out Joan who I secretly adored and she liked me a lot, but I was too chicken to make a move (the ONE who got away  )
- Get the 1970 Johnny Bench rookie card...1970 Nolan Ryan rookie card...1971 Thurman Munson horizontal card...1973 Topps Nolan Ryan...975 Topps George Brett Rookie Card...etc
- You will meet Theresa in a few years...STF away from her, she'll wreck your life and teach you the meaning of misery
- Spend more time with my kids
- ski more, fish more, play more

So much more, but these few jump out at me

[T200]

In all honesty, I'm a firm believer that one instance of history cannot be altered without having an impact on the things that follow.

For instance, if I had known more about mechanical engineering during high school, I may have strongly pursued it instead of joining the Air Force. Changing that would mean that T200 would not be a part of this conversation.

I do sometimes imagine a different life for myself. But, if things were different earlier in my life, things would be different later. And the most important things that I wouldn't want to be different are my wife, my kids, and my grandkids.

[MightyGiants]

For me:

- Don't get married so quickly
- Invest, invest, invest (buy Microsoft when it goes public - dittos with Amazon, Tesla, and Google)
- Stay way the hell away from Sheryl - she has a demon inside
- Don't sell your classic cars, store them and keep them in tip-top shape ('55 2-dr Chevy, '69 GTX, '72 Cuda, '64 Chevelle, Triumph TR6, to name a few)
- Ask out Joan who I secretly adored and she liked me a lot, but I was too chicken to make a move (the ONE who got away  )
- Get the 1970 Johnny Bench rookie card...1970 Nolan Ryan rookie card...1971 Thurman Munson horizontal card...1973 Topps Nolan Ryan...975 Topps George Brett Rookie Card...etc
- You will meet Theresa in a few years...STF away from her, she'll wreck your life and teach you the meaning of misery
- Spend more time with my kids
- ski more, fish more, play more

So much more, but these few jump out at me

Ric,

I like your one about investing.  When I was young and only a couple of years removed from college, I had a friend who was selling mutual funds.  I invested some of my money, and one of the bad downturns cost me 20% of my investment in one day.  It soured me on investing.  If I had invested instead of being far more conservative with my money I would be much wealthier today.

[MagicRat]

Girls don't like slacker piss heads.
Took me far too long to work that one out.

[LennG]

For me:

- Don't get married so quickly
- Invest, invest, invest (buy Microsoft when it goes public - dittos with Amazon, Tesla, and Google)
- Stay way the hell away from Sheryl - she has a demon inside
- Don't sell your classic cars, store them and keep them in tip-top shape ('55 2-dr Chevy, '69 GTX, '72 Cuda, '64 Chevelle, Triumph TR6, to name a few)
- Ask out Joan who I secretly adored and she liked me a lot, but I was too chicken to make a move (the ONE who got away  )
- Get the 1970 Johnny Bench rookie card...1970 Nolan Ryan rookie card...1971 Thurman Munson horizontal card...1973 Topps Nolan Ryan...975 Topps George Brett Rookie Card...etc
- You will meet Theresa in a few years...STF away from her, she'll wreck your life and teach you the meaning of misery
- Spend more time with my kids
- ski more, fish more, play more

So much more, but these few jump out at me

My daughter is a Sheryl and she is an angel? Can't be the same one??

[LennG]

 To tell my mom not to throw out all those baseball cards and autographs I had collected and left in that shoe box when I entered the service.
I must have had several Mickey Mantles, along with most major players of that time and then there was my Brooklyn Dodger stuff. I had to have had 10 different things signed by Jacky Robinson and add to that most of the other Dodgers of that time. With all of those, I could have my own cruise ship now.      This was not wishful thinking as I DID have all of that stuff, went in the service at 20 and dear Mom decided to do some room cleaning.        

When I came out of the service, I used the GI Bill to attend college at night. I was never a really great school person and dropped out after a couple of years. That is the one real thing I regret. I always wondered how my life would have been, had I finished college.