As someone in their late 20s, I know firsthand that this decade can be rough , so I'm always looking for those older than me to shed some wisdom. So when redditor u/Gandalfthewhitte asked people over 30 to share the advice they'd give to younger folks, I was all ears. Here are some of the valuable life lessons they mentioned.

1. "Take really good care of your teeth. Floss religiously. In general, don't abuse your health. You are at your strongest now, and things you do to yourself will usually come back later to haunt you."

—u/DefenestrationPraha
2. "Take that trip with friends and close ones."

—u/showrov_tj

"This one hundred percent. I was that kid who was always scrimping and saving (for good reasons) and barely went or did anything. I've had to bury a good number of those friends now, and I'm only in my mid-30s. Imagine how foolish I feel. 'Sorry guys, I can't come with you on this once-in-a-lifetime worldview-changing trip. I've got to deliver pizzas.' No amount of money can buy a second of time.

—u/PunkPizzaVooDoo

3. "Your thirties feel like half as long as your twenties. Start them well."

—u/Some1_nz
4. "Stay fit. Do yoga, go to the gym, walk, run — your health is the most precious thing. And don't hold grudges; life is too short for unnecessary emotions."

—u/just_now_2021
5. "You will fail, and that is okay."

—u/Calm-Internet6926

"Adding to this because, in my 20s, I didn't understand what that meant.

Failing is good specifically because it helps you to teach your limits. If you never fail, you never know what your full potential is. While it can be comfortable never to fail, you typically live better when you are grounded in reality rather than having all the 'what if' fantasies on what you could do only because you don't want to risk proving your fantasies wrong.

Also, learn to differentiate between fantasies and goals. I can't explain this well beyond the fact that the former is passive, and the latter is active."

—u/Internep

6. "Do not fear turning 30 — that's where life begins. Everything before 30 is just your backstory."

—u/5NATCH
7. "Drink more water. At least the first and last drink of the day should be water, and make it a large glass."

—u/TwoBadRobots
8. "Call off work. Have fun. Live life."

—u/keitaro_guy2004

"This one. I'm not saying do it all the time, but if you have an opportunity to do something interesting and fun, and you've got unused sick or PTO days, fucking do it. Go to that air show, concert, or event. Perfect attendance — to school or to work — should be a badge of shame. Nobody ever lay on their deathbed thinking, 'I wish I'd gone to work more often.'"

—u/-RadarRanger-

9. "The age-old story of who you know is more important than what you know. Your education should be done in conjunction with socializing and spending time with other people (networking). So don't live your life behind a screen."

—u/sonicfluff
10. "Live now, but don't forget the future. You can live now with 80% of your income, too."

—u/the-hellrider

11. "No matter how much you love someone or how much you want to help them, if they do not want to change, it's not your fault."

—u/xaitox
12. "Do no harm, but take no shit. Do what needs to be done and have fun in the process."

—u/keshmudzis

"Gonna add a quick quote to this: Life's just a game 'til the game stops being fun. If you're not enjoying life, find a new angle, whether that's looking at it differently or doing something new. We (I'm in the young crowd) are too young to suffer all day. Enjoy what you do."

—u/SureWhyNot5182

13. "Your life isn't 'over' at whatever imagined line in the sand you think it is. You can easily accomplish a lot of things at 30 or even 40 years old in your life. Find the love of your life, change careers, learn new skills, etc."

—u/Jirekianu

14. "Contrary to popular belief, dating in your 30s is way better than in your 20s. There are way fewer games. People know what they want. Partners have done cool shit by this point in life, so just talking about life is more enjoyable. They're comfortable in their own skin, and they'll generally be more forthright about their hangups and insecurities because they know themselves better and communicate better. Red flags present themselves way earlier, so getting out of a bad relationship is easier before you're invested."

—u/PsychonautAlpha
15. "Invest your money, and save at least 15% of every dollar you earn."

—u/fff84ddd
16. "Learn how to cook decently. Buy a French knife, know how to cut a few basic ways, and know where your fingers should be. Get a few decent recipes locked in, and you can experiment later. It'll save you a lot of money not ordering delivery all the time."

—u/clem9796
17. "Don't get married until you're over 30. The amount of divorced friends with/without kids is wild. Maybe one in five are still together."

—u/poops314

"Good answer. We all change so much over our 20s. The rate of change diminishes as we get older and our views and values settle down."

—u/Sys32768

18. "Do not take out a loan or go into debt to fuel your need to buy things or spend on shit you don't need. It is a vicious cycle that takes years or decades to end. It also comes with a shit credit score and the unneeded stress of living paycheck to paycheck."

—u/3tu_KEK
19. "See a psychologist for the anxiety."

—u/asif00013

"Flat out, see a psychologist. I wasn't depressed, doing OK, felt mentally very healthy, and saw no need. I recently got diagnosed with mild ADHD in my 40s, and my god, it explains so much unnecessary stress and missed opportunities in my life. I wasn't aware since this is how my life's always been; I thought I was just impatient, spoiled, and bad at finishing things. The pills help a lot."

—u/Ninja_Thomek

20. "If you injure yourself, get it looked at straight away. Get physio as soon as possible and follow what they want you to do. You want to recover as quickly as possible, and these injuries will affect you far worse in the future if you don't get them sorted straight away."

—u/Seaworthiness_Jolly

21. "If the relationship didn't work out, it's not meant to be. Don't spend months/years stuck on it. I wasted many years pining for girls I loved, but in hindsight, none of them would be the perfect wife I have now."

—u/SleepyCorgiPuppy

22. "Stop caring about other people's opinions. You do you."

—u/razmuff
23. "Do the impromptu stuff. Once everyone in your friend group starts having kids, it's over. We had poker nights, console games, golf, etc. I have to reach out five months in advance to schedule anything anymore, and it still ends up being canceled."

—u/Leg0pc
24. "Don't worry if you have chosen the wrong profession. I'm 35 and made a career change at 33. It was the best thing I did. There is enough time and opportunities to do something different later in life."

—u/demmie0

 

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