Advice

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I was listening to a random playlist of all my mp3s this morning and Baz Lurhmann Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen came on. I'm sure most of you have either heard this track or heard of it, but for those who don't know the lyrics of the track were a column written by a journalist who was asked to do a piece on the advice she'd give to someone if they asked her. This got me thinking what pieces of advice I'd give to someone if they asked me, and I wondered what you'd say if you were asked. It can be on anything you like (as long as it's within the AUP) - childhood, adulthood, family, boyfriends, girlfriends, cars, friends etc. The pieces of advice you post can either be of your own making or passed on from friends/quotes/books etc. You don't necessarily have to abide by your own pieces of advice. Please no hollow digs though, only post worthwhile advice. Please post your age alongside your advice.

I'm 21 and my pieces of advice would be:

Ask questions as a child. If you don't know how something works or why something is the way it is, don't be afraid to ask.
Study at school and do your homework/coursework with plenty of time to spare.
Take care of your teeth.
Some people are cruel and nothing's going to change that. Learn to carry on regardless.
Think before you speak.
Think carefully before you make big decisions, don't rush or be rushed into anything.
Try to keep good relations with your family and try to hold onto your friends. They're big parts of what makes life worth living.
Money isn't everything.

I've tried searching for similar threads to this but didn't find any. If there's already a thread like this please point me in its direction.
 
TB. Age 29. Married 7 years.

Buy your wife's wedding ring from a local jewler, not a chain. Otherwise it'll look just like everyone elses.

For anniversary presents, start small so you have somewhere to upgrade next year.

Don't buy more (insert item here - house, car, pr0n, etc.) than you can afford. You don't want to have to work all the time, do you?

When starting a new job, don't just look at salary/hourly rate. Also consider benefits.

Stay in school.

Drugs are bad, mkay? Don't do drugs.

Buy a TiVo. You'll never watch "regular" TV again. Especially with children.

Always have money save for an emergency. You never know when you washing machine will stop working and your wife will want to buy a new set for $1500. Damn nice, though. :lol:
 
"I'll be here long after you're a memory, and lifes to short to get upset about things."

-> there's always another day to have another crack at it. Don't be sitting around regretting or getting upset about something because that is the past and there is nothing whatsoever you can do to reverse it. Learn from what happened and move on without wasting your, or other's, time.
 
These are the things I’ve learned in my relatively short 18 years:

Shop around for good deals (I just saved $280 by taking advantage of two rebates).

Having said that, don’t buy something just because it’s on sale! That drives me nuts, because my mom does it all the time – she wastes so much money and fills the house with crap just because she always has to buy something if it’s on sale. Buy on sale only if you were planning on buying it anyway.

Be polite as often as you can. It really does make life easier for everybody involved, yourself included.

Take care of your body. Trying to lose weight after getting fat is much more difficult than just staying skinny in the first place.

On that note, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables: your taste buds get acclimated over time, and you’ll eventually find overly-fatty foods repulsive.

Drink water all the time; don’t ever buy soda to keep in your house (only buy it at restaurants). Trust me, this is extremely effective in keeping your sugar intake low.

Drive defensively. Always.

Learn whenever you can.

The TV is where you go to shut your brain off; the computer is where you go to turn your brain on (unless you’re trawling MySpace or YTMND or involved in a mindless IM conversation).

Enjoy animals – they won’t hate you just because your nose is crooked or you’re wearing unfashionable clothing.

Pay off your entire balance every month for goodness’ sake. Don’t pay for interest when you don’t have to.

You don’t need 20 pairs of Hollister jeans. Seriously.

Listen/watch/read the news often. There’s a lot that goes on in the world that you should be aware of.

You don’t need a bajillion-square-ft house for three or four people. Houses these days are way way bigger than they need to be. Our house is less than 1500 sq. ft, and it’s still bigger than we need.

Buy, don’t lease. Your car isn’t a PC; it will be perfectly adequate ten years from now.

Learn to use the Internet effectively (including advanced searching techniques, like boolean searches). It’s the most wondrous resource ever created.

Eavesdrop. You learn a whole lot. (Be discreet though. ;))

Get up early. You waste so much time when you sleep in.

Travel. Your own house is only so interesting.

Hold onto your friends tight, but learn when to let go. People change.

Don’t be afraid of change in yourself.
 
17: Avoid the "7 Deadly Sins". In the long run, it makes everyone, including yourself, happier.

Don't name your kids after sandwiches, either.

Don't pick up spark plugs without sensing for heat. You never know when they've just been taken out of the generator's engine during a hurricane.
 
Randy, 13

Sure I don't know much at this age but there is one thing to hear:
Spending your life indoors sucks. Go outside and enjoy nature as much as you possibly can. It may not be here for much longer.
 
Omnis
Don't pick up spark plugs without sensing for heat. You never know when they've just been taken out of the generator's engine during a hurricane.
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:lol::lol: I remember that story. Part of it made it into my sig for awhile.

My advice, "Be carful who you hang out with, if they have issues you will pick the same issues up too ie. trouble with the law/family/people in general etc.
 
tabs
Conversely, make sure you get enough sleep every night.
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Yup, forgot to add that. People don’t seem to realize the correlation between sleep deprivation and illness, not to mention metabolic function. There was one study where four men were only allowed to sleep for four hours a night for sixteen days; by the end of those sixteen days, they were consuming an extra 1000 calories each day (!), and had prediabetic symptoms.
 
21

Always remember that you can say "no" if you feel you are being used, or if you feel that something is beyond your abilities, or illegal.

Don't make enemies, life is too short.

People of different colour/race/origin/faith/sexual orientation are still human, and deserve just as much respect as you do.

And every so often, get off your high horse, shut up, and listen, you might learn something!
 
Heres my small contribution

Just because your not fat or overweight, it dose'nt mean your healthy and/or fit.
To keep your body working, you need your fair share or exersize and healthy food, eating an Apple now and then and walking to the Post Office will not be enough to keep your body working healthliy
 
Here's a couple from me. Taken from my HUGE poster on my wall.

Say "hello" to people. It's amazing what a hello from you can do for others.

Don't compare yourself with others, you may become bitter or vain: there will always be greater and lessr people than yourself.

Accept that other people will always APPEAR to have more luck than you in health, jobs, love, wealth, friends, and life in general.
However, it's all half chances. So don't feel bad or aggrieved. Be happy with your lot, its your life and no one else's :)

You're not going to gett much out of life if you only ever do whats safe.

Never trust a skinny cook!!
 
Eat well, exercise, die anyway. :p

I’m 18, and the one thing I want to add is that you don’t have to live your life like everyone else wants or expects you to. Just do whatever makes you happy.
 
Baz Lurhmann has some good advice in that song. There has been some great advice so far guys! 👍

I'm 33, a single father to two daughters, and I'm somewhere on the highway of life.

* Be real - Don't emulate, be yourself.

* Honesty is always the best policy. Be honest to everyone you meet, but most importantly, be honest to yourself.

* If your guilty be prepared to face the punishment. Don't make excuses - admit your guilt and move on. People will respect you more.

* Acknowldege your short comings, and improve them.

* don't tell lies; Lies create lies. White lies, grow into full-blown lies and so on, until you back yourself into a corner and no ammount of lying will get you out of it.

* Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, even if they don't deserve it.

* Do something good each day. Even if nobody but you know.

* Love your girlfriend/boyfriend as if it was the first day you met. There is nothing worse than stale love.

* It only takes a couple of seconds to be polite. Please and thank you are two phrases everyone should know intimately.

* Follow your heart, but listen to your head. Both will get you what you want, the secret is balancing the two.

* Give praise where it is due. Something easy for you, might be hard for someone else. Acknowldege that and encourage.

* Critiscism is helpful, as long as its constructive.

* Hard work brings rewards. Very few of us are given everything in the palm of our hands. To get what you want, you have to work for it.

* Learn the value of money. Money is a powerful tool, if used correctly.

* Niether a borrower or a lender be.

* Everyone has the potential to be amazing. Look for peoples strengths, and encourage their weaknesses.

* Dont worry. If it's going to happen it will anyway, regardless of how many knots you tie yourself into.

* Protect, and nurture your children. Learn from them as they will keep you young as you you grow old.

* Violence is always the last option (in reality it should never be an option, but we live in a crazy world, so hey!) Always try to diffuse the situation through diplomacy.

* Have fun, but never at someone elses expense.

* Respect and listen to senior citizens.

* Don't think that your opinion is any less important than someone elses.
 
amp88
I was listening to a random playlist of all my mp3s this morning and Baz Lurhmann Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen came on. I'm sure most of you have either heard this track or heard of it, but for those who don't know the lyrics of the track were a column written by a journalist who was asked to do a piece on the advice she'd give to someone if they asked her. This got me thinking what pieces of advice I'd give to someone if they asked me, and I wondered what you'd say if you were asked. It can be on anything you like (as long as it's within the AUP) - childhood, adulthood, family, boyfriends, girlfriends, cars, friends etc. The pieces of advice you post can either be of your own making or passed on from friends/quotes/books etc. You don't necessarily have to abide by your own pieces of advice. Please no hollow digs though, only post worthwhile advice. Please post your age alongside your advice.
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Great song 👍

My advice would be- time is the greatest healer.
 
Lie about why you did something, not about what you did.

-> chances are they can prove what you did. Why you did something is up to you and cannot be disproven.
 
17 Years young. :p

* Be yourself.

* Think before you say.

* Don't let people influence your decision.

* Look forward to suprises.

* Do everything you have always wanted to do, you only have 1 life.
 
Never take out a loan or buy things on credit. If you don't have the money don't buy it, you can always come back later. Who knows after saving hard for it you might even realise its not worth it or you dont need it!
 
Slick Rick
Never take out a loan or buy things on credit. If you don't have the money don't buy it, you can always come back later. Who knows after saving hard for it you might even realise its not worth it or you dont need it!
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Someone has never bought a house. Sorry, but when I moved in here, I didn't have $200k sitting in the bank. :lol: For that matter, when I bought my Pilot, I didn't have $35k. Point taken though. 👍

Back on topic:

When you go out to eat with someone, at least offer to pick up the bill. Don't just sit back. Later, they will talk about you as a mooch. "S/He could have at least offered."

When you kids are grown up and out of the house, don't set aside money for them for after your demise (except for funeral and burial costs). You earned it, spend it. (I told my mom and dad this one.) :) Not pleasant to think about, but necessary at some point in your life.

Be nice to your kids. They will decide what nursing home to put you in when you get old and you don't want to be stuck in the crooked nursing home they saw on 60 Minutes.
 
Slick Rick
Never take out a loan or buy things on credit.
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I’m the kind of person who absolutely hates being in debt, and yet even I have to say that that’s not terribly practical advice. As TB mentioned, good luck buying a house without a mortgage or a loan of some type.

Plus, look at the situation I’m in: my parents are making me pay for half of my college expenses for the next five years, which amounts to about $50,000 (~£27,000) in total. I’m a great saver and all (notice how my first tip in this thread was about saving money), but at the age of 18 I simply do not have anywhere near 50 grand, so I’m going to have to rely on student loans.

And there’s nothing wrong with buying something on credit, so long as you pay off the entire balance each month. Developing a good credit history is very important in modern society anyway (going back to the mortgage stuff). Some people just lack self-control and buy so much that they can only afford the minimum payment each month.
 
Thanks completely to my wife, in the last 8 years, I went from being turned down by BEST BUY for a credit card to having a through the roof credit score. We use credit cards for everything and they are always payed off in full every month, no questions asked. We have had one late fee, but that was during the Anthrax issue a few years ago when the mail was slow, so we talked them out of that. So yes, to a point I agree - don't spend what you ain't got. Just keep in mind that sometimes, you have to.

Also, remember there is "good" debt and "bad" debt.

Good debt - in the long run, these *could* make you money.:

House payment- For a bit more than renting an apartment, you can own a home. Granted, you are now in charge of maintaining said home. Still - you move from an apartment, you *might* get back you security deposit. You sell your house, if the timing is right, you stand to make a fair amount of cash. We sold our first house after living there for 3 years and walked away with $12,000. That made for a nice down payment for the new house.

Student loans - I payed around $15k for a 2 year tech school. I now make that much more per year than before I went back to school. And in the US, you have 10 years to pay back school loans intrest free. Why? If there is incentive to go back to school (free money, essentially), youjust might. You should then make more money than before school and will then pay more in taxes. In the end, they get their money out of you. That's just fine with me.

Bad debt: credit cards (potentially), loan sharks - You know the problems with these, so don't get snagged into them.

On the same line, when you have kids, it's never too early to start a college fund. We started when our boys were 6 months old, and there more than likely won't be enough in there for 2 years at a state college. :nervous:

Sorry for the rambling response.
 
Jon .. 21 ..

Tolerance is key. You never know when you are the one being tolerated.
 

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