16 older adults share advice that will improve young people's lives.
Older people have a lot of wisdom to impart to the world. Your 30s are better than your 20s; your 40s are better than your 30s; your 50s are better than your 40s. Life seems to get better with age.
On a popular Reddit thread in the AskReddit Subreddit, older adults share things that young people should know to enrich their lives.
They write:
1. Inevitable-Mine6466 says:
Marriage/relationships should be fun and happy. Life is hard; things get tough. Find someone that makes the tough times easier, not harder.
2. hail2theKingbabee says:
Not everything that you disagree with deserves an argument. Pick your battles and let trivial things slide.
3. Justin9314 says:
If you die, your employer will have your job posted before you are buried. Remember that on when making work/life choices.
4. revnhoj says:
Unless you don't mind hearing EEEEEEEEEEEE like all the time day and night, use hearing protection in loud situations. Tinnitus is a b*tch.
5. MayIServeYouWell says:
Take a genuine interest in what other people have to say, ask them follow-up questions about their passions in life. Don’t just talk about yourself, or wait for your turn to talk. That’s how you have a conversation, and build a relationship.
6. SwampA**_Man says:
Everybody f*cks up, it's what you do after that matters.
7. iskandar- says:
I will be eternally grateful to my grandfather for instilling in me two things: Failure is not an end state unless it is where you choose to stop. He loved to quote that line by Churchill whenever something didn't work out for him. 'Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.'
Honesty is the most powerful tool you can use to define yourself. Admit your mistake, frankly and honestly. The truth always comes out in the end, no matter how big or small, and it doesn't get better with age. You can give back something you steal and help those you hurt, but once they brand you a liar, it's all you will ever be.
8. EarhornJones says:
Every skill takes determined practice to master. I see my young friends/relatives try, and give up on so many things because 'they weren't very good at it.' If you keep doing that, you'll never be very good at anything.
9. nilecrane says:
Wear sunscreen.
10. vanityklaw says:
Debt can really ruin your life. If you want to take on a lot of it, make sure you have a good plan and run it by a lot of smart people first.
11. lanky_planky says:
I’d say invest in your health by regularly exercising. My wife got me into running in our twenties, which has been a big part of our lives ever since (I’m 63). Nothing crazy, no marathons, we don’t time ourselves or follow a strict training plan; we pick a route, go at our own pace, and have fun. We still go 3-4 miles, 3-4x per week.
I also started working out at the gym 3x a week with free weights in my 30s and have been doing it ever since. I’m no Schwarzenegger, but I can still work around the house, move furniture, shovel snow, and have fun tossing a ball around with the kids without injuring or exhausting myself.
Between aerobic fitness and weights, I’ve been able to stay remarkably healthy my entire adult life, knock on wood. It’s also been great for my mental health and managing stress.
You don’t have to go nuts and set unreasonably strict requirements for exercise goals or diet that an average person can’t possibly maintain - do the best you can, make exercising a few times per week a habit, eat a good diet (avoid fried stuff, eat fruit and veggies, lay off the sweets), and 40 years later you’ll thank yourself, believe me!
12. quarterinchseams says:
Take care of your body. Exercise, keep your weight reasonable, and moderate the 'bad habits.' It does make a difference later in life.
13. Timely_Egg_6827 says:
Live your life while you have energy and fewer commitments. Even when things aren't stellar, it is all life experiences and usually a nugget among the sh*t.
14. scrubjays says:
Fear of the future makes you ignore the present, causing you to make errors now that you will regret doing in the past. If you pay attention to the right now (mindfulness, basically), you don't make as many errors. Hence you regret the past less and no longer fear the future. Break the cycle.
15. Lingering_Dorkness says:
Putting things off to do when you're older likely means you'll end up not doing it. Young people have no idea how quickly your strength and stamina desert you as you age.
In my 30s and 40s, I happily made multiple-day hiking trips of 10-hour-a-day hikes up and over mountains. Now in my 50s, the last challenging last hike I did (which was only 6 hours), I could barely move the next day. My leg muscles were jelly.
One of my best holidays was a month-long hike around Switzerland, done 15 years ago. As much as I would love to do that again, I have to face the fact I likely don't have it in me anymore. But at least I did get to do it. If I had put it off to 'when I retire,' I would never have done it.
Also, you may well never get the opportunity to do them. About ten years ago, when I first moved to Perth, WA, a co-worker's friend was due to retire. A friend and his wife had never been overseas. As his retirement drew close, he & wifey started planning a big post-retirement, 12-month European trip as their first-ever overseas adventure. A week after he retired, he dropped dead from a heart attack.
16. 96tearsand96eyes says:
It's usually not about you. Sleep is essential. The most important conversations you have will be with yourself. Monitor your self-talk and speak positively, kindly, and respectfully to yourself. Sleep is essential.