People over 40 on here - what is the number one thing that young people should NOT take for granted

I think it depends on how you travel, but I can assure you that a lot of guys travel too, maybe you just didn’t run into them. In my case, I traveled a lot around Europe in my early 20s and had a wonderful time hooking up with hot chicks everywhere I went. It was that easy. Speaking 4 different languages may have helped ;). Wished I had waited a few more years before getting into a serious relationship, as I’m 28 now and have been married for 2 years. I love my wife, but miss the thrill of having different women.

I think most of the replies up to this point have all been very existential, live for the moment responses and that shows the shallow thinking of our times. You need to have a life vision and you need to think about what you believe and why you believe it (things like morals, values, ethics, philosophy, religion, etc..). Without those things you're going to devolve into a complete self absorbed narcissist who cares less about others to the point of missing out on the meaning of life which is to help, encourage, bless, share, fellowship, strive with, bond with, other humans.

You don't have to be obsessed with health. Obsession with health, which is really a mask for fear of death, is the hallmark of a dying culture. However, take care of yourself and develop functional health patterns like eating well, basic exercise, proper sleep, etc. This includes sexual health. Sex isn't what everyone makes it out to be. It's just sex. But hooking up with 'hot girls' or 'hot guys' or whatever is risky because there are STD's and the psychological issues to deal with. So think that through before you philander all over the place. Most research actually indicates that committed married people (man + woman) have the best 'sex' lives, even into their middle and early elderly years. Keep all drugs (even prescription if possible) in moderation. The more natural you can go with remedies when you're sick, the better off you'll be health wise in the long term.

Be a constant learner. Self educate. Read all the books they kept from you in the thought prisons known as schools, colleges, and social media blogs. You will be surprised at how intelligent people will consider you if you are just well read on a variety of topics, such as religion, politics, philosophy, science, economics, education, history, arts, music, etc.. Plus you'll be able to impress those 'girls' you want to ask out...because you'll have so much more to talk about. Someone mentioned compound interest. Yes. Read about finances, especially amortized interest and how deadly and imprisoning it can be. (And read up on the Federal Reserve and how they've ruined the currency/economy.) This will keep you from buying and leveraging yourself to the hilt in debt with major purchases. Know your community, regardless of what state or country you end up in; familiarize yourself with their laws and customs, even if you don't agree with all of them. Know your local elected representatives. You don't have to be political culturati but stay abreast of what's going on and how it will impact you or your loved ones later.

But most importantly: use your talents and gifts to impact others for the good. Serve in a soup kitchen. Give money to trustworthy charities from time to time. Volunteer at a local YMCA or After School program to work with young people, like reading to them or helping with a recreation league. Visit a senior center once in a while and ask how you can help. The world of opportunities to help people is always there so do it. When you get on later in life those memories and the connections you build from them will mean so much more and have so much more impact than 'hooking up with girls' or partying or travel to distant lands. You will find more significance in simply applying yourself to the task of living and contributing than to always seeking a thrill, fame, sex, etc. Best of luck to you.

An older, more thoughtful because of his wasted youth, guy.

masterofdisaster wrote:

RichardRider wrote:

Be nice.

Take care of your teeth and get regular checkups/physical exams. Preventative maintenance...

Learn to love yourself so you can learn to love others, especially before marriage.

Ramsey's plan works for many. Start early.

Plan and explore various locations that you would like to live and that matches your lifestyle. This can change but...

Pursue your passion and not a job.

Turn off/throw away the tv if you have one. Spend less time on social media. Fill your time and interests with things that matter.

Many more.....

so #2 on your list is teeth? you shouldn't give advice on life or anything but oral hygiene.

With a handle like "masterofdisaster" I can understand your lack of curiosity to the importance of oral hygiene. Like many others, my responses weren't numbered in order of importance. However, it does fit with taking care of personal be health.

That being said, I encourage you to look into it. Hopefully, you'll get it before it's too late.

Good luck, Disaster.

Save money as soon as you start getting a paycheck, make it a habit.

Before you get married, take a couple of big swings at life: trips, jobs, stuff that scares you. Once kids come along, that stuff goes back burner.

Read books. Books provide a level of information and demand an openness to the ideas of others that social media and the iphone can't come close to delivering.

Pretend all you get is 20 real chances..

To take that plunge with that significant other..

To go for that dream job..

To travel for that experience..

Live life according to your own report card.

Make difficult decisions like an unfriendly reporter will publish it to your family & friends.

Brushing your teeth and flossing

time!

No over 40 but for me it'd be your health.

Don't think about getting married or kids before 30.

As noted previously, 40 isn't bad at all. You are not quite as sharp physically, but can still hang with most sports. 50 is really when everything goes south.

Your 20s and 30s are really the time when things are new and exciting. As you get older, nothing seems new or exciting anymore. So, when you are young, try everything and do everything. Learn how to ski, salsa dance, cook, make cocktails, grow vegetables, rock climb, whitewater kayak, mountaineering, coding, and so on. When you get into your late 40s and 50s, you will get stuck doing the same things over and over. I tried to learn how to play guitar in my mid 40s. I used to be a professional percussionist and spent 6 years studying music in college. I lasted about 3 months before I gave up trying to learn how to play guitar.

Recognize and seize important opportunities. They don't come along very often.

Watch 1:05 to 1:25 of this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9yrupye7B0

Jesus.

My advice would not to party your youth away. Cultivate some interests and hobbies that will sustain you for the rest of your life.

Drinking beer all day with your boys is a lot less cool at 40 than it is at 20.

Go and visit some far off places. Europe can wait until you’re old and want to stay in nice hotels. Visit India, Africa, South America, etc. Go off the beaten track, stay in some amazing places and have a few scary experiences. Expand your mind. You won’t regret it and you won’t get the chance again once you’re settled down with a family. And it’s cheap too

53 here and I'll break this into two parts: Running advice and Life in General

Running: If you really do love the sport and care about your performance, take a couple of years and really max it out.

Can you qualify for the trials? How high can you finish in one of the big marathons, or one of the bigger races? Can break X time for that Y distance that you love?

It's hard to do after college because most runners have been at it hard since HS and they want a break. I know I did. But it would be great to know how fast I could have run a marathon had I attempted it when I was young.

Life in General:

1. This will run counter to what many on here have said but, have your kids young. You will actually have the energy to deal with small children, and you will still be young when they leave for college. You dont want to be 60+ and sending a freshman off to college.

2. Don't get head over heels in debt on cars and credit cards. This can be an anchor that keeps you in a bad job, and can cause stress that ends a good marriage.

since this is a running site...get close to the most out of your relative max speed at shorter distances. Work on development of your speed. You don't have to focus on the 60 or 100, but you should work on getting close to 90-95% max in the 200-400-800, even as a 10k-marathon-ultra runner. Careful, no need to bulk up and push so hard that you pull hamstrings, but do not neglect fast relaxed speed. It seems to be hard to develop and use those fast twitch muscle fibers when older, so work on them when you are young. And they try to maintain this as you age.

Develop healthy sustainable habits that will sustain you for 80+ years. Eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, avoid too much sun/wear sunscreen, take care of your teeth, limit use of addictive drugs (including alcohol), don't smoke, etc. You don't have to be prude and can let go every once in a while. The vigor of youth will hide the long term damage you are doing to yourself. But be careful as the excesses of your youth will start to catch up with you in your 40s. You will really regret things you did when you were younger in your 50s.

Enjoy and respect the natural world, including clean air, water, wildlife, a habitable climate, etc. while you can. Humanity, including the majority of older folks, have selfishly ****** up the one earth we have. It takes work and effort to minimize consumption and one's impact on the environment, but most people are lazy and/or do not care.

Don't take for granted that a middle-aged dad won't kick your ass for smarting off, being rude, or littering. There are decades of pent-up rage within that stooping donut of a body. We can only take so much.

Oh, and sunscreen, and saving for retirement. It's hard to imagine being a lot older, but retiring at 59 with normal skin is a different life than retiring at 71 looking like you were ridden hard and put away wet for decades like an old saddle.

Freedom of speech.

Democracy.

Tromso wrote:

Go and visit some far off places. Europe can wait until you’re old and want to stay in nice hotels. Visit India, Africa, South America, etc. Go off the beaten track, stay in some amazing places and have a few scary experiences. Expand your mind. You won’t regret it and you won’t get the chance again once you’re settled down with a family. And it’s cheap too

That's what I did. And it doesn't have to be scary at all if you use some common sense.