The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

What would you tell your 18 or 25 year old self?

G

Guest24480

Guest
19 now, but I would tell my 14 year old self who would just be entering high school:

-You only go through high school once, stop caring what people think and be yourself
-For god's sake, shave that horror show of a trash stash before you gross all the girls out
-Don't play so much Modern Warfare 2, it's a waste of time
-Don't quit guitar, you have a talent worth pursuing
-Be nicer to your mother, she's there to help

Can't wait to see what life has in store for me 5 years down the road at 25! I'm finally beginning to realize how lucky I am to still be young..
 

Lex DeVille

Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
597%
Jan 14, 2013
5,351
31,933
Utah
I would tell my 25 year old self... Thanks.

Thanks for being ahead of the curve.
Thanks for divorcing your first wife.
Thanks for staying fit and eating healthy.
Thanks for dumping your job and diving into Entrepreneurship without a clue.
Thanks for saving and investing.
Thanks for learning how to communicate with people.
Thanks for long-term planning that eventually paid off.
Thanks for reading a lot.
Thanks for reading TMF .
Thanks for moving forward when things got hard.
Thanks for never giving up.

Thanks for trying at all.

Even if I had some wise piece of advice I don't know that I would share it with myself.

I've grown over the last few years in ways I never imagined, and I truly believe it's because I didn't have all of the answers.
 

chrischapman

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
129%
Aug 3, 2014
164
211
Sydney, Australia
Thanks for trying at all.

haha, nice. everyone is too hard on themselves. good to say thanks to our old self once in a while just to realise how far we have come and stay appreciative.

i have so much to thank young chris for.

maybe we should be asking: In 5 years time, what do I wish I could thank myself for doing TODAY?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Mattie

Platinum Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
129%
May 28, 2014
3,485
4,490
53
U.S.
The thing is when I was 25 I didn't know a person that walked the walk. So I don't think it would have mattered what I said. You can have many leaders around you that are not effective but still authoritarian. Neither one of them did anything for me. It was two people that were authoratative in nature, and followed through with actions. Words don't mean crap. Actions mean everything about someone's character. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Most of your life you learn who you don't want to be or become.
 

IronMunkee

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
80%
Aug 26, 2013
10
8
Thank you for this topic. I am 24 right now, and in a very weird place living in my own head, with motivation coming and going, and ideas not being acted upon. The only thing I know is that I want my life to be different by the time I turn 25 (November). I think I may have just found the tool I need to help me get started. I love all this advice, and it's definitely got me in a deep thought right now.

Looking forward to be able to share something like this in the future.
 

D11FYY

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
88%
Mar 13, 2013
393
346
35
Glasgow, Scotland
Some absolute gems in this. If your 14-24 read this thread over and over..

Never stop learning... ever

you can learn by reading.
but reading is not enough, you must learn through action.
you don't know what you don't know. you may think you know, but only action will reveal the true answer.
seek the answers through action
keep digging
...and keep learning

your job is only making someone else money, and has created an artificial ceiling on what you can accomplish. get rid of that ceiling and fly.

my 25 year old self would have listened and understood. my 20 year old self wouldn't have. 24 is when I stopped being depressed, lost a bunch of weight, and chose happiness. Best decision I've ever made.
Great post and congratulations on turning your life around at 24!
Im 25 but pretty much the same as you. At 22/23 I thought I knew but really I didnt this forum and books have really opened up my mind to limitless possibilities. Thus I am greatful for.

Stop pissing away your money and do something that will multiply it...
Tell me about it when I hit 21 I treated myself and spent $51,000 cash on a BMW X5. When I should have put 2 deposits down for flats and rented them out.

True story. Before my Father died aged 57 he gave me the following advice (I was 18 at the time):

"Son, I gave the best years of my life to some bugger else. Don't make the same mistake."


I passed on the same information to my children. God bless you Dad.
Love your Dads quote.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Ubermensch

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
Jul 7, 2008
1,034
3,920
Chicago
The next four years are going to suck.

I mean... it's gonna really be bad. You'll think about death... you'll FEEL as if you died...

You'll relate with Job in the bible. In the basement of hell, you'll embrace, cling to, study, seek inspiration from, harden yourself, and prepare for wretched glory so mind-blowing that you'll live up to ALL of the hype.

Lol. Your silly a$$ is gonna forget the fact that you're a muafuckin' genius, and anyone who can't see how you NATURALLY shine is obviously just blind to the glory standing right in front of their face. Don't worry, though... Four years from now...

SOMETHING F*ckING UNBELIEVABLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN...

You're going to transform into a god.

Nietzsche is going to re-awaken for this one.

If you can make it through the next four years without believing the doubters, without letting haters get you so down that you can't get up... if you can do that, then...

If you can, as Dr. HAHA Lung STRONGLY advises, imagine, concentrate deeply upon, and INSIST into reality, the image and mental movie of your stunning RI$E from the ashes of defeat...

If you can summon the ghosts of Sun-Tzu, Musashi, Napoleon, The Great Kahn, and King Alexander, and trace their strategies throughout your work...

If you can apply your strategies in tactical situations, in conversations with your clients and prospects...

Then you will make history your bitch. That is to say, you will make her say your name, even after you are gone.

That is a performance that Nietzsche would watch.

In fact, something tells me that he has a front row seat for this one...

Heh-heh-heh.


Eternal recurrence. Love your struggle. It is making you a better creature. A higher creature.

Take slow steps. Learn to walk. Soon, you'll be running, and before you know it, your feet will leave the ground. You'll be flying, and "the higher you soar, the smaller you'll appear to those who cannot fly."

"IT WAS ONCE said of the nineteenth-century philosophy firebrand Friedrich Nietzsche that "before Nietzsche, philosophy was ONLY philosophy... after NIetzsche, philosophy became DANGEROUS!" DR. HAHA lUNG, MIND-SWORD...THE FIRST SENTENCE IN THE BOOK...

When you are alone, keep
INSISTING on flight, always attempting leaps from the earth, defying gravity, invisible thrusters in your mind PROPELLING you past limits... perhaps a sinister, smirking scowl on your face as you chuckle to yourself... HAPPILY THANKING ALL OF YOUR DOUBTERS FOR DOUBTING YOU, ALL OF YOUR HATERS FOR HATING YOU...
 
Last edited:

Drive2Riches

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
188%
Jul 18, 2014
188
353
Washington
To my 25 year old self...

You ARE good enough. You don't need anybody else to prove it to you.

Enjoy your new marriage, but find the red flags before it's too late.

You're already wise. Change direction NOW.
Don't wait for inspired prayer to make a move. TRUST what you learned in Sunday School.

College ain't such a bad idea. You'll see. Learn to learn, sir.

Spend more time with your brother, he might move far away. Keep showing the love.
Spend more time with your sister, and ignore awkward pauses. Be more encouraging to her.


~
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

QueenVictoria

New Contributor
Aug 27, 2014
33
16
To my 25 year old self: So you think you know it all, but you don't. Yes, the world is filled with injustices, but also full of beauty.

You're thinking about taking that degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, just do it! Live a little, and stop being so academic. Go out and have fun.

I don't have any regrets though. I think if we were to erase all the "mistakes" from our lives, then we would've lost that experience that shaped who we are today.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,076
169,494
Utah
Bump.
 

AlanJ

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
85%
Sep 15, 2014
27
23
32
As a 23-year old I will have to answer this as what I would have told my 18 year old self;

1. Start playing cricket now, and don't put it off until you are 'better'. Had I started when I was 18 rather than 22 I would have had a lot of good times and be a lot better than I am now anyway. Waiting to get better at X before doing it is stupid; the way to get better at X is to do it.

2. Learn proper squat form from a personal trainer.

3. Don't give up so quickly. I know its easier to drop something if it doesn't work, but sometimes an extra 10 minutes of persistence can be the difference between failure and huge success.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

nskitts

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
115%
Jul 24, 2014
20
23
49
Never let fear stop you. No matter the risk you will be fine even if you lose all your capital and your idea is a flop. Move on to the next. 99% of the people around you live in fear, and work jobs they hate due to fear.

Be brave, be different, close your eyes and fall forward into your plan and have faith that either way you will be fine, because you will be.
 

Phantom309

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
25%
Feb 23, 2010
163
41
Panama City,FL
I don't think my 25 yr old self could handle the a$$ chewing I'd hand out. I was to stuck on stupid and living on World of Warcraft. I can tell you it would start with pull your head out of your a$$ and close the mmo.
 

BJBossman

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
117%
Jan 14, 2014
18
21
38
1) DO NOT GO TO LAW SCHOOL (yes the caps are necessary lol)

2) Focus on giving and creating high caliber relationships with top performers by serving them...and expect nothing in return.

3) Dont' be afraid of the end result unless it will involve bodily harm or death.

4) Take action, just get started. take even one small step each day. The results will move quickly.

5) Don't compare yourself to others at other levels, aspire to learn from their path. You cannot compare your beginning to their end result.

6) Do not try to compare to other paths. You picked yours for a reason, they picked theirs.
 

S. Brown

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
138%
Mar 23, 2014
81
112
34
Tampa Bay, Fl
I'm 24 but if I could go back and I would tell my 18 year old self:

1) Always APPRECIATE and LOVE the ones who have supported you through the tough times in life because those are the ones that will always be there for you.

2) Don't listen to your FEAR because FEAR will have you REGRETTING alot in life and give you that forever WHAT IF pain so take action and don't be afraid of the possibility of temporary failure.

3) Putting yourself in VULNERABLE situations is the best and fastest way to grow as a person so be VULNERABLE.

4) Don't look down at someone because of their LIFESTYLE and MINDSET because our world wouldn't function without different kind of people so respect each other as you expect the same in return.

5) RICH isn't necessarily what you see and have materially. RICH is more about how much value you have as a person and how much you can give the world.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

merc

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
110%
Jun 12, 2014
48
53
Bump. Great thread.

Re-reading as I'll be turning 25 in a few weeks.
 

Semmy

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
93%
Sep 16, 2014
178
165
54
Canary Islands, Spain
"remember that everything you do in life creates a lasting memory that is almost impossible to get off in your mind - so chose wisely and don't underestimate the good and bad things that you chose consciously - you have to live with your own memories inside of you, they are permanent."
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

regalforte

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
94%
Dec 5, 2014
17
16
Get a security guard night shift desk job in some building where no one will bother you, then read books about copywriting, sales, marketing, entrepreneurship, programming, accountancy, and law at the desk during your shifts. After a few years, quit the job and start a business with the knowledge you acquired.
 
Last edited:

Ma Co

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
362%
Apr 2, 2012
55
199
Vietnam
- Change your focus from "me" to "YOU"!

- Read, study books on marketing, sales, and communication.

- "Repetition is the mother of learning" - Stay with one book, finish it, digest it, read it again, and again, THEN start with the next one. F****** stop multi-tasking!

- Get rid of drinking, pessimistic "friends" in your life - aka "Show me your friends and I show you your future"

- Go out and socialize, learn social skills, join Toastmasters, ...

- MASTER SOCIAL SKILLS and communication! Being shy, not being able to connect with others easily, not being able to express your thoughts properly, not being able to talk in front of groups confidently will be a HUGE roadblock, will haunt you in EVERY stupid social environment!

- Outsource, Outsource, Outsource!
=> If you're not good, great, or brilliant at doing any given task, don't do it! Find someone who does it far better than you do. Free up your time to do something more valuable in an area like marketing, or strategizing, or wherever your brilliance lies.
=> Your time is precious. It's value is higher than gold, higher than platinum. It's the difference in everything! --Jay Abraham
 
Last edited:

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top