Everyone has things that, in retrospect, they should have done differently. This list of 20 things Leo at ZenHabits wishes he had known when he was 18 is not just good advice for someone fresh out of high school. Not only is it good knowledge for an 18-year-old to have, it’s pretty good advice for anyone to follow. Like H.G. Wells, I think everyone wishes we had access to a time machine at some point in our lives, if only to tell ourselves that eating pizza left out overnight is a horrible idea.

It’s nothing earth shattering, but it is stuff everyone puts off thinking that it’s not a big deal. A lot of the recommendations are basically like New Year’s resolutions, like stay active, watch what you eat, don’t smoke, tequila is evil, and other general advice for maintaining a healthy body. There’s solid financial advice, like plan for your retirement, keep a budget, and inspect things closely before you buy them. That’s all good advice for a youngster.

What sells the article most, to me, is the advice that you can follow at any age. Keeping a journal has been very helpful for me in terms of remembering specific events in my life and sorting through emotions without doing anything crazy. I was one of the pre-blogging Internet writers back in the 90’s, and I wish I had gotten in on the ground floor on blogging when it sprang forth from the ether. But, like the article says, what I’m stressing about now won’t matter in 5 years, let alone 15, so I need to pursue my passion now (which seems like writing) and focus on being happy.

It’s never too late to reach for that brass ring and follow your dreams.

Tags: life lessons, financial planning, advice

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