Monday, May 04, 2009

10 things I wish I'd known when I was younger

Okay, here are a few things I wish I'd actually listened to a few adults about when I was younger...

  1. If you're in love at 22 and planning to get married, then you'll still be in love at 30. Wait til you're 30 before you walk down the aisle.
  2. When you do get married, don't waste your money on a huge wedding. Elope with a few close friends/family members then throw a party. You'll actually enjoy it more and remember it! You can still take pretty pictures without spending multiple thousands of dollars.
  3. Less is more. This can be applied to everything from credit card debt, to personal belongings, to make up, to accessories.
  4. Every girl should own an appropriate little black dress that can be worn on any occasion.
  5. The moment you get a job, start saving a minimum of 10% from each check. Never stop doing this, no matter what. It could become a life-saving habit.
  6. If something or someone seems too good to be true, they probably are. Trust your instincts.
  7. If you are too insecure to trust yourself or make your own decisions, then you're not ready to get married.
  8. Work hard, play harder.
  9. Even if you've been victimized, you are not a victim.
  10. You can't please everyone so focus on pleasing yourself first and everything else will fall into place.
Of course this isn't everything you should know, but I definitely think these are good rules to live by. Otherwise, you'll be like me and sitting here at 40 thinking "If I knew then what I know now..."

16 comments:

  1. ohhhh, these are good ones! If I would add one, it would be:

    There are (at most) probably on three people outside of yourself who actually give a damn what you're wearing on any given day: your mom, your best friend and your boyfriend/husband (and that last one is questionable). Don't spend 3 hours trying to figure it out. No one else cares and those people already love you.

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  2. Anonymous9:17 AM

    Good ones. I agree with every one of them.

    I'll add - don't dump your girlfriends for a guy. They'll probably still be there in a few years. Good chance he won't.

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  3. I like taking 3 hours to figure out an outfit sometimes. I dress for me, so that's time well spent.

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  4. Very nice! At 23, I'll be keeping these in mind. :)

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  5. Fantastic tips, and I love the one about not ditching your girlfriends for a guy. Wise words, and ones I wish I'd learned when I was younger.

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  6. Anonymous12:52 PM

    Love the tips. If only I had believed the grown-ups in my life when they told me all of this stuff.

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  7. I do have to disagree with your first point. There's NOTHING magical about 30 or 40 or any other age. The age at which you're mature enough to get married varies so much from person to person. And I'm actually a fairly strong proponent of young motherhood, in one's 20s is the best time to have kids when you still have energy. Right now, at 44, my kids are grown, and I have still years left to have fun.

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  8. Oddly enough, I feel the opposite on about half of your tips, Mel! So perhaps what's wisdom for one person isn't always the same as wisdom for another...

    For example, and this is just for me: I don't do the little black dress, and never have. First off, I've always hated my thighs, so I prefer slightly longer skirts. :-) Secondly, I love color! I think it's sad when there's a celebratory gathering (party, reunion, whatever) and 5/6 of the women are wearing black. So much more fun with a rainbow, IMHO!

    Of course, that's just me. I'm sure many would love the elegance and sophistication of everyone in black...

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  9. I agree with most of your points, but... I got married at 22. That said, it had more to do with practical reasons like insurance and taxes than it was "OMG, we're in love, we have to get married." We were engaged but planning on putting it off until we were more financially stable and could do it "right", but we ended up having a small JoP wedding with a close friend as witness. :)

    Also... I have plenty of black dresses, but I'm a goth. XD

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  10. One thing that has gotten me through some really hard choices: If I am 99 an on my deathbed and I have regrets...the only one I can blame is myself. In other words, only you can make you happy. And if you aren't happy, only you can do something about it. It's hard not to live your life to please other people because we are taught that so well by society.

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  11. I got married young. I had my children young. I still believe strongly that the majority of people should wait til they're older.

    Cara, I'm all about the color. All about it. It's pretty much all I wear. But I believe every woman needs a little black dress. And yes, a dress that goes below the knees can still count as a LBD. Mine does. LOL

    I love the added tips. Of course, what works for one person doesn't work for everyone, but still, if I had known then what I know now...

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  12. Anonymous9:51 AM

    Married late--never! I married at 20, had five years of fun, then had a child. Now, he's grown and I'm still healthy and able to have loads of fun with the man I fell in love with. It's all about growing together with the one you love--not growing apart!

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  13. Most of these are pretty good, especially number five. Been doing that since I was 15 and it's a habit I hope to instill in my (future) kids. I disagree w/ 1 b/c all people are different and lumping an entire age group into the same category doesn't work for me :) Besides, 30 isn't a magic number.

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  14. Some of those things should be labeled "what I wish I knew now!" LOL, I still struggle with number 10. Great list, Mel!

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  15. Amanda Brice5:38 PM

    I was sure I'd be at least 30 before I got married. Completely shocked that I wasn't even 27! I couldn't imagine being married at 22, though.

    But everyone's different.

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