30 Wise Reminders From Older People With Life Experience

1. No person is important enough to keep in your life if they take away from the morals you live by, family included. Cut them out of your life and move on to a better place.

2. The difference between a head full of memories, and a head full of regret, is your ability to forgive yourself.

3. The only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

4. Don’t take advice from people you don’t want to be.

5. Most regrets are caused by inactions, not actions.

6. Your parents are people. They are imperfect, they make mistakes, and they don’t know everything.

7. Time moves forward, regardless of the things that have happened. You are not guaranteed anything, including a chance to make amends with people that you have wronged, or to forgive people that have wronged you. If you have something you need to say to someone, then just say it. Don’t assume that you’ll have a chance to do it later, whether it’s tomorrow or a year from now. Because when that person is gone, they’re gone. Talking with that person will give closure (whether good or bad), but talking to their headstone only leaves you wondering.

8. Take up a hobby or two. It can be very rewarding. It will give you something to look forward to while you are drudging away at work, and it is easier to make friends with people when you have shared interests.

9. Time goes so damn fast and lots of people that you love die. Enjoy it while it lasts.

10. Learn to say no more. Be polite and respectful in how you say it, but be clear. Spreading yourself too thin mentally and emotionally will burn you out and ruin relationships, education, and career opportunities. Go slow to go fast.

11. What seems like a big deal now, isn’t–no matter your age. When you’re 33, you’re not gonna give a shit about your unrequited crush, though your 15-year-old mind can’t fathom it. When you’re 50, you won’t give a shit about costing your company an important client, though your 33-year-old mind thinks you’ve permanently destroyed your career. When you’re 70, it won’t matter that the house you bought at 50 wasn’t the good investment you’d hoped. And so on. Don’t stress yourself out, because most of today’s earth-shattering events are tomorrow’s inconsequential bullshit.

12. Love is not a feeling. It’s not a lightning bolt. It’s a choice you make. Every day you wake up and you need to choose to love the person next to you. The feeling will fade but if you choose to love them anyway you will find the secret to long and successful relationships.

13. Spend your life living and not merely existing…especially when you are young and unencumbered and able to do more physically. Be curious and explore.

14. Life is basically a series of choices, usually the harder and the easier choice. Your only chance of coming out ahead is to reflexively choose the harder option.

15. Always pee after sex.

16. You can’t save everyone. If someone doesn’t want to help themselves, you can’t help them. Let go and move on.

17. Say yes to almost everything — life’s a rollercoaster, might as well treat it like one.

18. There’s almost nothing in this world you need to give a shit about,

Do be kind, do be considerate, do be generous — please, be compassionate.

But your actual obligations in this world are nearly nil, and the number of people whose opinion you should value or give the slightest damn about is also close to nil.

So go on, fly your freak flag, and be excellent to one another.

19. If you save money today, money will save you tomorrow.

20. Alcohol is not a performance-enhancing drug. It will never do you any favors, stay away from it.

21. Do not post comments on internet discussion boards: You do not have anonymity.

22. Stop and smell the roses. Life is a journey filled with hardship, but also joy. Whenever you can, take the time to appreciate what you have.

23. Even if you do everything right, you can and will still fail sometimes.

24. Respect is earned. Don’t go out of your way to burn bridges, but don’t be afraid to tell assholes to fuck off.

25. Decide what you absolutely can’t live without and what you absolutely can’t live with and apply that to choosing partners, jobs, etc. Those things may change as you age. It’s never too late to readjust and alter your core values.

26. Have more sex. You will regret all the times you could have gotten laid/fucked and for some reason didn’t.

27. Saving money is important, but it’s also important to enjoy money while you have it, and enjoy it in a way that will create lasting memories.

28. Build your character. Always look to improve it. Invest yourself in relationships with others who do the same, and distance yourself from those who don’t. Character is everything.

29. Resentment is poison. You forgive and be kind not for them, but for yourself.

30. Take chances. Live your fucking life but take no shit.