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Max

"There's always money in the banana stand."
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Anybody want to give me any advice on life?

Several people at work today told me "Man, if I could be your age again, and know what I know now, my life would be so much better!"

Yet when questioned on the matter, nobody could give me a solid answer as to what they wish they knew. I thought I would explore the topic so that my life from today on could be made oh so much better, so fire away community.
 

Recon

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Anybody want to give me any advice on life?

Several people at work today told me "Man, if I could be your age again, and know what I know now, my life would be so much better!"

Yet when questioned on the matter, nobody could give me a solid answer as to what they wish they knew. I thought I would explore the topic so that my life from today on could be made oh so much better, so fire away community.

This is rather a difficult question to answer. I will try my best. Where do I start?

The situation as explained above reflects (usually) generation/age differences, not so much about what knowledge you personally have. Older generations/ages tend to say "Man, if I could be your age.." in spite because they know with the knowledge they have now and the youth you have, that person could ultimately make life altering changes. It's not jealously being questioned, but frankly, it's just a simple wish or wanting to be young again.

Anyone, even you, could say "If I was younger with the knowledge I hold now, I could be a better person." The statement is valid, however, it remains as a personal depiction of how you might better your life. However, when someone else wishes to be your age, simply take the phrase as a compliment.

I would not question them on what they want to know. The knowledge you hold may not be of interest to them and therefore could result as to why you couldn't get the answer you were seeking. At this point, what you seek becomes moot because people's interests, passion, ideas, creativity are relatively different.

Asking them what they would do at your age* would make them reflect about their current life situations. Even thinking about being a younger age is quite irrelevant. This is because, in all actuality, this notion will never happen. Ever. So why continue to think about it?

I'm hope this answer makes sense. Sometimes my explanations are flawed, and this probably is, but I hope you understand the gist of my words.

Certain threads on this forum remind us, and I will wholeheartedly never forget it, is to be just damn possible best you can be. No one could ever ask for more, no one ever will.
 

Taochan

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I take it, it's your birthday? Happy birthday!

The people saying that to you are just envying your youth because they've hit middle age (or are even older). It's common to feel regret once you hit your 30's and not even be able to express what your regrets are. It's usually why people "rebel" and do something crazy.

There's no advice a forum with a demographic of people ranging in age from 13-25 can really give on this other than to try and accomplish as much as you want to or to at least try to accomplish things the best of your capabilities.


(p.s. I am moving this to Help & Support)
 

Max

"There's always money in the banana stand."
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This is rather a difficult question to answer. I will try my best. Where do I start?

The situation as explained above reflects (usually) generation/age differences, not so much about what knowledge you personally have. Older generations/ages tend to say "Man, if I could be your age.." in spite because they know with the knowledge they have now and the youth you have, that person could ultimately make life altering changes. It's not jealously being questioned, but frankly, it's just a simple wish or wanting to be young again.

Anyone, even you, could say "If I was younger with the knowledge I hold now, I could be a better person." The statement is valid, however, it remains as a personal depiction of how you might better your life. However, when someone else wishes to be your age, simply take the phrase as a compliment.

I would not question them on what they want to know. The knowledge you hold may not be of interest to them and therefore could result as to why you couldn't get the answer you were seeking. At this point, what you seek becomes moot because people's interests, passion, ideas, creativity are relatively different.

Asking them what they would do at your age* would make them reflect about their current life situations. Even thinking about being a younger age is quite irrelevant. This is because, in all actuality, this notion will never happen. Ever. So why continue to think about it?

I'm hope this answer makes sense. Sometimes my explanations are flawed, and this probably is, but I hope you understand the gist of my words.

Certain threads on this forum remind us, and I will wholeheartedly never forget it, is to be just damn possible best you can be. No one could ever ask for more, no one ever will.

All of this kind of makes me feel like I was being a jerk to them. I honestly have just always been curious when people said stuff like that.

At the same time, what you said felt motivational, no one will ever ask me to be more than the best I can? I like it

I take it, it's your birthday? Happy birthday!

The people saying that to you are just envying your youth because they've hit middle age (or are even older). It's common to feel regret once you hit your 30's and not even be able to express what your regrets are. It's usually why people "rebel" and do something crazy.

There's no advice a forum with a demographic of people ranging in age from 13-25 can really give on this other than to try and accomplish as much as you want to or to at least try to accomplish things the best of your capabilities.


(p.s. I am moving this to Help & Support)

Thanks! I appreciate the Birthday wishes!

And while I didn't think much about the age group around here (my fault), the answers you both gave were still helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to stop and share your thoughts with me.

Also, thanks for moving the thread. I wasn't totally sure where to put it, I think help and support makes more sense
 

kuraudoVII

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I'm barely on the cusp of turning 23 myself. I doubt that I can give much of an answer since I don't particularly consider myself to be all that mature for a 22-year-old, but I guess I can try.

As already mentioned earlier, most of the people are wishing that they have your youth to go since they want to be able to rectify what they see as mistakes that they made in the past that have hindered them from having the greatest present and/or future that they could ever want. It's a psychological aspect of the human condition that yearns for something better than what the person currently has. It takes a long while for a mind to develop and mature which means that there is a lot of time to go and make decisions that people regret.

Speaking from personal experience, I always wanted to be a novelist that would go on to have the same kind of success that J.K. Rowling and Christopher Paolini would have with the Harry Potter series and the Inheritance Cycle respectively. I also would like to have a voice acting job on the side since I love reading and acting out certain passages in books, comics/manga, etc. When I went into college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. My mother, having noted my passion for speaking and explaining things to others, suggested that I go into teaching. I was a bit hesitant at first since I felt that I wouldn't be able to do it, but I went on to attend college and take some teaching courses.

However, over that span, I was looking out for events and laws that would affect future educators and was disgusted with how little respect teachers are given. I live in Florida so we're stuck with this thing called the FCAT. For certain grades, it determines whether we advance to the next grade or not. Eventually, these scores will affect how a teacher is paid despite said teacher most likely having never taught that student the previous year. Combined with teachers have becoming more scrutinized, the educational system being completely bass-ackwards, and not being paid nearly enough for all that they do, I became disenfranchised and decided I wanted to go into a different major.

I initially thought that perhaps I could become a film editor seeing as I made movies for recreation and for T.V. Productions classes back in high school. However, my parents then suggested that I go into Nursing since males nurses are in high demand. I consented, seeing it as a challenge that I could overcome considering that science courses - courses that I'd need to take for the nursing program - weren't my strong suit.

And then that semester proceeded to completely break me...

I began to feel worthless, even moreso than I ever felt before, and practically drowned in my own sea of failure and self-doubt. I, and my parents, realized that I simply didn't have the mentality nor the drive for the medical field. Unfortunately, this led me back to square one where I needed to declare a major. My parents suggested (do you guys see a pattern here?) that I go back to being an educator in Social Science (encompassing history, government, philosophy, subjects that I can enjoy teaching).

I'm now a fifth year senior in a good university. Some people can say that I'm on track to being successful. I do genuinely enjoy what I am doing now, but over the years, I have despaired over feeling like I am in control of my life. I feel like I haven't pushed hard enough to complete my novel. I started during my junior year but stopped midway through the semester since I felt that the story was a hackneyed retelling of my situation, but with superpowers and a young woman teaching me how to properly handle them as she deals with her own problems. Throughout the years, I haven't found employment either although that I mostly blame on the economy. I look at myself and wonder if I did the right thing in not pushing harder to finish my story and become a good voice actor. I ask myself whether this is the right thing to do.

So in retrospect, I guess something like what I've been through in my college years is similar to what your coworkers are feeling right now. Sorry if this seems like a long post and that I've veered too deeply into my own problems self-doubts instead of finding what either of us might think of as a better answer to the question that you asked, but I really do hope this helps.

Edit: I guess that what I am trying to say is that my indecisiveness and lack of faith in forming my own decisions at the time led to some of my problems and that if I knew then what I'm aware of today, I might have been much happier and more fulfilled than I was then.
 
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