Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Which Things Everyone Should Do In Their 20s To Avoid Regret Later In Life

People Share Which Things Everyone Should Do In Their 20s To Avoid Regret Later In Life
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
Make us preferred on Google
Life in your 20s can be described with an infinite array of words: chaotic, euphoric, aimless, confused, busy, energetic, just to name a few.

Truly, it is a decade defined by improvisation.

Throughout those years, a person sits in a very peculiar sweet spot. On one hand, you are finally a full-blown adult, and you enjoy the freedoms and autonomy offered by that fact.

But you're also the most inexperienced version of adult that could possibly exist. And so you are rather clueless about the best way to live and be.

Anyone that age could use some wisdom and mentorship--someone who navigated that madhouse of a decade and recognized their successes and failures.

ReddBolt5 asked, "What should one do in their 20s to avoid regrets in 30s and 40s?"

Life is Malleable

"Always know that change is an option. Many people, myself included, start down a path and think that since I committed to that path, it's the only path for me. Don't get caught in that thought process."

"If a choice (career, location, relationship, etc) doesn't feel right down the road, know you can make a new one. It may be uncomfortable at first, but you can make it through (and likely for the better)."

-- ap_riv

Stay Above Water

"Don't get into credit card debt!" -- 8Gly8

"This sh** will ef up your life as much, if not more, than smoking or drinking or crappy eating etc."

"You can be taught how credit cards work, and it can still be hard to wrap your brain around, until it's too late." -- Go_Cart_Mozart

Knowledge is Power

"Learn how to budget. Even if it's just a simple excel or google sheets file with one column of income, and one of expenses."

"When you see everything you buy in a month next to each other, you realize where you can save money pretty well."

-- Raze321

Take Care of That Outer Layer

"Sunscreen" -- greatredwoodofawhore

"long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists." -- radiogrill

"And don't go to tanning beds" -- raketheleavespls

In Their Prime

"Go see your favorite musical acts when they are young, together, and /or alive. and not selling out to fu** you price arena tours." -- classicsat

"I'll take this one further and say to just go see as much live music as possible."

"I don't regret any of the concerts I've been to in my life, but there are a bunch I regret NOT going to." -- ghettomagicrooster

YOU are the Only Constant

"Learn how to be independently happy" -- PGMG17

"I wish someone could have screamed this in my face with a megaphone whenever I was about to do something codependently stupid in my 20s and early 30s, lol." -- sulesko

Pragmatic Love

"Make sure that if you have a relationship with someone you actually nail down the long term goals and agree on them... Like kids? How exactly will that work? Marriage?"

"Find your deal breakers and take them seriously... From 20-30 the time really flies and you don't want to miss it."

-- stagnant_malignancy

Go Where You're Good

"When choosing your job/profession/career, ignore the horrible life advice to 'follow your passion.' Instead, you should follow your aptitude."

"Identify what you are good at, find a way to use it to bring value to others, work like crazy to do that."

"The happiness/meaning/life-satisfaction will come as a result of being able to build a good life for yourself and those you care about."

-- Stoic_Scientest

Before Leaping Gets Harder

"If you yearn for adventure, go now. You are young, your body is strong, and your obligations are few. Go now."

"It's so much easier to drop everything in your life for a 6-month hiking trip and then slide back into regular life when you're 25 than when you're 35." -- LowCalPal

" Travel. Experience the world. Spend your money on making memories. Hike the Appalachian Trail. Don't be afraid to do things scare you. Sky dive."

"I am grateful for everything I have but I wish I would have realized that there was another option to the regular old 9-to-5. I'm 43 now and physically limited due to an auto accident."

"You never know what life has in store so enjoy it to the fullest while you can." -- babyhaby

Zoom Out

"Invest in yourself by making healthy choices both physically and financially" -- Kaste90

"Included in this: learn to cook." -- raketheleavespls

"So hard to do since people have a hard time showing any empathy for their future self." -- 5yn3rgy

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Pete Hegseth
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth's Past Comments About Hygiene Resurface After He's Caught On Video Running His Snotty Hands Through His Hair

Remarks about not having washed his hands "in 10 years" resurfaced after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was caught on video wiping his nose with his hands before immediately running those same hands through his hair.

Hegseth was seen doing just that while listening to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent deliver remarks. Footage went viral after it was shared by progressive journalist Aaron Rupar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Darline Graham
NewsNation

Lindsey Graham's Sister Hit With Hilariously Brutal Factcheck After Claiming She's 'Not Being Handed' His Senate Seat

Darline Graham, the sister of late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, was swiftly fact-checked after claiming that she's "not being handed" her brother's seat even though she quite literally was named to temporarily fill it.

Senator Graham died on the evening of July 11 after returning from an official visit to Ukraine. According to a preliminary finding from the medical examiner, shared by his office, Graham died after suffering an aortic dissection—a tear in the inner wall of the aorta—linked to hardening of the arteries.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Hinckley Jr. (left) shares a new message for Jodie Foster (right) 45 years after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
The Mark Joseph Show/YouTube; Gary Gershoff/WireImage

John Hinckley Jr. Shares New Message For Jodie Foster 45 Years After Shooting Ronald Reagan To Impress Her

Some Hollywood stories fade with time. The disturbing history connecting Jodie Foster and John Hinckley Jr. is not one of them. For those who don’t know, on March 30, 1981, Hinckley waited outside the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where President Ronald Reagan had just addressed 5,000 members of the AFL-CIO.

As Reagan emerged from the hotel, Hinckley fired six shots from a revolver. One bullet ricocheted off Reagan’s limousine and struck him beneath his arm. White House Press Secretary James Brady, police officer Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy were also wounded.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Scott MacFarlane
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; CNN

Journalist Reveals Just How Much Money Has Been Diverted From National Parks For Trump's Vanity Projects—And People Are Livid

In a series of articles for MacFarlane News and MeidasTouch, videos, and an appearance on CNN, Chief Washington Correspondent for MeidasTouch Scott MacFarlane blew the whistle on MAGA Republican President Donald Trump’s raiding of National Park Service (NPS) funds. Aided by his Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Trump diverted NPS money to pay for all of his White House and Washington D.C. vanity projects.

Trump’s hand-selected, mostly unwanted and unnecessary White House grounds and National Mall projects—things like a botched reflecting pool resurfacing, golden decor, a helipad, a ballroom, gilded statues, and giant flagpoles—alone took $423 million from major national parks across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman using hair tie
aire images/Getty Images

Engaged Woman Sparks Theories After Finding Strange Hair Tie Near Her And Fiancé's Home Entryway

Finding out that your partner is cheating doesn't always have to involve accidentally seeing a nefarious text message or walking in on the act. But sometimes, signs of what could be cheating might have a far stranger explanation.

Posting in the "Girl Dinner Diaries" subReddit, Redditor Jack-of-not posted a photo of an open-faced sandwich and explained what she'd discovered:

Keep ReadingShow less