“He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
Besides inspiring people of all ages to travel, dream, and live their life to the fullest, this trip had made me especially intent on getting other youngsters to begin living the life they imagine for themselves now, rather than simply following the steps they feel society had laid out for them while pushing their dreams from later to never. After receiving countless emails from people of all ages telling me how lucky I am to have followed my passions at such a young age rather than in my thirties, fifties, or even never, I feel it’s my duty to help other young adults pursue the life they dream of as I have pursued mine.
Which leads me to ask this question: What advice would you give to your twenty-year old self?
While traveling through India last year a fellow traveler and friend helped me come up with a list of ideas that I could write about on this blog. As the question has now sat unanswered in my notes for nearly a year, I figure it is time to get some answers. So what advice would you give, knowing what you know now, to your twenty-year old self? I know what advice I would give, but being that age myself, I don’t have the beauty of retrospect or time that many of you will. So help me out by sending your answers to me via email or simply by leaving a comment on this post so that in time, I can collect enough ideas from my own experiences as well as from yours to help give other twenty-year olds the boost they need to live their life to the fullest.
The Wandering Nomads 
you are great inspiration to me đ
Floss, no matter where you are, or what you do, or how you get there… There is room for floss… Floss. (brushing is good, too) đ
Haha that’s great, I better go out and buy some now!
Follow your passion, not the money. It is fine your parents want you to become a doctor, but it is not their life. Happiness does not come with money.
Very true.
The only thing you can be certain of is that you are here now, so make the very best of this moment.
It really doesn’t matter what any one else thinks about you, just enjoy who you are.
Have faith in yourself and your decisions. TRUST YOUR INSTINCT.
Listen to what others have to say and I mean really listen, they may just have good advice.
Listen to what others have to say and I mean really listen, you may just have good advice.
Listen to what others have to say, people like to be heard.
Don’t give good advice, it may turn around and bite you on the ass.
DON’T FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!!! INSTEAD, HUNT THEM DOWN AND MAKE THEM REAL.
KNOW WHEN TO QUIT AND WHEN TO CARRY ON.
Don’t be afraid to say this is not working for me and don’t be afraid to say “I don’t understand”.
CHOOSE! You always have a choice.
You are the only person living your life, don’t let anyone else live it for you.
Don’t give good advice it may turn around and bite you in the arse.
Write your own rules and then throw them away.
Really, there are no rules, there is only what a person can do, or cannot do.
Remember and this is most important, You shape your life with the choices that you make. You define yourself by your actions.
Choose worthy actions.
You know what is right and what is wrong, do not let others decide for you.
Live your beliefs.
And don’t worry, no good ever came from worrying. Life is beautiful make the most of what you have each and every day.
EXERCISE. PACE YOURSELF. DON’T RUSH. DO RUSH. HAVE FUN WITH IT.
Enjoy the flow of life and let it unfold,
And never forget,
“NIL ILLIGITIMI CARBORUNDUM”
There is more but life is an interesting journey and to live it fully one should always find out by oneself, In my opinion.
USA yes and yes! I agree with this all.
Quit using fossil fuel powered, internally combustible engines
and just one more very important thought. Choose your words carefully, it is very easy to be misunderstood.
oh and the sooner you tackle a problem the sooner it is not a problem
eat right and drink plenty of good water. Ok I’m quitting now, i think
Yes, it’s scary. Go get the psych eval so you can study abroad in France. Be a dance major, you may not ever use it professionally, but you’ll be happy. Do more things that scare you. This is seriously way more fun.
Hey,
I’m quite fascinated by your experience. Being over 30 and having a little baby screaming next to me as I type, I was wondering wheather I regret having missed the opportunity to do what you do. Well, yes and no. I am sure I’d be able to get lost for a decade with only my backpack and enjoy the experience greatly. I’ve done it several times if only for a few weeks at a time.
However, I imagine coming back from the trip, meeting the right girl who at the age of ~30 surely wants to start a family. Living in Prague, which is by far not the worst place to live, I would not be able to provide for my family when lacking the professional experience and contacts. And if I did, I’d be working around the clock barely seeing them. Money sure can’t buy happiness but lack of money can be devastating when it’s not just yourself you have to feed and care about. As you mentioned nursing before, a nurse makes about $600 a month in central Europe, which is barely enough to pay for rent and food.
My advice to my twenty-year old self is therefore to go for it provided you have a very good plan how to continue your life once you’ve come back.
Good advice! It’s true, I too want a family and within a few years will need to start thinking financially about how that will happen.