If you could do it over again, what would you change?

[CoolDrMoney]

Was just thinking about this the other day myself. This doesn't mean you have like regrets or anything but let's say with all the wisdom you've accrued now, what would you tell (or force) your younger self to do?

For me I think I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in my mid teen years sleeping and playing vidja games and instead would've worked on art and animation or something! Or maybe I would take dabble in some trade with the free time. Anyway I feel a decent portion of my 14 to 20 year range was wasted on that stuff.

What about you guys anything?

[SrsSam77]

I would shoot myself before I could purchase that fedora or those suits back in freshman year

[rtil]

For me I think I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in my mid teen years sleeping and playing vidja games and instead would've worked on art and animation or something! Or maybe I would take dabble in some trade with the free time. Anyway I feel a decent portion of my 14 to 20 year range was wasted on that stuff.

who doesn't wish something the equivalent of this? we were all dumbass slackers during that time of our lives to some degree, and obviously lacked all the experiences that we have now. maybe things would have been different if we had taken our passions more seriously then, but for me i didn't have the right kind of people around me to grow as an artist that i do now.

i think the only way young prodigies are the way they are is mostly because their parents forced them into dedicating themselves to a certain craft. and it might not be the thing they actually enjoy. i guess you have to go through that being young and stupid thing to "find yourself". although for things like art and animation the educational system really doesn't give us any opportunities to explore something like that.

[crackers]

ill make sure not to mistake this mistake like you old people did

[tyvb]

Honestly, I would not have joined the Air Force if I had known I had "allergy related asthma".  That wasted a good chunk of time and killed my drive to go to school and my will to draw.
Silver lining:  I can fold a shirt and make my bed super neat :^)

[Dust]

I'd wish I had taken drawing seriously at a much MUCH earlier age, but it kind of feels unrealistic as video game addiction as a kid is a powerful thing.

[zwimmy]

should be obvious

[Flash]

I should DEFINITELY have taken a "leap year" after finishing high school. Take the time to figure out what I wanted to do, get a shitty retail job or something, invest in my own projects, and really find out what course to take in college - or if I even should go to college at all. Rather than just haphazardly leaping straight into a very expensive course.

This would have helped me immensely, but now I'm just kinda fumbling through a lot of things, and I feel like that sentiment is only gonna die down once I start supporting myself 100%, which might take a while.

As for being more passionate about my art at an early age - shit, that's a problem for everyone, especially when you read your favorite musician / filmmaker's interviews and they're talking about how they were doing their stuff at age 12 already.

[CoolDrMoney]

For me I think I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in my mid teen years sleeping and playing vidja games and instead would've worked on art and animation or something! Or maybe I would take dabble in some trade with the free time. Anyway I feel a decent portion of my 14 to 20 year range was wasted on that stuff.

who doesn't wish something the equivalent of this? we were all dumbass slackers during that time of our lives to some degree, and obviously lacked all the experiences that we have now. maybe things would have been different if we had taken our passions more seriously then, but for me i didn't have the right kind of people around me to grow as an artist that i do now.

i think the only way young prodigies are the way they are is mostly because their parents forced them into dedicating themselves to a certain craft. and it might not be the thing they actually enjoy. i guess you have to go through that being young and stupid thing to "find yourself". although for things like art and animation the educational system really doesn't give us any opportunities to explore something like that.

Yea when you put it that way it's sort of obvious. Okay wish I was more outgoing and social too. The only time I went to the Homecoming dance I got asked out by the girl I had a crush on. Ended up sitting in the hallway for the majority of the event. She tried keepin me company but at a point I understood why she went back to the dance floor without me :[

[crackers]

Yea when you put it that way it's sort of obvious. Okay wish I was more outgoing and social too. The only time I went to the Homecoming dance I got asked out by the girl I had a crush on. Ended up sitting in the hallway for the majority of the event. She tried keepin me company but at a point I understood why she went back to the dance floor without me :[

that's such a dickstunt, poor girl

[basketweaver]

I used to think about this a lot, but honestly I think it's just a little silly. If you want to do something with your life, you can do it now. There's no reason to think that so many of these opportunities slipped you by and are gone forever.

Moreover, reading good literature, meeting new people, or traveling around the world is effectively the same thing as gaining a few extra years "into the future" in your life anyways, so supposing that you've had this thought, you could just pretend to be that time traveling kid and get the same results. I feel like some books like Steppenwolfe really do have this time leap effect on you.

For me I think I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in my mid teen years sleeping and playing vidja games and instead would've worked on art and animation or something! Or maybe I would take dabble in some trade with the free time. Anyway I feel a decent portion of my 14 to 20 year range was wasted on that stuff.

Really? I mean, I think that people are going to waste time or have fun regardless of how old they are. If I went back in time to my 10 year old self I'm sure I would still play video games like I do today. Maybe I would tell my old self to exercise more, work on cool side projects, eat healthy food like I do now, but supposing that you've truly unlocked the secrets of developing good habits, adding or removing a few years shouldn't affect your trajectory that much.

[slack]

if i could do it over again, i would have started growing my beard much sooner

no other regrets

[bd648]

im still pretty young and trying to figure out what is going on but i think i would get into programming earlier than i did and learn more math.

[CoolDrMoney]

I used to think about this a lot, but honestly I think it's just a little silly. If you want to do something with your life, you can do it now. There's no reason to think that so many of these opportunities slipped you by and are gone forever.

Moreover, reading good literature, meeting new people, or traveling around the world is effectively the same thing as gaining a few extra years "into the future" in your life anyways, so supposing that you've had this thought, you could just pretend to be that time traveling kid and get the same results. I feel like some books like Steppenwolfe really do have this time leap effect on you.

For me I think I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in my mid teen years sleeping and playing vidja games and instead would've worked on art and animation or something! Or maybe I would take dabble in some trade with the free time. Anyway I feel a decent portion of my 14 to 20 year range was wasted on that stuff.

Really? I mean, I think that people are going to waste time or have fun regardless of how old they are. If I went back in time to my 10 year old self I'm sure I would still play video games like I do today. Maybe I would tell my old self to exercise more, work on cool side projects, eat healthy food like I do now, but supposing that you've truly unlocked the secrets of developing good habits, adding or removing a few years shouldn't affect your trajectory that much.

Well if something happens that negates the original adice to my younger self, I'm sure another development would come from my life that I'd like to prepare lil' CoolDrMoney for instead. You're always getting new insight into things so the beauty of this question is that it's ever-changing until you dead~ But I get what you're saying. This is just currently how I feel.

[Philip K Dick]

if i could do it over again, i would have started growing my beard much sooner

no other regrets

yes

[Gilthwixt]

Fuck bitches, acquire pizza.

[Philip K Dick]

if i have one big regret its not being in control of my emotions. like overinvesting in finite friendships, or letting unrequited high school puppy love stuff affect to to the point of depression & debilitation. letting minor social tragedies destroy my psyche.
in college i dropped out of classes if i felt like i was unliked. so it took 4 years to get a shitty AA instead of 2 because of anxiety spurned out of proportion.
i don't regret feeling those huge emotional tidal waves, i still do, i just wish i could have been faster to develop the coping mechanisms i use now

[Gilthwixt]

if i have one big regret its not being in control of my emotions. like overinvesting in finite friendships, or letting unrequited high school puppy love stuff affect to to the point of depression & debilitation. letting minor social tragedies destroy my psyche.
in college i dropped out of classes if i felt like i was unliked. so it took 4 years to get a shitty AA instead of 2 because of anxiety spurned out of proportion.
i don't regret feeling those huge emotional tidal waves, i still do, i just wish i could have been faster to develop the coping mechanisms i use now

This is actually much closer to how I really feel.

[CoolDrMoney]

if i have one big regret its not being in control of my emotions. like overinvesting in finite friendships, or letting unrequited high school puppy love stuff affect to to the point of depression & debilitation. letting minor social tragedies destroy my psyche.
in college i dropped out of classes if i felt like i was unliked. so it took 4 years to get a shitty AA instead of 2 because of anxiety spurned out of proportion.
i don't regret feeling those huge emotional tidal waves, i still do, i just wish i could have been faster to develop the coping mechanisms i use now

Yea I can understand this, g00d 1

[valiums]

I would do more of what I liked and less of what I didn't. Be 100x more selfish, and do more things for me. Have more fun and be less serious. Say "No." more, and more firmly. Trust myself more.

I can start doing all that now, so whoopee I guess.