Advice To Your 25 Year Old Self

Yolo is a real thing people, you really do only live once. No pausing time, no rewinding/ trying to fix bad experiences. That’s why I asked a few people of a particular age to give me some advice they would have given the twenty-five-year-old version of themselves. Here are a few of their responses.

Rose, 60

“Just take care of yourself. Not everything is as pressing as it seems. Slow down, take care of your body and take care of your mind.”

Geoffrey, 83

“Walk and talk, laugh and pray to help to get through each day. Learn how to resolve a conflict. Your personal life will be better, and you will become invaluable to others.”

Orla, 92

“Don't marry someone just because you love them. Make sure your lifestyles, dreams, and plans are compatible in addition to loving them. Those little quirks and character flaws you overlook for love can become huge problems later in long-term relationships, especially if they conflict with what you planned or where you want to go with your life. Also, pay attention. Don’t dawdle around in your head until a good time comes along. Instead, look out of your eyes — outward, at what’s going on around you more than at what’s going on in you, though both are valuable.”

Dan, 70

“People don’t care as much as you think they do. Not in a bad way, I’m talking about mistakes. Nobody else remembers that time you kept pulling at the door marked push, or the time you were on the phone to the dentist and told the receptionist, "I love you" out of habit. They have their own lives going on; they're not getting hung up on yours. Don't let it get to you. Be you, be good to other people, and that's what you'll be judged on, not random mistakes that make your ears burn red.”

Gay, 65

“At age twenty-five, I had been married for five years, but I already started to see cracks in our marriage, and I had no one to talk to about what was happening. In the first five years of my marriage, I was hospitalized twice for bleeding ulcers from stress. I had also had two surgeries and was told I could never have children. I gained one hundred pounds and became addicted to Valium, but to everyone else, we looked happy and prosperous. So, what advice would I give my twenty-five-year-old self? The first thing sounds weird, but it is.

Don’t just stand by and expect the Lord to make everything right for you. You must work as hard on your life and your marriage as you work on anything else you do! If you know something isn't right, get counseling. Talk to someone that is qualified to help you. Always, always get counseling before you are married! There are things much worse than being single. I promise you, being married to the wrong man is much worse. Don't rush, let the Lord lead you. Don’t let possessions own you. We had the best of everything. He worked two jobs to make sure we had every new thing that came out. He eventually didn't have time to go to church, and in four years this led to his backsliding, infidelity, and finally our divorcing. You are stronger than you think you are. You are going to be just fine. In all things remember to put God first. If you think, pray, and act with Jesus in mind, you won’t fail. You [really can] do all things through Christ. Finally, open up a savings account as soon as you get your first job. You need to have some independence to fall back on in case of an emergency. Even $5.00 a week adds up.”