“What advice would you give a younger version of yourself?”
Six years ago, a 25-year-old reader who was stuck at his or her first job and wondering how to find a career asked me a question that resonated with a lot of people:
“What advice would you give a younger version of yourself?”
The responses were pretty gold. Among them:
“Don’t step on the same landmine twice. Own your mistakes.”
“You always have choices and your gut usually knows what is right.”
“Surround yourself with people you like, respect, and who share your values and passions.”
“Small steps every day. Take action and keep going when you fail.”
“Don’t allow Imposter Syndrome. You are good enough.”
Oh, sort of a personal favorite, courtesy of George Carlin:
“Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.”
As for me? My advice to my younger self was simple: “Don’t worry, just keep working.”
That was hard-won; I spent so much time worrying about things that … looking back … didn’t matter very much.
Anyway, it’s now 2026, somehow, and our audience today is literally 20x what it was then.
That 25-year-old who emailed me back in 2020? He or she would be 30 or 31 now. Still young, but I hope they’ve taken at least a baby step toward finding their answers.
And I wonder: Would people today have similar answers to this question, or different ones?
So here’s what I’d like to do. Let’s see what people suggest today. It’s a recap, yes, but a worthy one:
“What advice would you give a younger version of yourself?”
Click “Leave a Comment” below and let us all know. Career advice, life advice, relationship advice, health advice—whatever comes to mind when you think about what you wish you’d known or done differently.
Our six-years-ago reader (if you’re still out there!) would probably love to know.
And if not him or her, there’s always another 20-something asking the same question.
Other things worth knowing …
Just 6% of Americans say they are “satisfied” with the federal government’s handling of the Epstein files (including 12% of Republicans), while 2/3 say the government is intentionally holding back information that should be released. (The Hill)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a stark speech in Davos, Switzerland and got a rare standing ovation: “Every day we are reminded that [t]he rules-based order is fading. [T]he strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.” (The New York Times — free link)
For the first time in 100 years, Canada’s military is modeling how it would respond in the unlikely event of a U.S. military invasion. Without nowhere near enough personnel or equipment to fend off a conventional attack, the plan would be to impose mass casualties on occupying forces, modeled on how Afghanistan outlasted both Soviet and U.S. forces. (The Globe and Mail)
Greenlanders are “bewildered” by President Trump’s bid to annex their country: “[We have] always considered ourselves as an ally of the U.S. ... To all of a sudden find ourselves in the midst of a storm that’s about acquiring us like a product or a property, it’s really difficult.” (CNBC)
The Justice Department is investigating anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church Minnesota service where the pastor, David Easterwood, is also the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office. Attorney General Pam Bondi: “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.” (ABC News)
The average 50-something American has a net worth of $1.4 million, according to a report. The average 60-something? $1.6 million. By contrast, the average 20-something is worth a mere $127,730. (USA Today)
Vice President JD Vance said he and second lady Usha Vance are expecting their fourth child, a baby boy. “We’re very happy to share some exciting news. Our family is growing!” Usha Vance wrote in a post on X. (USA Today)
Thanks for reading. Photo by laura adai on Unsplash. See you in the comments.
You will regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did. Exception: the things you did with tequila you will regret.
Start a Roth IRA and fund it consistently and annually to the extent you can afford