Today I turn 30 and I’m feeling some type of way! Knowing what I know now, I wish I could go back in time, give advice to, and lecture my younger self. Here’s what I would say to the 20 year old version of me.
Advice for the old me
Money
Damn, son, you’ve been working since you were 16 and you STILL don’t know how to handle money! Edumacate yourself! Do you even know what the 50/15/5 Guide is?! During and after college you’ll be in this stage of your life where you feel like you have to go out and go shopping all the time. It’s not worth it! Spend less and save more, no matter how much you FOMO. In the future you’ll discover books by Dave Ramsey and Robert T Kiyosaki, they’ll be your future financial mentors. Learn the principles of money!
College/Career
It’s unnecessary for you to 1) go out of state for your freshman year only to find out you can’t live in Reno because you suck at being where it snows, 2) go to a calstate school for prerequisites when you can go to a community college, and 3) graduate from a private university when you could’ve gone to many other great nursing programs. When you graduate, debt will weigh you down, you’ll feel like you’re being held back from doing what you want to do, and you’ll still be wondering where exactly you fit in your profession. Use that as motivation to get to a place in your career where you want to be!
Work
In the future Rihanna will come out with a song called “Work.” It’ll go, “Work work work work work work… hesemeyaffii work work work work work work…” I don’t know all the words, but that’s exactly all you should be doing. Don’t be blinded by the fact that just because you have a larger income than when you were coaching and working as a nursing assistant you don’t have to be on a budget. Dave Ramsey will say, “There’s a great place broke people go… TO WORK!” Focus on budgeting your hard earned money and paying off debt, you’ll be proud of yourself from the discipline you’ll gain.
Another year older and wiser
I wouldn’t be the woman I am without the girl I was. Rough experiences help you learn from your mistakes and encourage you to learn and grow. Though they’re not always easy to accept, own them! I’m so thankful for another day, what I’ve learned, what I have and for what’s ahead!
Millennial Challenge
- What mistakes have you made that absolutely needed to happen in order for you to improve?
- What did you learn from them?
- For others who are going through what you did, what advice would you give them?