I’ve heard people say that youth is wasted on the young, but I like to think that youth is lived to the fullest by young people. Being young is straight-up a good time. The biggest downside of being young is that your life experience is limited. This means that it’s hard to know as much as someone twice your age. Unless you’re Einstein, of course. That’s why today I’m focusing on the 10 things young people need to learn before it’s too late. Imagine being young and being informed ahead of time. It could possibly change your life. I wish I knew these things when I was young. And I had to learn the hard way because no one taught or guided me how I should play the game of life.
1. Preserve relationships – Don’t start burning bridges.
Sometimes the spark of being young makes you feel like you’re invincible, and that everything is replaceable. Young people tend to make more decisions based on their emotions, so burning bridges might seem like a logical thing to do if you’re leaving someplace or someone and don’t plan on ever coming back. Here’s the thing – you never actually know if you’ll be back. Or, worse, if that person will be in another position later in life and you’ll be in a spot where you’re forced to ask for their help. Preserve your relationships, even if they weren’t great memories to begin with, and leave with respect and your head held high.
Check out: How to reconnect with someone
2. Credit cards are your friends.
You might have heard older people warning youth about credit cards. Your grandpa might have warned you that they are the devil when you turned 18. Credit cards aren’t the devil, though. They’re more like people. Good to you when you’re good to them, but they’ll hurt you if you abuse them. You won’t rack up debt if you use the credit card and pay it off in full every single month. The reason why you should start using a credit card is so you can build credit to get a loan for a house, a business, a car, or simply to rent a place when you get older. Plus, on most credit cards nowadays you’ll earn cash back just by using them. Now, do you see why credit cards can help you? I know it’s tempting to just buy a bunch of random stuff, but don’t do it because that’s how you can get yourself in debt.
3. Be able to adapt.
Technology is constantly changing. We use to make calls using a landline, now, we can video chat on the go. The main focus here isn’t about adapting to technology. It’s more about adapting to your environment. Although technology can be part of it. Whether you’re out with strangers, at work, or in a social setting be able to fit in. I know you might say, “why should I fit in?” You don’t need to, but if you want to succeed and have more opportunities in life, then you should probably adapt and learn. For example, if you don’t want to learn how to use a piece of software for the company you work for, why should your employer hire you and give you a promotion? You see the point?
4. Invest NOW – compound interest is your best friend!
Take five minutes out of your day and Google compound interest if you need to because it’ll change your life. Basically, it shows that you should invest your money early if you want your money to work for you. Because it’ll grow exponentially when you get older. For instance, the stock market like the S&P 500 can give you an 8% annualized return. So, if you were to just invest $300 per month for 45 years. By the end of the 45th year, you’ll have over 1.4 million dollars. Do you now see how powerful that is?
Check out: How to become a millionaire from nothing for beginners
5. Asking for help is both ok and necessary.
Successful people will be the first to tell you that we all need help. Asking for guidance is not only acceptable, it’s actually a huge part of success. Finding a mentor or role-model during your younger years will save you a lot of headaches and it’ll speed up your learning process. So, don’t be afraid to seek out advice from people you want to be like in the future.
6. Learn how to manage your personal finances.
Screwing up your finances early can have some long-lasting consequences. The financial world is confusing, so the earlier you start to learn about it, the better. Debt will always be your enemy if you don’t know how to manage or leverage it. Don’t accept it just because it sounds normalized. Make sure you’re aware of how much money you’re taking in, how much you’re spending out, and how much you are saving or investing.
7. Be fun and focused at the same time.
You’ll never be young again once you’re old, so make sure to live up the good times. Enjoy that spring break, live up the fun moments with friends, learn something new, take risks and start a business, make tons of memories while you’re still young. All the while, never lose your focus. Partying can be a hobby, but it can’t be your job, well unless you’re a DJ. Make sure to always keep your responsibilities in mind, too.
8. Learn the basics of “adulting.”
A large part of your youth will be spent learning, but that learning is not only confined to the classroom. Make sure to pick up some basic adulting skills, like laundry, cooking, and paying bills. If your parents are around to help you, take advantage and ask them how to do it instead of just asking them to do it for you. Older you will thank you for making yourself more well-rounded and independent. After all, no one likes a 30-year-old mama’s boy… or girl.
Check out: Social skills training for adults
9. Always seek something bigger.
Today might be fun, but there’s always a tomorrow. It’s important to be prepared. You should always be working towards something, consider that to be your “why.” Why are you doing it? Once you know your why, you’ll have the motivation to do it. You could be working towards a degree, a job, or another goal you want to achieve, but ask yourself why you want to do it. Having something to both work for and look forward to is a big motivator in our day-to-day routines.
10. You don’t know everything.
Being young is awesome because you don’t have to know it all. Confidence, on the other hand, can be dangerous, because it makes you balance between being humble and cocky. Whenever you can, be humble. You will most likely meet someone who is smarter than you and you’ll want to learn from them. Don’t be arrogant by showing that you know everything, be willing to listen and learn even though you know you are right. Heck, people who are like 90 years old still don’t know everything and it’s okay.
Check out: How to get my life together
Conclusion:
Overall, I hope you found these 10 things to be helpful. These are the 10 things that I wish I did more when I was younger or wish I knew about. If you were to start doing these things early, I can promise you, you’ll have a better start than others who don’t get the point of relationships, credit cards, investing, or learning.