If you could give a young person just one piece of life advice, what would it be?
On Reddit, a user named u/FunkyWonka is just starting out in life and asked the collective “hive mind” for some pro tips. “Any life advice for someone who’ll turn 25 in less than a month?” they asked. Naturally, the internet had answers to spare!
Many of the replies were similar and expected, from avoiding substance abuse to maintaining a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Interestingly, several Redditors advised taking care of your teeth, noting that a little preventative maintenance helps avoid costly and painful procedures down the line. Here are some other practical tips strangers offered up that can benefit us all.
“If you’re on your parents’ health insurance this is your last year,” wrote u/bobbylabonte7. “Make apptointments and get stuff taken care of. If you’re not in therapy and want it, do it now.”
Great advice considering how difficult it can be to afford health insurance these days!
U/Toothfixingfiend had some practical financial advice. “Save at least 10 percent of your income into a 401k or similar retirement savings plan index fund,” they wrote. “Try to do this automatically at the beginning of each month! Future you will thank you.”
True facts, folks! The earlier you start, the more your retirement account will be worth when you’re ready to access it. Don’t wait – start socking it away right now.
A few others had words of wisdom about finances as well, including, “Never, and I do mean never, put anything on a credit card you can’t pay off on your next check,” and, “If you receive an inheritance, save it instead of acting like you won the lottery.”
Readers like u/kagejishin offered this practical advice: “Teach yourself basic cooking, first aid, and home repair, but be realistic about your limits when you decide to apply that knowledge.”
That’s true, too! You need to know when to try to DIY it and when to call in the pros.
“Don’t leave a job without a better one,” wrote u/traindispatcher, “and keep your personal life away from work.”
There were thoughtful answers about mental health, too, like this one by u/shirk-work: “Mindfulness and gratitude are amazing things to practice. Without gratitude you could have anything and it would be worthless. Without mindfulness you’re always enslaved by the current moment.”
U/Independent_Season23 added to that sentiment with, “Be patient. With people, with yourself, with life in general. Things take time. Patience works wonders.”
Finally, our favorite bit of free advice for this soon-to-be 25-year-old came from u/SnooStories2414: “If it won’t matter in five years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes getting upset over it.”
We sure wish someone had told us all of this when we were getting started! Wonderful advice all around.
Share these tips with someone who could use extra support today.
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