I wish I had known many things I didn’t know in my twenties, and I wish I had listened to a lot of the advice I was given and, unfortunately, ignored. If I had to give a young person one main, universal piece of advice, it would definitely be to always listen to people who have more life experience, regardless of what they have done or how far they have got. A while ago we published the 6 secrets of life selected after interviewing more than 1,500 elderly people from all walks of life. Always keep them in mind, along with the life lessons from older Harvard graduates.
This time I take my hat off to the work done by Mark Manson on Markmanson.net. This influential writer emailed his readers over 37 and asked them for their most honest advice for young people between 20 and 30.
He picked the 10 best, and I have to say they are hard truths that I identify with and agree with 100%. The tips cover a wide range of topics.
10 pieces of life advice you should know before you turn 30
1. Start saving now, not later
Most readers agree that in their twenties they lived carelessly, with no financial planning and without understanding the basics of savings, insurance, mortgages, investing and so on. As I have said myself on several occasions: “If I had saved and invested all the money I earned between the ages of 20 and 28, I would literally be rich right now.”
2. Pay off your debts as soon as possible
Between 20 and 30 you should have only three priorities: don’t take on debt, save, and failing that, pay off your debts as soon as you can. Don’t spend money frivolously. Don’t buy a house unless you can get a mortgage for a ridiculously small amount, and even then it should never be more than 30% of an average salary.
3. Don’t invest in just anything, and don’t trust stockbrokers
Don’t trust investment advice from just anyone, whether it comes from a financial adviser, a stockbroker or your bank manager (this advice comes too late for hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their savings).
4. Build an emergency fund as soon as you can
Many readers agree that part of their personal financial ruin came from not having an emergency fund. Unexpected expenses arrived just when they were at their weakest financially, which forced them to take out a loan; that loan led to more debt, wrecked their savings and put interest working against them. Once again: stop spending, pay off your debts and start saving.
(Read: 10 money and finance tips to follow before you turn 30)
5. Start looking after your health now, not later
Your health deteriorates sooner than you might imagine, and it is very hard to notice because it happens gradually. Eat better and healthily, sleep well and exercise, but do it now and keep it up. How you look after yourself between 20 and 30 will catch up with you at 40 and 50, because the damage or the benefits of what you do build up in your body.
As you can imagine, some of Manson’s readers are survivors of cancer or a heart attack, or live with diabetes or blood pressure problems. By their own account, they could probably have avoided it. They all said the same thing: “If I could go back, I would start taking better care of myself and exercising. I made lots of excuses because I had no idea what could happen to me.”
(Read: Exercise: a way to get smarter, according to a study)
6. Don’t spend time with certain people
One personal motto of mine is “don’t waste a single minute of your time on someone who isn’t willing to spend theirs on you.” It applies to every area, from love to work.
Learn to say no to people, activities or obligations that add nothing to your personal life. Try to surround yourself with people who make you feel fulfilled, and politely send packing those who only take away from your time, your quality of life or your well-being.
Don’t stay with people who don’t treat you well. Don’t keep mediocre friends, dead-end jobs that give you nothing, or relationships with people who aren’t sure about you and aren’t heading where you want to go.
Surround yourself with people who bring out the best version of you, not the worst.
7. You can’t have it all, so focus on a few things you do really well
Great advice: “Everything in life is a trade-off. You have to accept that you can’t have everything, and that to get some things you will inevitably have to give up others.”
That is what focus means: you can achieve more in life if you concentrate on one thing and do it very, very well. Avoid distractions and losing focus, and concentrate on a couple of goals, dreams or ambitions, working hard on them.
When you are 20 there is no hurry, because we think we have all the time in the world. It isn’t true: time flies, and before you know it you’ll realise you have wasted a whole decade, and then the rush begins. (Read: Thirty is not the new twenty, by Meg Jay.)
8. It will take you a long time to work out what you really want to do
What are you good at, what are you passionate about, what is your talent? Some people reach 40 without being able to answer that question. (Read: How to figure out what to do with your life.) Focus on your strengths and make the most of them. Above all, try things out and experiment, do something new every day, take risks, and say YES as often as you can to new challenges and projects, because that is one of the ways to discover your passion.
9. Don’t be afraid to take risks
Your twenties are the age to tell fear to get lost and take risks. When you fail at 25, you can blame your lack of experience and learn the lesson. When you fail after 40, it is frustrating.
People over 40 tend to regret what they didn’t do more than what they did.
Above all, if at some point along the way you feel lost, it is better to go back to the start and begin again than to carry on lost. Your twenties are a time for making plans and setting goals, and also for improvising.
A 50-year-old man has just three pieces of advice for you: “less fear, less fear, less fear.” He says that being afraid when he was young is what hurt his life most, and it is his biggest regret today.
10. Never stop growing
Most people get a university degree only to end up as a mediocre professional surrounded by mediocre people in a mediocre company. You have to keep learning and developing as a professional. The most profitable investment you will ever make is the one you make in yourself.
They can take away your business or your job, but nobody can take away the knowledge you have gained, and that knowledge can always be used to take off again.
The other day I read that Spain has too many lawyers. Not true. Spain probably has a few dozen good lawyers. The rest just studied law, which is very different. Of course, the same happens in most professions.
Further reading
- 26 lessons to prepare your child for the real world
- 21 things university students and young people should know and accept in their twenties
- How to fight the 7 main excuses for not starting your business
Featured image: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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