Ask HN: What were/are you doing at age 25? What would you change?

It really is amazing, and I feel like there’s lessons to be learned from understanding how your body (and mind) respond to stress by adaptation. It’s a remarkable feeling to be able to turn stress into a positive force in your life.

I left 25 a few days back. The closing note was shooting an erotic art music video experiment thing, and in another few weeks I'm heading to a letterpress program in Switzerland. Life takes unexpected turns.

Looking forward, how can I imagine where I will be in five, ten, or twenty five years if I don't even understand how I got to now? I only started learning letterpress eight months ago and am—at first glance at least—almost a stereotypical programmer. Part of me is afraid. I have met with so much success that where is there to go except down? Part of me is hungry. I want that next challenge, to take things to larger scales. And as I don't think I will live very long, why wait? When I start to feel that I am already behind, I have to remind myself that I am only 26. And I try to stop and ask myself, "If this isn’t nice, what is?"

Advice for future me from the present:

- Remember what it feels like to be on the outside.

- Don't dismiss, or be beholden to, or fall back on past you.

- Look out of the spotlight for people doing interesting stuff that they believe in. Try to help them, or at least say hi.

I am 25 now. Until 3 years ago, my dream was to become really good at computer science, move to the US and join Google. I have always had interest in ancient history so I tried to look more into Indian ancient history since I am Indian. I sincerely tried to understand the oldest scriptures which I could find which led me to commentaries & books written by people ranging from millennia old to present living and surprisingly most of them talking about the same thing ( at least the authentic ones ). I wouldn't say that I have become more religious and I am totally against any kind of belief. Currently, I would say that I have committed my life to find truth (not facts) and filtering out lies from my life, mainly through personal experiences and propelling my search by looking at pointers from others.

I will still continue to learn cool things in the domain of computer science because I enjoy doing it, but after all the reading and understanding I have done in the past three years I already feel more open and accepting to everything that comes my way, which was earlier limited to only a handful of interests.

I definitely do not have a time limit set until which I plan to work and retire and then decide to start living. I know that I am living a pretty good life and I am making it more wholesome as it comes.

My advice to a 25 year old would be to take time out, if you aren't already, to see what you have been doing and what you really want to do, irrespective of whether you see that as a passion or not, but when you get to do what you have decided to do, do it wholeheartedly so you can enjoy the act itself instead of waiting for the fruit of that action to enjoy. Happiness is not "there" and "then", it is always "here" and "now".

Really! Which elementary school did you go to?

Don’t worry about girlfriends/boyfriends, focus on yourself. Plenty of time for it later.

Put energy into:

Being fit

Building your creds (either a big name firm or prestigious degrees) in case you fail at the next step

And then jump into a startup if you are so inclined, or just keep climbing the ladder at a nice company.

Studying whatever you like for the hell of it

Learn a language and travel somewhere, drink coffee/beer and talk to people in said language

Meditate, go within, introspect

Cook yourself and some friends a nice meal, with a good glass of wine

Don’t give a shit about anything and just enjoy a bit with some friends who you can be yourself with and just clown around a bit (or a lot)