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Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

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21–30 of 78 posts

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#21
Don't join a frat or sorority in college. I don't care if it's a 'nerdy' or 'good guys' frat at an elite university (my experience), it will be a very dumb time sink, and the networking from it is not worth it when you can get involved in other groups which offer useful connections as well.

And really, really try to become as fiercely independent as possible. Otherwise you almost certainly will start measuring yourself by others' standards, it becomes increasing worse the older you get. (You'd be surprised how common fresh out of college people think "Oh I must get into x,y,z incubator or nail down funding so I don't look like a failure and can still command lots of respect in my social circles and stand out as a 'successful young person' at parties"). It's disgusting at its worst, and it's a sufficient condition for sliding into mediocrity.

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#22

People who don't know you, do not care about what you do. Stop worrying about their opinion. Most people who know you, do care. Show you care for them. The impostor syndrome is real and you may have it. Do not take rejection personally. Never stop cycling. You always look stupid in hindsight and your current you seems to know everything. This never changes.

What do you mean by "cycling"?

Riding a bicycle. I find cycling very satisfying for all sorts of reasons, and although it can seem easy to compromise on cycling (infrastructure isn't there, car is easier, whatever) it's a joy when it's happening.

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#23

People who don't know you, do not care about what you do. Stop worrying about their opinion. Most people who know you, do care. Show you care for them. The impostor syndrome is real and you may have it. Do not take rejection personally. Never stop cycling. You always look stupid in hindsight and your current you seems to know everything. This never changes.

What do you mean by "cycling"?

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#25
-Work to live, not live to work.

-Time is your most valuable and most finite resource. Don't waste it on working 24x7 for companies who will take advantage of your desire to do so.

-Ask yourself if what you're doing will matter to anyone in 10 years, 5 years, tomorrow. Especially in a corporate environment.

-Never sacrifice friends or family for work. There will always be work; you will lose (in some way, drifting or death) persons, and regret the couldas.

-There's always a shiny new gadget, and they repeat every decade or so.

-Set aside the computer/smartphone and do something without it a couple of hours a day. Woodworking. Cooking. Trainsets or scale models.

-Exercise a couple of hours a day.

And finally:

-Never, ever move to Des Moines. Unless you're an actuary.

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#26
Exercise: Don't do things other people tell you to do. Do things you think might be fun. Don't run, don't go to the gym. Sign up for Taekwondo, Pilates, dancing or swimming lessons.

If something is worth doing it's worth doing right: If you really want to learn something spend at least 15 minutes every day studying it. If you can't commit to that, stop wasting your time.

Some university classes are boring but that's not a reason to dismiss them. You never know what knowledge might become useful to you a few years down the road.

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#27

Romantically, this: http://jakeseliger.com/2014/11/11/getting-good-with-women-an... . Otherwise, I'd say that you have one life, and that everything important thing anyone has ever done has been accomplished one deliberate decision, and one day, at a time. Today you have a day. What will you do to further your long term goals? What will you do to eliminate or remove distractions? Those are the most important question…

>Romantically, this

Thanks for an inspring and helpful read! This actually helps me (a 17 year old) out a lot.

Re: Ask HN: What advice would you give to your younger self?

#28
post #6

- Work on becoming self-suficient. Don't rely on a job. - Jobs are just a means to an end. Not the main part of your life. - Stress is never worth the moments of happiness it creates. Hard work is. - Put yourself through hell. You will find out who you are and what you want. - Don't trust the media or mainstream thinking. They're in it for the money. - Most people are emotional. If you use logic and reason, you will…

"- Most people are emotional. If you use logic and reason, you will fail miserably."

Can you explain this one further please?

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