What do you wish you had done when you were younger?

[jmattbassplaya]

Pretty simple question I think. Is there anything you guys wish you had done or taken advantage of when you are younger that you no longer can?

I'm only 20 myself and can already think of a few things. For one, I wish I had taken AP classes and higher level foreign language classes in high school. It's funny because my mother never pushed me to do them and now I wish she had (-1 mom ). Another thing I wish I had done was just simply take advantage of being young. That's not to say I didn't have a fun childhood (far from it), but I should of taken more advantage of having virtually no responsibilities. One last thing I regret was not taking a lot more pictures throughout middle school and high school. Looking at the few pictures I have from that time just makes me wish I had more.

Anyways, I'm mostly asking this just so I could perhaps learn a thing or two about what I should be taking advantage in life now while I'm still young and able, and perhaps gain some insight into what I might find important years down the road (like the pictures) that I simply pay no attention to now.

[James_B]

I'm 21 and I could have taken more science and math classes. I'm going for my chemistry degree but had no idea what I was going to do in high school. It's worked out, I just had do a year in college to take general science and math classes, then 4 years to get a degree in chemical lab sciences then 2 years to get a degree in chemistry. Then who knows, a career, my masters? The only thing that matters is the look on my parents faces when they say "When are you going to graduate?"

Also, I wish I step up to the plate and ask Lisa to prom instead of going with my horrible back up date. Sure, at the time hooking up with a back up seems awesome but soon the regrets set in...........I still hooked up at prom

[JimB52]

Hadn't told Madonna her career was going nowhere in 1983.
Agreed to edit for Chris Columbus in 1984.
Taken up MTV's offer to work for them in 1985.
Stayed with the beautiful woman broker at Rothschild in 1986.
Done more work with Jonathan Demme in 1987.
There's others, but I can't think of them right now.

[Unrepresented]

At this point I don't really have a whole lot of regrets.

It'd be nice to have my finances more robust. I'd be better off if I'd been a more regular flosser. There are a few words and actions I'd've taken back in hindsight, but most of them are case specific.

At this point, I don't feel as if I'd missed out on anything yet. I'll get back to you in another decade, though.

[kesslari]

Travelled more.
When I was in my 20's, I prioritized my bands and didn't do much foreign travel - I "needed to be around for gigs".
When you're relatively young and single you can go to more places - you can travel cheap, you can go places you wouldn't want to bring your family, take risks, etc.
Travel expands your horizons, your mind, and your world.
I'm doing more of it now, but I definitely missed some opportunities then.

[Jim Nazium]

Geez, where do I even start? Like the OP, I wish I had taken AP classes in high school. I also wish I had gotten better grades and tried out for wrestling. Probably most of all, i wish I had started studying music when I was young and had all kinds of time on my hands.

I wish I had joined the military after high school, instead of going straight to college, which I wasn't ready for.

I wish I had been nice to that girl who I thought was really smart and cool, but my "friends" thought was ugly ...

[Bongolation]

Law school, hands-down.

[Muziekschuur]

More sex..... Definitively more sex.

[shadowtippy]

I wish I hadn't let the woman I love get away from me. It has taken 28 years to get her back.

[pacojas]

killed Father!

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I wish I had taken AP classes and higher level foreign language classes in high school.

Holy Jebus is that on the money!!! I reeeaaally wish I went up to Spanish 4 now. Now that I'm in college that's 4 semesters of coursework I've got to do.

Other things I wish I had done:

-Kept up with more friends from high school on facebook
-Gotten braces
-Got in shape
-Continued playing piano and trumpet
-Continued learning Japanese

granted these are all things I can kind of still do and I plan on it.

[MakiSupaStar]

Educationally - I wish I stayed in touch with my professors.
Chicks - tapped more sexy Asian chicks while in college.
Career - stayed with a few of my bosses. Pursued other opportunities.
Surfing - travelled to Indonesia.

Little things really.

[jrthebassguy]

I wish I could have taken high school more seriously. Instead of getting into a prestigious university I went to Random State U. that has very little name recognition except for people who live near it. I also lived at home throughout college - sure, I have zero debt (which is awesome) but my social life never became nearly as robust as my friends who got dorms/apartments of their own during college.

And it's not like I was partying or too busy with a girl or athletics...I usually spent my free time on video games and music. And while I've become a pretty decent musician, it's nothing that helps me pay the bills, and nobody cares about how well your Halo mulitplayer skills are.

However, I'm going to take grad school preparation much more seriously though - so seriously that I'm going to spend a few years preparing for the GMAT exam.

[Jim Nazium]

Here's a suggestion for you younger guys - get to know your grandparents. They won't be around forever. All of mine are now gone, and I wish I'd spent more time getting to know them.

[billiam5billion]

I wish I had practiced my scales more often, instead of not at all.

[stratovani]

I wish I had bought all the Microsoft stock that I could when they first came out!

I wish I had travelled a lot more than I did, which wasn't much.

I wish I had taken music more seriously than I did.

All in all I should have farted around a helluva lot less!

[Jonyak]

I don't have many regrets.

I am 30 now.

one thing was I wish I wasn't as chicken and had gotten deeper into the music scene when I was 20. I have had a couple chances and offers of playing music professionaly in the last 2 or 3 years, but I can't do it now, as I am married, and own a house and have a stable career thats pays really well and I don't want to give it up.

also, I wish I had.... um.... been with more girls when I was younger, instead of pursuing dead ends. you know what I mean?

I also wish I had never given up whitewater kayaking when I was in my prime.

[crucislancer]

I wish I didn't take things for granted when I was younger. That would have cleared up a lot issues later in life. Also, I wish I had taken the time to travel more, it's tough to do that now with youngsters.

[Stu L.]

I wish I had stayed in basketball. I also wonder what would have happened if I had taken the football coaches offer my freshman year; want to play football? A while in the gym and a guy your size would make a great tight end. Wouldnt have gotten me anywhere most likely, but you never know. I have done a few things that I regret almost everyday though.

However, I wake up daily to the greatest wife and best kids a guy could ever hope for. And that I don't regret

[MadMan118]

I should have done better in school I kind of ****ed off a lot and now im busting my ass to try and fix all the mistakes i made.