19 Things I Would Tell Myself At Age 19

I'm in advice mood these days!

I've been leaving little notes around the house for my kids—quickly scrawled Sharpie phrases on cue cards—to spur debate and conversation. The last two I wrote this week were "A joke is funny. A prank is mean" and "What comes around goes around." It got me thinking: My kids are little. What would I say to *myself*, if I could, at various younger ages?

Hopefully this is the first in a new series that pairs well with my birthday posts (​43​, ​44​, ​45​!).

Feel free to share a bit of advice you'd give your younger self,

Neil

PS. I don't have any ads, Patreons, or Substacks with "upsell" or "paywall" options. It's just always been word of mouth. Invite like-minded souls to ​join us here​.


19 Things I Would Tell Myself At Age 19

1. Pull an all-nighter.

2. Befriend a neighbor over 70.

3. Turn off the lights with a friend and listen to 'Kind of Blue.'

4. If you try making good money you usually won't make good stuff but if you try making good stuff you'll usually make good money.

5. Read widely versus narrowly. (Date that way, too.)

6. Learn to put up the Christmas lights.

7. Spend an hour a day outside. For better days, make it two.

8. Email your local politician to argue for a cause.

9. Buy a pair of Nikon Monarchs 8x42s.

10. Get lost in your hometown. If you can't, go to Montréal, Paris, or Tokyo and get lost there.

11. Go see your childhood sports idol play at least once before they retire.

12. Read 'The Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand (694p), 'Siddhartha' by Hermann Hesse (119p), and 'Beyond The Gender Binary' by Alok Vaid-Menon (64p).

13. Learn to make your mom's famous curry.

14. Go on the longest hike, bike, or swim you've ever gone on in your life. (Next year? Do it again.)

15. Before sex: Ask for boundaries and share boundaries.

16. Learn to identify: 5 trees, 5 spices, 5 flowers, 5 accents, 5 birds.

17. Stay open to mind-altering substances but try as late as possible. Best case >27, next >21, next >16.

18. Babysit a niece, nephew, or neighbor. (Bonus points if you change a diaper.)

19. Remember: You have to hit a lot of posts to score a lot of goals.


Want some more guidance?

​This is the most surprising advice on success​ I received from a Harvard dean.

And ​Oliver Burkeman​ has ​8 secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life​.

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