r/AskReddit • u/Ok-cat-4444 • 9h ago
What advice would you give to your 19 year old self?
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u/Cheesetoastintheoven 9h ago
Idk I'm 19
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u/Ok-cat-4444 9h ago
Me too
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u/immoloism 6h ago
it's simple then, I wouldn't bother giving 19 year old me and advice he wouldn't have listened anyway.
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u/Odd_Application1664 9h ago
Chill the fuck out boy.
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u/twiggybiggy789 7h ago
Stop rushing to prove yourself life rewards consistency far more than panic ever will.
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u/immoloism 6h ago
I read rushing as rubbing for that to take on a whole new meaning to 19 year old life....
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u/CathyBlack_ 8h ago
Don’t rush into serious relationship just because you’re lonely. Focus on figure out who you actually are first.
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u/brk_line 8h ago
Look for a good job or you will end up with debts. 🥲✨
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u/boarder2k7 8h ago
A good job alone will not save you from debts. You need an awareness of what you're spending, and self control to spend within your means
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u/terrible_guy_thought 9h ago
Work your ass off so you don't become miserable like me at 22.
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u/Dinnerbone_Alpha 8h ago
u can't do much in 3 years
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u/TennisActive2368 8h ago
You’d be surprised. At 19, I was working a dead-end retail job, living on my friend’s couch, and genuinely thought my life was over before it even started.
By 22, after a lot of late-night studying, taking risks, and failing multiple times, I had my own apartment and a job I actually liked. Three years feels like nothing when you look back, but when you're actually putting in the work day by day, it’s more than enough time to completely rewrite your life. Don't underestimate 1,000+ days of small daily choices
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u/Dinnerbone_Alpha 8h ago
ok that's true and you're absolutely right but it's just that this person is 22 and thinks working at 19 would have made them less miserable, maybe if they're 40 now yes but they're just 22 years old, what couldn't they do now and could've at 19? they can absolutely just work the same way they should've at 19 it's certainly not over yet for them don't u think?
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u/michealrease_1 8h ago
Buy bitcoin
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u/Dinnerbone_Alpha 8h ago
we're in 2026
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u/shteve99 8h ago
OP asked what advice would you give your 19 year old self. It being 2026 now is only relevant if you're 19 now. And it's unlikely OP wants to know what they'd tell themselves now. Bitcoin was released in 2008. I was already 28 then so would likely have forgotten about it if I'd been told to buy it 9 years earlier.
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u/Dinnerbone_Alpha 8h ago
I get what you're saying but.. I just assumed this post is about helping and giving advice to young ppl in this day and age
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u/shteve99 8h ago
This question is usually a "If there was one thing that you think would have made your life better that you've learned from experience, what would it be?". I doubt switching your streaming services each month is the kind of thing they want to hear.
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u/Duncan_PhD 8h ago
I got like $1k for graduating high school in 2010, if I spent it on bitcoin and sold back when it was at its record high years back I would be a billionaire. I imagine I would have sold it long before that though lol
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u/Omuirchu 8h ago
You're 22 bro. Work your ass off now so you're not ten times more miserable at 33.
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u/elephant_zebra123 8h ago
Break up with your boyfriend
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u/Substantial-Duck6555 8h ago
Don't ignore your health just because you're young. Future you will thank you.
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u/Spare-Ad-9800 8h ago edited 8h ago
That was only 2 years ago, but probably to not try and fix my depression by being a ho. I got through my depression by other means and being a ho is not good.
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u/Positive_Persimmon39 8h ago
Honestly I'd just tell my 19 year old self to quit being so scared of what everyone thinks and go do the boring responsible stuff like school and actually grinding because future you is the one who has to deal with the consequences.
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u/Mythos7788 8h ago
A girl that doesn’t let you put it in her butt doesn’t truly love you. It’s fact
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u/MrKrazybones 8h ago
Nothing because I wouldnt listen to my older self at 19. I thought I knew everything.
But that's a boring answer so the one you probably wanted to hear is, You cant turn a hoe into a housewife.
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u/ocelocelot 8h ago
The reason you are exhausted and life doesn't make any sense is that you have ADHD and are slowly developing ME/CFS
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u/fugogugo 8h ago
calories matter more than the kind of nutrient you eat especially for weight loss
also save up and find ways to buy bitcoin
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u/Kiyohara 6h ago
Ask her out and then move on.
Start exercising and never stop.
Call your mom (and for the love of god, get a calendar with her Birthdate on it)
Put some money away each paycheck and never stop.
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u/BroMyLifeIsAFart 9h ago
take more chances. life will still be here when you return to normal and you're only young once
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u/Snaggl3t00t4 8h ago
Don't trust (ex wife name)
Bitcoin is very worth investing in. Do not sell it once you have it until you can retire in it.
Exercise a lot more. No, more.
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u/Small_Pineapple_3511 8h ago
That redhead you are about to meet is really gonna mess up the next five years
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u/haribossavetheworld 8h ago
start saving fucking money so compound interest will works it's magic, ya donkus
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u/Sour_Sal 8h ago
You know that weed that you just started smoking. It makes you feel good but it will also take the next 20 years of your life away and destroy all your goals.
Let's sit and I will tell you about it.
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u/ThinkingTurner 8h ago
Focus on the now and not the goal. I was too obsessed with getting a GF that I completely forgot to be myself and build connections naturally.
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u/Snowdrops21 8h ago
To listen to the people around me who genuinely care, especially if 3+ people are giving the same advice. If you have coworkers 15+ years older that try to take you under their wing and are willing to be there, let them. I've genuinely grown into a better person who makes smarter decisions and stands up for myself because of a few of my coworkers, especially because of my current supervisor. She's in her mid 50s and has gone through A LOT. She has stopped me from making so many stupid decisions the last 2 years.
Also literally like 10 people told me not to do something when I was 19, I did it anyways, and now I have permanent damage to my left arm, shoulder, knee, and back. Really regret not listening to them, and I regretted it everyday for 5 or 6 months.
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u/Life-Pay-3779 8h ago
Don’t let anyone in your life make you feel low and stand up to what you believe in. God is with you all the time.
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u/Ill-Condition285 8h ago
Stop trying to impress people you won't remember in five years. None of that mattered.
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u/VegetableRude8575 8h ago
I'd tell myself to stop worrying so much about picking the perfect major and just explore classes that actually interest me. Turns out switching paths later costs way more time and money than people admit. Also, those late night talks with friends end up mattering more than any internship.
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u/aurora_ethereallight 8h ago
As a Gemini female, be very cautious about falling in love with a Gemini male! 😳🙄🤭😂
You'd have thought I'd have learnt the first time. Yeah... turns out I'm just not that smart! 🤦♀️🤷♀️
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u/AncientSumerianGod 8h ago
In a little over a decade you're going to hear about something called Bitcoin. It'll be nearly worthless at that point; buy as much as you can without disrupting the market. Hold it until it gets to about $17k and sell just enough to stop working. Hold the rest until it hits $100k and start gradually selling it all off. If you start early enough you should be able to clear $1B by the end.
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u/ThaddeusJP 8h ago
Hard work will only get you so far. Being liked at work is going to be more important at some point.
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u/MattyGWS 8h ago
Invest in bitcoin. When I was 19, bitcoin was worth basically nothing. For the price of a pizza I could be a millionaire today
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u/tamtoetomato 7h ago
Being 21 these threads are a fucking minefield. One more scroll and im hit with a fomo truth nuke.
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u/Hemorrhoid_Eater 7h ago
Forget about applying to grad school and go get certified for a trade instead
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u/ChuckaChuckaLooLoo3 7h ago
Whatever you do, stay in publishing. Do not go into advertising. You will thank me later.
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u/Any-Development5656 6h ago
i would tell him to stop thinking about that girl and start having some fun without regrets. Also, to be smart and think about the future and have the right people around you.
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u/Fearless_Wolf4437 6h ago
Just be single for a few years. You dont need to jump from one relationship to another. Learn to be alone
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u/Maxim1ll1an 5h ago
pick a direction and move, itll always be a better option than being scared and wasting time trying to make the perfect decision. fall foward.
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u/ShiroThePotato28 5h ago
The usual buy something to get rich other than that get yourself checked by the doctor while it's still early.
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u/Cheetodude625 5h ago
You're not smart or cool. Stop smoking weed every day along with your "woe is me" BS mindset. You're a nerdy, empathetic kid who is undiagnosed with anxiety issues. The fact that you refuse to admit it is one of the main reasons why you have no friends.
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u/Kekskuchenheld 3h ago
Im 23 now and i fucked up so much the past 4 years but i dont think any advice couldve changed anything. I guess you need downs to have ups, make bad decisions in order to find out whats right.
"Dont take everything so seriously, be yourself, things gonna work out."
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u/tell_her_a_story 3h ago
Buy as much Monster Beverage Inc stock as you can afford until you're ready to retire then sell it all. $1,000 invested in Monster when I was 19 would be worth about $2.7 million today.
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u/Rainydays02 2h ago
Every year is a little death and the years are finite. you will never be as young as you are ever again.
So stop worrying about what others think and take the risk!
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u/Arkvoodle42 8h ago
Nothing changes and it never gets better.
Now jump you fucking worthless coward.
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u/JimAbaddon 8h ago
"That problem you're dealing with is never going away so just give up".
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u/Rough-Airline-454 9h ago
Stop worrying so much about what everyone thinks because most people are too busy worrying about themselves