What’s the thing you regret most in your 20’s?

Caring way too much about what people thought, most of whom i don't even talk to anymore.

overthinking things and waiting for the “right time” that never really came

not asking out that girl from my college coding bootcamp who kept dropping hints about wanting to grab coffee together after class. spent months overthinking it and by the time i worked up courage she was already seeing someone else really taught me that hesitation costs more than rejection ever could

Not working out & eating unhealthy food

Not putting myself out there and going for things enough

That I didn’t address my mental health issues sooner

Wasting my hottest years crying over mediocre men who didn’t even like me. Never again.

Not learning or researching more about financial literacy :(

Don’t regret anything. It’s about learning and improving slowly

Dating. I should’ve been working on myself and my position in my life rather than chasing “true love” that young.

Not eating better!

probably wasting time on people who wouldnt even do the bare minimum for me at the time u dont notice it… but looking back its like damn i gave way too much energy for nothing

i’m still in my 20s but can i say… racking up my credit card debt and not caring to learn more about credit and scores 😭

Thinking of work as just a paycheck, and not playing office politics at work. In the corporate world if you put in the right effort early with the right people you can really fast track your career.

I hated getting my picture taken so I was careful to always not be photographed. Now, looking at old social media posts from high school, college, and post-graduation, it’s like I was never there. Places we went and gatherings with old friends; I am just absent from those memories.

Too much yolo and not enough future planning, financially. Nothing crazy but a few K here and there invested back then would mean years closer to retirement now

Marrying the man I did instead of following my dreams

Not going to college or at least pursuing some kind of higher education. I’ve been able to work my way up, but most likely could have started way ahead if I had a degree. (This was like 25 years ago though. If I was 20 today…I would start to invest any money I saved by living with my parents.)

Getting married

Not knowing how to handle money or investments or retirement.

Waiting for someone else to magically appear and fix everything. The day I realised nobody is coming but you can be your own saviour everything changed ✨

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Substance abuse. I let alcohol rule my life.

Ive never been as outgoing as I would have liked. Definitely hurt me professionally

Playing too much video games. I wish i started going out and finding the things i love doing way earlier in my life.

Not traveling anywhere

Not staying in shape!

Being a people pleaser afraid to say no and seeking validation from others just to keep friendship alive. Ended up being alone and feeling hurt. Burned bridges.

Selling my 1969 Gibson Les Paul goldtop.

Developing a nicotine dependency.

Starting work immediately after undergrad and not going to graduate school to possibly do something I actually enjoy

Thinking I was running out of time. At 24 I genuinely believed I was behind in life because a guy I went to high school with bought a house. I spent my entire twenties panicking about milestones I made up. Meanwhile the guy with the house got divorced at 29 and the house has termites. There was no race. I was sprinting on a track that didn't exist, pulling a hamstring emotionally, and for what. I'm much older now and just now learning that nobody is watching

Definitely all the murders.

Not chasing the life i really wanted. Played it safe and I've always regretted that.

Being friends with someone who makes you feel like you're worth less, always puts you down and invalidates good things that happen to you.

- Not maxing out my 401k more - Not going to the gym more

Not traveling more when I had the chance

Not job hopping enough. Stuck with one start-up for far too long and it has ended up hamstringing my financial/career growth in my 30s.

Not becoming disciplined.

Waaaaaay too much time spent playing video games and not enough time spend socializing in the real world.

I dont have regrets. But I could have definitely made some better decisions. I probably was too young when I married. I think don't have a girlfriend in your 20's unless thats what you want. But i had more good times then bad in my 20s married too. So thats not a good example. I lived my 20s in my 30s and a decade later im living my 40s in my 40s.

Not saving my money.

Overly stressed with bills

I worked non-stop, and never travelled. Now I can afford to travel but I have too much life stuff (wife, kids, mortgage) to really do it properly. I should have taken a year and just spent it overseas. Don't think I'll have that chance now until my kids are done college.

Trying things that scared me

Honestly being so worried about being the perfect student and good girl. I regret don’t enjoying more my life, have more boyfriends, sex and parties.

Taking a bunch of shit from people I dated who I knew I didn't have a future with but was worried about being alone.

Caring way too much about people who didn’t care back.

29 still being a virgin and never having a girlfriend

My parents letting me stay with them rent-free until I was 25 years old. I was extremely lazy and didn't start putting effort into any skills or hobbies until my late 20s. I really squandered those years away , I didn't work consistently and constantly hopping between low wage work and never worked anywhere for more than 9 months because I got "fed up". I hung out with stupid, low life people that did lots of drugs, which caused a lot of formerly good influential friends to distance then drop me altogether because of the company I kept and the immature, stunted image I projected. I got diagnosed with ADHD at 24 years ago and that began unraveling a lot of realization where my poor work ethic and lack of motivation was coming from. Getting kicked out of my parents was the best thing that happened to.me , forced me to have to couch surf for a year and almost be on the streets a few times, until I got into a stable living situation with roommates, put effort into looking for a serious career that led to me getting hired as a wash bay attendant at a large truck fleet - which led to me getting a CDL and doing longhaul trucking for 3 years that led to me saving up enough to buy a house, and led to me being an apprentice truck mechanic now. I also have a dog and a fiancee and a pretty small circle of friends that I've only known for maybe 5 or so years.

Partying a little less, spend less wasted time on video games or getting high. School was never for me but now that I’m nearing 40 it’s easy to see how different life is for those that focused on school and now have higher paying jobs. I’m doing alright in the mid 6 figures, especially with no college degree. But I’m basically stuck there unless I somehow move up to an executive role in my company. But business or STEM degrees, IT, people I know banking north of $200k working from home. Much easier life m.

I wish I had started a 401k and contributed to it aggressively. I didn’t start one until I was 29.

Not saving more for retirement. I’m doing ok at 60 but if I had just added 2-3% more than I did back then, I’d be way more comfortable. Kids, try like crazy to add at least 1% extra from your raises every year to your savings. Time is on your side.

Being alive. 

Not asking my wife to marry me earlier than I did! Best decision I have ever made, just should have done it earlier. Then I would be knocking on 30 year together instead of 24!

Going into the 30’s

Getting married the first time

Trying to overcorrect. I had a shit childhood to put it lightly. So I tried to be a girly girl ...turn out I'm not a girl. I tried to follow the normal pipeline of working at a relationship that's 'normal' and almost married a man that's the antithesis of my views and beliefs (he isn't a bad person we are just very different people in political beliefs and thoughts towards institutions). I tried to please my mum and be the model daughter...she was an abusive AH. I learnt a lot about myself and think I'm better for that self discovery, I just wish I didn't waste so many years trying to convince myself to be something I'm not.

Drinking. I got really fit in my early 20s biking 100 miles a week for work and then COVID hit, I got furloughed and drank a bunch. Ending up forming a terrible habit that took 7 or 8 years to finally kick.... and put on 50 lbs. I still haven't managed to lose that weight due to a different career path. I wasted so much time due to hangovers and stifling my progression in the active sports that I really enjoy. F*** alcohol man. It's not worth the temporary fun. It really isn't. 

My daughter’s father.

I dont remember parts of my 20s but I can recall random conversations I had but important moments I have no memory of

That I was an evangelical Christian during my 20’s This affected: My career choices My marriage choice My personal growth My reading choices My music choices I missed a lot - I love my kids So only a big loss not a total loss because of my kids, who are not evangelical Christian’s although my ex is an evangelical Christian still

Stopping a hobby I actually love

wasted a lot of time

Dating. Big waste of time.

Marrying my first husband.

Not telling a lot of people to f*** off.

NOT INVESTING EARLY ENOUGH Had I known about this magical thing called Roth IRA I'd save every dollar into my Roth IRA even if it's only 50 dollar per month instead of a stupid saving account that goes nowhere. It's very easy to create too, literally just sign up like opening a bank account. None in my family know about it too (not from the US) so I had no knowledge about this until I'm in the early 30s. So now I'm telling every young people I know so they don't make the same mistake!

Not going to see live music.

Getting married at 23. F*** was I thinking?

I spent my 20s working an online buisness that never worked out. It gave me a killer work ethic, but it never got to the point where I could live on my own. 21-30 I lived in my mom's attic. Never went anywhere, what few social skills I had developed withered away. Im 32 now, in college in a different state and im still struggling to make friends or put myself out there. But just so this doesn't end on a sad note, I joined a game club, and while im easily the oldest person there, I feel like im making progress.

Getting myself into relationship. I realized now there's more to life than being inlove and crazy lol I wished I travel and explore more with my family, friends and people I genuinely love.

Pretty much the whole first half

Not saving

My first husband

Not having confidence and always doubting myself. Kinda makes sense tho I grew up in a house where my mom and dad didn’t talk to me they were just there. As a kid I always wondered what the term only god can judge me meant but as I got older I started to interpret it as man everyone out here is honestly a loser, who am I to be judged by them. Then it finally hit me, only god can judge me. To anyone that may stumble across this. Always have confidence in yourself, you’re all you got

Getting married way too young!

My first husband

Wasting time on people who clearly weren’t good for me, but yet sticking around. I guess it took me a while there to learn that my worth was more than that.

Being Mormon for over half of it

Not buying any NVIDIA. Not the graphics cards, shares in the stock market.

Not doing study abroad when i could have. Not taking my diet more seriously. Not applying to medical school right out of college. Not doing more “fun” clubs in college like videogames club and that type of shit. Spending too long trying to get in with the right crowd. Not getting more A’s in class.

Not doing more crazy shit… i was very boring and did not get out enough.

Don't regret a thing. You need to get dumped, get sacked, loose money and friends to learn and grow!

Thinking I was fat when I was a size 10 most of that time. I spent so long wishing I looked different and not enjoying my body. Such a waste.