Do all the cool physical things you want to do now, like mountain climbing, martial arts, skiing whatever. You can still do all of that at 40 but it’s harder to find time and you’re much more injury prone.
Also don't brush your gums too hard, I did that a bit when I didn't know better, and my gums receded slightly. Turns out those things don't come back. Make sure you brush that area though!
I’m 34 and I already lost half of my teeth. By 40 they’ll probably all be gone. It’s definitely genetics, but also very much the lazyness in my youth that caused this.
If someone in their twenties reads this: Brush your fucking teeth, seriously. I had a phase in my life where I was living with constant pain for almost a year and almost went insane. Nobody should have to live like this.
Especially if you have an office job. Get a really good and really expensive office chair with a flexible back and adjustable arm rests so you’re not sitting in the same position every time.
And also, take a walk every day. I do that every time on my break and haven’t had back problems in years.
Plus, if you preserve your hearing you'll be able to hear all the high dog whistle frequencies that everybody else won't be able to, and you'll feel just a tiny bit superior for no good reason.
(44) look, listen, you don’t have to figure everything out right now. There will come a time in your late twenties and early thirties that you’ll feel like you’ve missed the boat, that you’re lagging behind, that it’s too late to still start or switch… And then you’ll get over it in your late 30s again. Finally realise that life doesn’t end and in fact that there is a lot left after 40. And that’s when they call it the midlife crisis, it’s not a crisis. The crisis is in your late twenties and early thirties.
Get in shape. Lift weights, do cardio, eat healthy. Cut garbage food out of your life completely; no cheat days ever - it needs to be a complete lifestyle, not a “diet”. Learn what macros are, and follow them. Take up running, and make it a habit so that you run every. Single. Day, sun, shine, hail, or snow. (Yes, you can get snowshoes for running in snow. I like barefoot shoes, since that’s easier on my knees and back, but they take a long time to get used to.)
Get an education. Go to school. DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR PASSION; get an education in something that you can stand doing and will actually be employable. Following your passion and trying to make a living doing it leads to burnout. Let your passion be it’s own thing, instead of something that you try to make money from. EDIT - an “education” can also mean going to trade school, if you can’t stomach the idea of sitting behind a desk all day for 40 years. Yes, take English lit classes and art classes if you’re passionate about it, but do that for fun. Depending on a fun thing for keeping a roof over your head quickly leads to fun not being fun anymore.
Fuck this. I’m a computer guy who didn’t finish high school (credits wouldn’t transfer) and got a GED so I could start college early. I didn’t finish that either. I got a job among CS grads at one of the most prestigious tech companies because I spent a ton of energy learning about computers because that shit was exciting to me.
I’m bored and lazy as fuck about it now. I’m still learning new things (started a new homelab again two months ago) but it’s nothing like when I was younger and had a ton of energy to stay up until dawn learning. I had no future and it still worked out because I pursued my passion to the fullest degree.
If your passion isn’t marketable, perhaps this makes sense. But the all caps “this is a truth” way that this was presented really rubbed me the wrong way.
I love and support education. Go to school. Get an education. Most people will likely not build a career without that. But holy shit, if you’re hardcore about a thing and that thing can make you money, you might be able to do without the education only because your education comes from spending every minute of every day educating yourself outside of the system.
Ok, going back to bed. Apologies if any of this is muddled.
Relatable. I’ve been working in IT for over eight years now. I didn’t study it because I didn’t qualify for university and people constantly told me I am so bad at math that I would never work in the field. Here I am, doing exactly that, just because I was really interested in computer stuff in my youth and learned something new almost every day just by myself.
I was also able to study at a design school for two years. I have already used this knowlege to design brochures, logos and various other things for customers successfully. My art teacher in school always said to me I would never be able to do something like this because she just didn’t like my art style.
I’m glad I never listened to all of these people and did indeed follow my passion. The added bonus is that I actually like my job (most of the time).
When things are great, even small things like a cup of coffee with a friend or a quiet morning, take a minute to say to yourself, “this is really great.” Say it out loud. Years later you will realize those moments are as good as it gets, and if you don’t mark them they just disappear. Bad moments stick around in your head regardless, but the good ones need to be memorialized.
Go to the dentist. Get a little exercise. Find a way to reduce calories over the next 20 years, spend as little as possible. Borrow a little money for your car. Stay away from credit cards until you make enough to pay the cards in full every month. Keep track of every skill you learn on the job, using that information to transition into higher-paying jobs. Get a savings account. Spend as little as possible without skimping on food quality. Save 1 months salary and keep that in checking. At the end of each month, transfer everything above the target funds into savings. Save 3 months salary for an emergency fund. Once this financial foundation is established, divide additional funds into two buckets: one gets invested each month, the other is for major purchases and travel.
I’m 39, but this is mine: do you just feel kinda “blah” all the time, don’t enjoy anything including things you used to enjoy, and can’t motivate yourself to do anything? That might be depression, and it might also be undiagnosed ADHD. The sooner you learn about that and get help with it, the better you’ll feel and the more effective you’ll be (and the less you’ll let down the people you love).
The best raise you can get is by changing jobs. Businesses are not going to be loyal to you, there’s no benefit to being loyal to them - add either a customer or employee. Embrace and welcome change.
When you get a pay raise immediately increase your 401k (or equivalent retirement fund) by at least 1%.
Enjoy your 20s, they don’t last long but the person you are today is who you will feel like you are in 20 years. Don’t rush your life. There’s plenty of time to get married and have kids. You and your kids will benefit from you having an extra decade of experience before raising another human.
Project yourself 20 years into the future. Imagine yourself saying this to present day you. Then act on that advice. Much of these suggestions can apply to anyone at almost any age.
Not meant as offensive at all or any way to discredit you, but this is horrible/useless advice. Because humans mostly don’t think longer term, especially with younger people. A LOT is about the short term satisfaction. E.g. a lot of people know alcohol is so damaging but the short term benefits are just so big