Over the last few weeks, I’ve been asking my friends for life lessons that would give themselves when they were 18 or 21 based off of what they know today. I have to say, one important life lesson, pick your friends that have a close value and moral compass as you do, because their responses were not much different than what I have shared with you both.

Here are a few examples of life lessons that they shared:

• Take your education more seriously in high school. And realize the impact that it will have for your future both with college and your career path.
• Consider doing a job that you want to do, not settle for what you have to for financial reasons.
• Talk with your parents more and listen to their advice, head their warnings and learn from their experiences.
• Travel and learn about the world and people that live there.
• Form your own opinions and don’t relay on others to tell you what and how to think.
• Think about your retirement today! Save as much as you can today, so that you can retire and enjoy your life.
• Do not pass up an opportunity!
• Learn from every experience, good or bad!
• Do not be afraid to think outside of the box.
• You don’t have to be drunk or high to have fun!
• Call your mother often.
• Do not hold back and ignore the opinions of others.

I’ll add a few more of my life lessons as well:

• Life is not fair, realize that now. It makes it easier to handle things as you grow older.
• Focus on the positives in life, if you focus your attention on the negative things, it will only drag you down.
• Find 5 really close guy friends, trust them and they trust you. Form a friendship that you can talk with them about anything from money to women to cars to sports and any and everything. Trust me on this one.
• As stated earlier, save as much as you can. And hire a really good financial planner. Lucky for you, I’ve already got you one. But make sure that you listen to their advice and guidance when it comes to money.
• Do not get sucked into credit card debt. Like quick sand, it is easy to fall into and really hard to get out of it when you are in the pit.
• Find the love of your life and when you do and you will know, don’t let her go!
• Trust your gut instinct, rarely will it lead you astray.
• Spend time with your grandparents and family.
• Find a hobby that you enjoy doing.
• Remember that at night when you go to bed, when you drop your pants, you drop your worries.

As I write then out, I wish that i had done many of these things, especially as it pertains to spending time with family and saving for your future.