20 Things People Regret Doing (or Not Doing) When They Were Younger

There are regrets that come with age, and some that come with experience. Here are a few that might ring a bell or, if you're young enough, you might be able to avoid altogether. We scanned a conversation on Reddit and our own experience to come up with a few.

Most Redditors said they made incorrect assumptions about the opposite sex, whether they were scary or just cared about different things than they realized. So, don't worry so much. Just talk to that gorgeous stranger already.

If you even have a little money at the end of the month, sock it away. According to one Redditor, "Compound interest is one of the most misunderstood concepts by anyone under 50 (and by most, over). -Anything you can do now will be -massively impactful- in 30 years.

Your life isn't over, and you have a long way to go to actually qualify as old. One Redditor points out his best years were after 30. So it's never too late, even if it feels like it.

Don't be so hard on yourself — it only gives a negative message to other people. As one Redditor put it, "Your relationship with yourself will determine how all of your other relationships will go. Learn to accept who you are, and to love yourself as a being still on the path of growth and learning."

When your attention is scattered, you won't get far and chances are good you'll burn out, too. "Focus on as few things as you can," said one Redditor. "Don't try to become a stock trader and real estate mogul. Pick one if you can, and really learn it. That's the way to really big wealth down the line."

If you're wondering why most diets fail, this might be the reason. If you do too much, chances are good you'll give up. "A lot of people bite off more than they can chew without knowing it," said a Redditor. "If you can't stick to a diet for more than 3 weeks then the diet was too hard for you. Next time pick an easier diet. If you are constantly going over budget every week, then your budget is too tight. If the budget has to be tight and you are still over spending, then examine the emotional cause for the spending (assuming you aren't subsistence-level poverty)."

If it's important to you to be perfect in everything, I have some bad news for you. If you're trying to excel, at some point you're likely to mess up. "You will fail a lot. Here's the key to failing. Never make a bet you can't afford to lose. The number one rule of the game is to stay in the game. Never make a bet that will materially set you back or take you out entirely. Wait for the next bet."

There's one good part of failure — if you learn from your mistakes. "Ideally you are making bets designed to learn something," said a Redditor. "You are running experiments on life. 'If I do this, does this happen?' if the answer comes back 'No,' aka failure, then now you know something useful for your next bet."

You only get one set, so spend the few minutes it takes to floss and brush them. Dentures or implants are both expensive and less than ideal.

Trying to make a friendship or relationship work can be a good idea, but there's no reason to try to salvage something that isn't good to begin with  "This wasn't just wasted time, but wasted effort. And effort that could have been spent on either meeting new people or fostering relationships with the ones I truly did care about," said a Redditor.

Eating poorly and sitting on the sofa may be good in the moment, but don't wait for sloth to catch up with you in the form of a bad back and obesity. Said one Redditor, "Work out before it becomes necessity."

You will be judged by other people — even more these days thanks to social media. However much you can, tune it out. One Redditor looks back with regret at playing it safe. "People don't think about you nearly as much as you fear they do. In fact, they probably don't think about you at all. I didn't learn this til after turning 30 years old."

Life is shorter than you think. While we all need to unwind, don't spend hours playing video games or looking at social media. You may snap out of it and realize weeks, months, or even years have gone.

If you're thinking of other people more than yourself, it's time for a course correction. "I thought that someone else will do the same for me," says one Redditor. "It was quite an awakening when nothing was left for myself."

While a puff or two may not be too dangerous, it can be addictive, and even a little cigarette smoke isn't great for your health. Even smoking one to 10 cigarettes a day can have over six times the risk of dying from respiratory diseases than never smokers and about 1½ times the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease than never smokers.  "Was fun at parties here and there, but overall a horrible idea," said one Redditor.

While tackling or running after a ball can be fun, you might pay for it later. "A few years of fun = a jacked body later on," one Redditor pointed out.

Whether you're the dumper or the dumpee, there's no use endlessly mulling over a relationship that's well and truly over. It's a waste of time and energy, and that's a finite resource you can't get back. Whatever you needed to learn, you probably already have. 

You may just be too busy to make a call or send a text, but when you're older and not as busy, you may realize you haven't contacted your old friends in years — and making new ones isn't so easy. If you make even a small effort now, you may be grateful you did later. 

There's always a reason not to hit the road or hop on a plane. You don't have the time off, you don't have the money, you aren't sure where to go. The truth is that there are always cheap flights somewhere. If your boss is a pill, maybe it's also time to get a new job. Go ahead. Explore.

Being a kid can be pretty absorbing, so you might think there's no point in talking to your grandparents or a distant aunt. They may be more interesting than you think. If they're still around, strike up a conversation. You might be surprised, and if you wait, the moment could soon be gone for good.

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