[ElJefe]

I've cut a lot of BS out of my life recently. Going back to basics. I'll be 26 in a three months. No more foolin' around.

Gents, if you were young again, where would you concentrate your efforts?

Going assumption: you own the shirt on your back, make little coin, but you've got your head above water (in rgds to debt).

I understand it changes from man to man what's right to do. Currently I'm just focused on three things:

1. Finishing and getting the most out of my master's program
2. Getting a good recommendation from my current part-time gig + earn some coin
3. Optimize training/diet regimen

I know a few guys at 25 or younger could be ahead of me, so advice from you would be welcome, too. I'm looking for inspiration. [/b]

[Giovonny]

I would focus on long term financial security and eliminating all of your fears and weaknesses.

Making money doing something you enjoy is nice. It sucks going to work everyday if you hate what you are doing.

[MikeCF]

Lift weights, eat clean food, don't get fat, and read a lot of books.

Read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. He has life tips that changed my early 20s.

Talk to guys at the gym. Write letters to older guys in your field, telling them something interesting about their work.

Don't network. Instead, make friends.

Don't hide your candle under a basket. Burn brightly and let others see you.

Luck = intersection of opportunity and preparation.

If you have a sound mind and a sound body and put yourself out in the world, what you are looking for will find you.

[Cincinnatus]

I second ElJefe in requesting the input of forum veterans regarding these matters. I always try to heed the advice of wise old fellows, because with any luck, I'll be one someday.

Older players, post away. I'm only 24 and I already wish my 16 yr. old self had listened better... And owned a copy of 'Bang' and 'Day Bang'

[rudebwoy]

For me Education is the biggest, since I did not take it seriously when I was younger and find myself in night school right now in my 40's.
Once you secure that Master's, I would hit the road and see what the world is about. Heck you can do a Master's for free in Sweden and I am sure there are other countries that offer this option.
I would not get too caught up on money, just make sure you save enough for a rainy day and cut out buying useless crap. I always wanted to buy property, but was talked out of it. The places I wanted to buy are now 3x the price today and easy to rent.
The biggest thing though is to Travel as much as you can, I wish I had done more when I was young.

[Hades]

I'd say "go out and slay your fears" or "learn to fear nothing".

I went out and tried to get into fights for a couple of months until I understood that most people were far more afraid than I was. That's probably why I'm such an unchecked asshole in personal life. I have only met two or three other guys with a similar attitude.

Another is "keep your old friends". I don't plan on ever getting married, but I don't want to die alone either.

[ElJefe]

Yesterday I was feeling extremely demotivated, even after hitting the gym and busting out my best numbers yet.

This morning, the sun is up, and reading the first posts on this thread was heartening. It sounds like taken one's education, training/diet and finances seriously is the general advice being given.

I cut out facebook and going out, TV, most carbs, drinking/hangovers, girls and am rearing in bad spending habits by keep meticulous track of spending with pivot-tables. Life has become simpler, but I definitely miss the attention. On other hand, I am doing this now while I'm 25 so that when the new year comes around, things will be looking way brighter.

[UrbanNerd]

Finances first...and if education will lead to the finances then do the education also. As we all know, some education/degrees will not lead to good finances. Once you have the finances, then that reduces how "good" you have to look and how "muscular" you physique has to be.

Note: I am not saying do not work out and not keep your appearance

...but you can be slightly above-average in the looks/physique if you have the finances.

Ultimately, women want to be taken care of and want a man who can provide that security of being "taken care of". LEAN ON THAT...use that your advantage. Make them think you will be that guy and they will let you bang....then go on to the next sucker, I mean woman.

[Aliblahba]

Smoke, drink, fuck rawdog, give your professors shit, buy a harley, terrorize cars, buy a surfboard, terrorize swimmers, get kicked out of one bar a week, piss on chicks in the shower, give a fuck all to suits, and eat the hell out of bacon.

Do it while you are young.

[RawGod]

Consider working for yourself in some capacity, and developing multiple streams of income. Enjoy the rest of your 20s but don't waste them on travel and partying. I mean, by all means, travel and see the world. But don't spend of of your money on it and come back broke to work in your cubicle. If you work 50% harder than your peers in your 20s you will be doing a lot more travel and partying in your 30s and beyond.

Enjoy the knowledge that your true male power, especially with regard to women, will only become obvious in your 30s. But that will come sooner than you think.

[j r]

Here's my advice. If you have a passion, make it part of your life. Do you love to write, play music, pick stocks, build furniture? It doesn't have to be your career, but find some way to incorporate it into your life. Write short stories, get in a band, start building a portfolio on the weekends.

This does two things. As you get better at it it will be a means of demonstrating skill and gaining status, which benefits every man. And, it will give you piece of mind and something to look forward to you when you're dealing with the more unpleasant aspects of your life.

Also, it may even lead to that thing becoming your main gig.

[mistermister]

health/fitness/training - keep up the regiment it will start to pay off when you see your peers in your 30s saddled with kids/wife unable to get out to the gym.

make one large investment - 100K or more. invest in a business/real estate/etc. they preach diversification for average investors and thats why they get average results. study/learn about a business or real estate and pull the trigger on that one investment.

avoid long term relationships - wait until you're in your 30s to pick a girl or at all. after dating for a decade you start to see things in women and appreciate how fucking rare the good ones really are. also by the time you're in your 30s you will be more attractive and able to have your choice of a younger girl.

have your fun responsibly - do everything aliblahbla said but limit your downsize. don't fuck rawdog on a chick consistently who you know would probably want to have your kid. don't fuck up your money long term pissing it away on booze and women. put your self in a position where you can be successful in your 30s and beyond.

just hit 30 this year... no kids, no baggage, money on point, better looking with age, thanks to game i can spot the bullshit a mile a way... and it keeps getting better and better.

[Aliblahba]

I pissed all my money away in my 20's on women booze and harleys, and still look 29, and still party like a rockstar, and have been making 100-200K for 7+ years.

Besides smoking, I started doing all this since I was 20. Walked away from a$500 a day job, and am now in the DR lying next to an 8, who I've been fucking for 3 days straight.

My only stress in life right now is where to go next. Damn, I should have been more responsible in my 20's.

[WestCoast]

Make money, stay in shape (we're around the same age)

The hardest skill is cutting the slack. Take a hard look at your "friends". Most guys are useless and a waste of time and space. If they are adding real value to your life (money, health, girls) help them and keep them around. Everyone else is a waste of time, cut them off.

Life is to short to hang out with losers.

Your friends will determine your outcomes in life, reiterate what mike is saying. Make friends don't network. If your friend is making chump change in bumb-fuck USA? Cut him off he is a parasite.

[mistermister]

(08-14-2012 09:57 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

still look 29, and still party like a rockstar, and have been making 100-200K for 7+ years.

you're doing everything right then ali-b. i'm a student in life. i'll start studying your moves.

[Aliblahba]

(08-14-2012 10:45 AM)mistermister Wrote:  

(08-14-2012 09:57 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

still look 29, and still party like a rockstar, and have been making 100-200K for 7+ years.

you're doing everything right then ali-b. i'm a student in life. i'll start studying your moves.

Start by joining the military, eat healthy 90% of the time. Do the Master Cleanse 1x per year. Don't drink 2-3 days after pulling a drunk. ACV and a multi vitamin most of the time. Amino collagens. You have to counteract the bad. Don't give a shit, and fuck as much as you can.

I can't stress the don't give a shit part.

[Giovonny]

(08-14-2012 12:01 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I can't stress the don't give a shit part.

This might sound like some pseudo-science-hippie-philosophical bullshit but I strongly believe in this attitude also.

Caring about every little detail in life and everything = stress

Not giving a fuck = no stress

Stress ages you faster then anything else. Stress will make you old and grey before your time.

Eliminate stress as much as you can!

[xsplat]

Jesus, I don't know what advice to give a younger guy.

I kinda like what I did, but I only did that because of my temperament. And it may have worked out only because of luck. I obstinately followed an entrepreneurial path through decades of serious poverty, and when not working focused on drinking, fucking, and meditating.

I suppose I could have spent a few hours a day practicing languages, or instruments, or some other skill that gives a man value.

I guess all I can say is try to find some sort of balance between delayed and instant gratification. Best way is of course to enjoy your work, stay away from addictions, stay away from BPD girls for the most part, live below your means, work towards either having income producing investments or businesses, diversify your savings, and fuck a lot.

[username]

I am 26 but here are two things I would say to younger (teen) guys:

-Avoid wasting money on crap to impress your friends/women.
-Learn a second language when you are younger. When you are younger you can absorb it fast and might be able to get rid of the terrible foreign sounding accent when you speak. Bilingual or Trilingual = DHV

I am tired as hell right now... I will try to add some more later.

[Laner]

I have hung out with you a few times so I will try and break it down for ya based on what I observed.

- Your fitness is great man. Diet, plan, goals. I imagine that at this point its so much a part of your life that you will not be able to function without it.

Laying the fitness foundations in your 20's will pay off later down the road. This is one area that I wish I had been more focused on. Skiing, hiking, hockey etc put a good fitness base down, but I wish I had committed more to strength training earlier.

In regards to money. It might seem that it is hard to get at that stage in your life, but also realize that it will not be this way forever. In reality, there will come a day soon (likely early to mid thirties) that you will wonder what you were so concerned about. Some people are terrible with money, but I know that you are not. The ability to budget your life through a masters degree shows that financial independence and financial gain are just around the corner.

I have never worked a corporate job so my experiences in the job market are different than what you will likely be looking at. But the one thing that I do know (and I guess you would know this too) is that by trying out a few different things in my 20's (technical trade, entrepreneur, teaching) is that I came out with some solid experience in different fields. I never made it seem random, instead every move I made was built on the back of what I had been doing before. My resume, while still filled with large gaps due to traveling, still reads in a linear progression. It makes sense, and is interesting.

Explore in your 20's.
Focus in your 30's.
Specialize in your 40's.
Bank in your 50's.

This was the way to success as I had been taught. It still has a lot of truth, though the game has changed significantly. But what never changes is the idea of taking risks in your 20's and 30's. I find that if I dont push myself in the smaller risks (cliff diving, dirt biking, etc) that I will not have the stomach for the bigger risks (business ventures, new ideas, etc). I only started noticing this when I turned 31. I was about to spend two months solo camping off my dirt bike in Alaska, Yukon, NWT and BC and I was shitting myself. This fear was new to me, but I embraced it and went with it. But having it in my life now is something that I have to get used to. I will never let fear control me, but the days of my fearless 20's are behind me.

[dk902]

(08-14-2012 12:05 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(08-14-2012 12:01 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I can't stress the don't give a shit part.

This might sound like some pseudo-science-hippie-philosophical bullshit but I strongly believe in this attitude also.

Caring about every little detail in life and everything = stress

Not giving a fuck = no stress

Stress ages you faster then anything else. Stress will make you old and grey before your time.

Eliminate stress as much as you can!

Gio, could you elaborate a bit further how you eliminate stress?

I think sometimes I get up in my own head too much and stress over minor details.

I train like a beast and eat clean, so I've got that locked down.

I know it's about having a mindset and thinking a certain way, but sometimes that's easier said than done.

[DecoHappy]

I'm about to hit the Double Nickel. Lots of good points made by previous commenters.

Laner said:

Explore in your 20's.
Focus in your 30's.
Specialize in your 40's.
Bank in your 50's.

That's gold.

Aliblahba and mistermister made some excellent points, too.

By NOT following those points, I'm in my middle years with:

1. Three failed marriages.

2. Five children, two of whom are dead, two of whom are estranged from me because of their nut-case mother, and one of whom is on the path of success. Poor outcome.

3. The career I spent my 20s and 30s developing fell well short of my expectations because my poor marriage distracted me. Had to pull off a major career change at 50 to still have a future with an update potential.

If I had it to do over again, I would:

A. Avoid marriage until my 40s. When you decide the time is right, pick the woman based on what she brings to a marriage. Not because she is the hottest you've pulled in.

B. Wring the most I can from my education, work, and travel opportunities in my 20s and 30s. See the world and understand myself. Use that knowledge and experience to set the stage for the rest of your life.

C. Sample women so that you can develop a discerning palate. Think about it the way you would about wine tasting as an educational opportunity. Take notes and learn what you like and what to avoid. Use the knowledge gained for "A" above.

D. Stay fit and healthy. I worked hard on it in my 20s, coasted in my 30s, and let it slip away in my 40s. Now in my 50s, getting it back is way hard.

Best of luck to you.

[Tengen]

Jesus fucking Christ, i'm 23 and this thread is confusing the fuck out of me.

My current thinking:

1/ Not expecting to get married anytime soon

2/ Stick with my job because I love it, but keep looking for extra income streams

3/ Still weighing the benefits between renting/buying/stay at home. I'm living with my folks now and it's letting me save a lot of money. However i've come to realise that 50%+ of game is logistics, so i really want to move out. The question is if i want to rent, or save up for a large deposit, buy a nice studio and pay off the mortgage.

4/ Flowing from point #3, need to decide how to save enough money for travel.

[Deluge]

(08-15-2012 06:14 AM)Tengen Wrote:  

Jesus fucking Christ, i'm 23 and this thread is confusing the fuck out of me.

My current thinking:

1/ Not expecting to get married anytime soon

2/ Stick with my job because I love it, but keep looking for extra income streams

3/ Still weighing the benefits between renting/buying/stay at home. I'm living with my folks now and it's letting me save a lot of money. However i've come to realise that 50%+ of game is logistics, so i really want to move out. The question is if i want to rent, or save up for a large deposit, buy a nice studio and pay off the mortgage.

4/ Flowing from point #3, need to decide how to save enough money for travel.

Disclaimer: I'm even younger then you, please don't confuse me for an "old gent" lol.

Apartments in Aus don't have as much capital growth as houses. Plus you're less liquid and tied down already at a young age. Find a couple guys who also practice game and are into general self-improvement and rent a pad together in your city's CBD or wherever it's nightlife is concentrated. You can save more cash by converting the living room into an extra bedroom and putting somebody in there until you're making more money. It messes up the layout but a 2BR in my city with a converted third bedroom will save you around $7k a year compared to a studio because its rent costs half as much per person as a studio would.

[snoop]

(08-15-2012 06:14 AM)Tengen Wrote:  

Jesus fucking Christ, i'm 23 and this thread is confusing the fuck out of me.

My current thinking:

1/ Not expecting to get married anytime soon

2/ Stick with my job because I love it, but keep looking for extra income streams

3/ Still weighing the benefits between renting/buying/stay at home. I'm living with my folks now and it's letting me save a lot of money. However i've come to realise that 50%+ of game is logistics, so i really want to move out. The question is if i want to rent, or save up for a large deposit, buy a nice studio and pay off the mortgage.

4/ Flowing from point #3, need to decide how to save enough money for travel.

I don't think of buying as anything but removing options from my life. I own now and its a major constraint on the way I live.

I don't think of renting as "wasting" money, I think of it as buying the freedom to move anytime you damn well please. Not to mention you don't have to deak with home owners insurance, property taxes, maintenance, HOA fees, etc.