If I could sit down with a younger version of myself, I don’t think I’d tell him exactly what career to choose, where to live, or what investments to buy.
I’d probably tell him something much simpler:
Try more things.
And don’t convince yourself that every decision you make has to be permanent.
When you’re younger, it can feel like you’re supposed to figure everything out.
Pick a career.
Find a job.
Buy a house.
Settle down.
Keep moving up.
And once you start heading in one direction, it can feel almost irresponsible to turn around.
I don’t think that way anymore.
You Don’t Have to Stay in One Lane
There’s nothing wrong with exploring different career paths.
You might spend a few years doing something and realize it isn’t what you expected.
That doesn’t automatically mean those years were wasted.
You probably learned something.
Maybe you discovered what kind of work you enjoy.
Maybe you discovered what kind of work you absolutely hate.
That information has value too.
I’ve changed roles, learned different skills, taken on different responsibilities and questioned more than once whether I was heading in the right direction.
Looking back, I probably would have encouraged myself to experiment even more.
Not recklessly.
But intentionally.
Take the course.
Try the different job.
Learn the skill that seems interesting.
Talk to someone working in an industry you’re curious about.
You don’t have to decide what you’ll be doing for the next 40 years when you’re 20.
Go See Some Things
I’d also tell myself to explore a little more.
I did travel and experience different places when I was younger, and I’m glad I did.
But there are definitely places I wish I’d gone.
Things I wish I’d tried.
Trips I probably could have taken but convinced myself weren’t practical at the time.
Life changes quickly.
Careers get busier.
Mortgages show up.
Kids arrive.
Suddenly taking off for a week isn’t quite as simple as throwing a bag in the truck and going.
That doesn’t mean travelling disappears once you become a parent.
It just means the logistics change.
So when you have fewer responsibilities, take advantage of some of that freedom.
You don’t have to travel across the world either.
Drive somewhere you’ve never been.
Explore another part of Canada.
Take the backroad instead of the highway every once in a while.
Sometimes you learn a lot simply by getting outside your usual routine.
Learn How Money Works Earlier
This would probably be the biggest practical lesson I’d give myself.
Be financially present.
Not obsessed with money.
Not checking your investments ten times a day.
Not refusing to enjoy your life because every dollar needs to be saved.
Just understand where your money is going.
Learn how a TFSA works.
Understand an RRSP.
Learn what interest actually costs you.
Understand investing.
Build an emergency fund.
Set some goals.
Because money becomes much easier to manage when you’re actually paying attention to it.
I wish more young people were taught this before receiving their first serious paycheque.
You don’t need some complicated financial system.
Even something as simple as saying:
“This is what I earn. This is what I spend. This is what I’m saving. And this is what I’m working toward.”
puts you ahead of where a lot of people start.
The earlier you learn those habits, the longer they have to work for you.
Set Goals, But Don’t Handcuff Yourself to Them
There’s one other thing I’d tell myself.
Have goals.
But understand that goals can change.
The person you are at 20 probably isn’t going to want exactly the same life as the person you become at 30.
That’s normal.
Maybe the career you once wanted doesn’t matter anymore.
Maybe money becomes less important than time.
Maybe having a family changes what success looks like.
Maybe something you never expected becomes the thing you’re most passionate about.
You’re allowed to change the destination.
You’re even allowed to turn the truck around completely.
I Wouldn’t Want to Change Everything
The funny part is that I wouldn’t actually want younger me to avoid every mistake.
Some bad decisions taught me important lessons.
Some career choices gave me skills I still use today.
Some financial mistakes taught me more about money than a textbook probably could have.
And some roads that seemed pointless at the time eventually led somewhere useful.
So I wouldn’t hand younger me a perfect roadmap.
I’d just tell him:
Explore.
Learn.
Pay attention to your money.
Set some goals.
Don’t be afraid to change direction.
And don’t assume that choosing one road means you have to stay on it forever.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is admit that you want to see where another road goes.
Leave a Reply