You really don’t know what the future holds, so don’t get bogged down planning too far ahead. Set yourself some achievable goals for the near future. It’s ok to have some vague plans for the distant future, but keep in mind that there is a good chance that your future could look very different than what you imagine it might be.

There is no picture on the box. The pieces are blank… So draw an image on the box…

Visualize it and make at least one step in that direction each and every day. The pieces will then take on that image. Give that picture time to form.

Ask yourself, what does YOUR life want to be? Creative? Inventive? Adventurous? Domestic? Entreprenurial?

NGL, you don’t really hit it as to what you want and who you are until you’re 27 or so, then you’ll find that by 35 you’ll be stepping into your full potential. (It’s Peak Skills time.)

Sort that first… WHO you are. What you want, what you’ll tolerate and more importantly, what you will NOT put up with, no fucking way fuckyouvery much… (this is absolutely critical for mental and emotional well being)

Then give yourself time and be aware that tastes change as we get older, so be prepared to roll with a change if it comes to you.

Don’t hang on a sunk cost - regardless if you spent a decade going in one direction and then you find that you’ve pivoted to another…

The effort you put in going in that first direction is experience that will only give you a base on which to move from…

There’s a reason we have the phrase “well rounded” to refer to those with a wide range of skills, confidence and experience.

Everything is a benefit - whether it is a skill or just personal confidence.

Being a young adult, frankly, is a ball of suck.

My own life from 17 to 27 was a struggle with loneliness, self-doubt, financial hardship, and a ton of hard, ugly lessons.

It was ALSO a time of incredible fun, moments of pure joy and fierce companionship. And in all of that I learned a lot of confidence and fortitude. You will as well.

At 61 I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know what and who I am and have managed to find a niche that I fit into and expanded it into a profession.

Do I make the most money I could? Oh hell no… However, I’ve got a super community of people around me - friends, family and co-workers and we all get along and care for and about each other and that is what I have found matters - in the long run - the most.

Network the hell out of your life with people you admire and whose work you respect. The rest, in time, falls into place.

I don’t know how to explain it in terms that don’t come off sounding drippy and trite to some…

You’ve got more potential than you realize. Focus on finding the things that bring you the most joy once you’ve sorted who you are and explore them to their fullest and see what comes from that. There’s really no hard and fast rule, other than be flexible and open to change.

And NEVER hesitate to cut toxic people from your life. (speed dial that MF’er)

You got this.

I haven’t seen this mentioned yet so:

Do not allow yourself to be persuaded, pressured, or bullied into having kids (including by yourself) until you feel 100% ready and that it’s 100% what you want. The days of “nobody feels ready for kids; just go for it and it’ll all work out” are way over. (This was always survivor bias bullshit advice, but with recent trends re: cost of living, housing availability, job market, etc., this attitude is straight-up reckless.)

When you’re young, even if you think you know what you’re doing, you’ll almost certainly make mistakes; having children makes moving through and moving on from those mistakes a hell of a lot harder. A sad number of folks I know in their 30s are stuck in places they no longer want to live having to regularly interact with people who ruined their lives because of their kids. Even when things go well, kids are a huge drain on your energy, finances, and ability to take advantage of new opportunities.

It might be scary feeling like there are too many options available to you right now, but being forced into a certain life path because you have kids is not a fun way to resolve that.

Look for this book, they probably have it at your local library.

“Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.

I was almost 30, out of work with an injury, when I learned about it. It’s a series of self tests you can finish in half a day, and an index of jobs that use those skills. For example, a paramedic and a hair dresser both need good dexterity and good people skills. Totally different jobs but a similar skill set. Jobs are divided up by training needed.

It pointed me at a job I’d never considered.

If nothing else, it’ll give you some ideas to ponder.

Lot of good advice here on how to make good decisions and strategic choices to make a better life for yourself.

But, I’m here to give a different perspective. I’m going to retire soon and I’ve never had a sensible career plan in my life that lasted. I’ve bounced from opportunity to opportunity like a piece of driftwood in the surf. I’ve made my career choices based on what seemed like a good idea at the time. I’ve been a company director, I’ve been broke and (fortunately only technically) homeless and everywhere in between. I’ve had stressful jobs and easy-going jobs. All of which is to say that plans are good but sometimes winging it can work out too.

The other thing I will say is that while I’ve worked some shit jobs and some great jobs, I’ve always done a good job regardless. I’ve treated bosses, colleagues, and subordinates fairly and honestly. So those opportunities I mentioned a paragraph ago, they came because people I’ve worked with were happy to work with me again.

As an adult, all I can say is we don’t know what we’re doing either. And that’s okay.

Everyone I know is struggling in life. It seems almost impossible to get anything good going. Take things one step at a time and try to find a good strategy for managing upkeep on whatever needs it. Focus on improving a single thing you can do in the short term. Outside of that, I’d strongly recommend getting a union job if you don’t have employment figured out yet. A stable income with good job security is much easier to plan around even if it seems like it isn’t enough money.

Dont borrow a shit ton of money till you got a career going you like.

Save some money. Doesnt have to be a ton but just a few dollars per week will be better than 0

Dont lend money to friends (if you do, dont expect to get them back)

Life gets better

I was struggling too when i was around 20.

Life is awesome now years later

Welcome to the club. The dirty little secret is nobody knows what they’re doing and any adult who tells you differently is lying to you. We are all flying by the seat of our pants in life, and just doing our best to make it. Enjoy the ride and try to have fun while you’re here.

do absolutely everything you possibly can to protect your dental health

teeth do not grow back

whatever you’re facing in life, facing it with dental issues is going to make it so so so much worse

& if you’re already brushing twice a day and flossing once a day or anywhere close, be extremely proud of that and don’t ever let anything make you give it up

no matter who you are or what you’ve done you deserve a healthy mouth

Well, without any context it is hard to say. In very general terms, I have a little advice.

Find a job you don’t hate. You’re going be spending a lot of your time there, if it sucks your soul out you will never be happy. I think this is a super important one.

Don’t acquire needless debt. It’s so easy to fall into the buy now, pay later mentality. Especially when Klarna and Afterpay are shoved down your throat with every online purchase. It’s a slippery slope.

Quality is much more important than trendy. Sure, there is stuff that is quality and trendy. But you don’t need to buy a Le Creuset when a Lodge will do just as good.

Get a cheap hobby. Maybe there is a little up front capital to get started, like for tools or something. But if the rest of it is cheap, you’ll be able to do it more often. One of mine is restoring antique fountain pens. I needed a pen press, a buffing wheel, jewelry pliers, sac shellac, some 100% talc. But broken pens and sacs are cheap, so it is something I can do anytime for a few bucks. The detail work is soothing. And consumes hours.

It gets increasingly difficult to make friends after you’re out of school. So, hang on to your closest ones. Make time to keep seeing them, even if you don’t feel like going out.

I don’t know how young “young” is, but I think it’s pretty normal to feel that way in your early 20’s. It’s a time of big changes. And don’t compare yourself to social media. It’s not real life.

Try to take things one step at a time. For the first step, prioritize what you need to do into a list, and then start at the top and work slowly downwards. But don’t take on more than 2 or 3 things at once.

The prioritized list might look overwhelming and stress you out. But remember that you are taking an active, organized step towards getting things under control, and give yourself lots of credit and praise for doing that. And things might seem like they are going slowly, especially at first. But remember that you are making progress, even when it might seem like you aren’t.

The key to happiness is not to have any hard expectations. I’ve heard the phrase “strong opinions held loosely” at work. But in life, soften the strong part. Random chance will have more impact on your path than anything else, so flow with it.

Get used to it. Seriously. The world is designed to keep you down (unless you’re a nepo baby, which it doesn’t sound like).

Trying to hold all those pieces of the puzzle together is stressful, and things will just keep piling up, and sooner or later it will all come crashing down.

Just take it a day at a time. Prioritize the things that are important, keep a list of things that require regular attention, and have some general idea of where you’re going and how to get there. But don’t stress too much about everything working out exactly as planned; be flexible because real life is dynamic and things always change, including your own priorities.

Make time for yourself and doing the things you enjoy, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and don’t be afraid to “do nothing” from time to time. Spend a little bit of time each day outside breathing fresh air. It’s all you can do, really…

A foreword: there is no picture. The future has guidelines, tendencies, but no actual shape. There’s nothing you’re supposed to do. Life isn’t planned out all at once. Those days are dead. In fact, they nay never have existed. You will become a new person, and have a new career or focus or stage of life, about once every 11 years. That’s normal. That’s life’s uncertainty.

The piece of advice is the one I’ve given on many platforms for years: if you’re —

• North American and

• from any “settler-colonial” culture and

• you’re able,

then leave North America for at least one year. Live elsewhere, see how others live, and break out of the bubble built by the preschool to prison pipeline, the corporate cradle to coffin collective consciousness. This advice isn’t exclusively for Gringos and Canucks, but it’s based on the particular starting square I had and most of the people I’ve encountered. Also, I don’t mean to exclude my Indigenous, Mexican, Mexica, and other Latino brothers and sisters, but my understanding is that you’ve already got reality pushing the movement narrative.

If you’re a a first-generation North American (like me), also build connections within your community. There is much work to be done to diversify these places and so many other new, and first-gens could use some support. Detachment from one another is what harms us most. The communities I’ve had outside of El Norte continue to feed me. Admittedly, the job I have and the hours I keep prevent community-building. I need to get back to it.

Finally, get smart about money. Find teachers, take meetings at banks, go to teachings at libraries. Study the jargon in your credit card agreements. Make investments in yourself and your future. I failed pretty spectacularly at this one.

As far how to choose WHAT to do with all your time, well, the only thing I’d advise is to be a crafty, insightful, decisive disruptor. Nothing else that I’ve seen works. Be the best there is at a small thing you do. Identify a critical mass for your work and work hard to get to the place where 15% of the people you talk to will say ‘yes’ to you. Gain your repeat customers, followers, students, and acolytes. You can do what want. The trick is to have people support you or believe in your doing it.

Just a digest of what Ive seen here so far:

don’t get bogged down planning too far ahead. Set yourself some achievable goals for the near future.

This is good advice.

there is a good chance that your future could look very different than what you imagine it might be.

This is not advice, but true and warrants remembering because you can bend the future.

find a good strategy for managing upkeep on whatever needs it.

Many people forget that anything and everything you obtain and want to keep working will require maintenance. Machines, subject knowledge, relationships, tools, whatever — all need upkeep. Know your shit so you can keep your shit together.

Focus on improving a single thing you can do in the short term.

I’d add to this. Short term goals should not be ends in themselves unless they are for entertainment. If you’re focusing on a short term goal, connect it to a long term goal.

get[ ] a union job if you don’t have employment figured out yet.

Unions can protect you. But, if you’re looking for satisfaction, the job has to be what you want it to be. Or, take pleasure in the union connections. If neither of these feeds you, a union can’t save you from yourself.

Anyway, you asked and I’m stuck in a waiting room.