Last time, we talked
about Days of
Future Past. An
older self reaching
back to help a
younger one.Reel
said that
deserved
a whole
conversation.
So here we are.
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Suppose you
could leave
one voicemail
for your
younger self.What would you say?
And how young would
you need to be to hear it?
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I suspect three
kinds of answer:
life lessons,
practical advice, and
time-travel nonsense.Not a diagnosis.
Just three baskets
for our regrets.
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First: life lessons.
Not a better
timetable.
A kinder way to
understand the
life you actually lived.
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You're not behind.
You're just comparing
your chapter 2 to
someone's chapter 20 —
and they're lying
about their chapter 20.Regret is just
nostalgia for a
version of events
that never existed.
Stop auditioning
for a past you
can't re-cast.
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Second: practical advice.
Small habits. Less friction.
Fewer avoidable messes.
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Be easy to work with.
Competence gets
you hired; being
low-drama gets you
promoted.Keep in touch with
people for no
reason. 'Saw this
and thought of
you' is the most
underrated
relationship
tool ever invented.
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Third: jokes.
Because
apparently even
a miracle needs
a punch line.Some are advice.
Some are just
hindsight wearing
a fake mustache.
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Be kind to the kid
who's bad at sports.
He's going to be
your IT guy,
your lawyer,
or your boss.Learn to type
faster. You'll
spend the
next 40
years arguing
with strangers
online, and
speed matters.
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Take a moment to
think.
I'll dance
while you decide.One message.
One younger you.
No pressure.
Only your entire life.
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Here are
my friends'
messages.
Some tender.
Some useful.
Some should
probably stay
in the drafts.If yours is still
forming, that's
all right. You
don't have to fix
the past to
listen differently
now.I'm Sofia Luz.
I'll leave
you with them.
And one
question:
what
would you say?
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Ask questions in
class. The 'dumb'
question is usually
the one five other
people were too
proud to ask.Why
can't we
divide by
zero?Oh, that is
a wonderful
question!
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Mine Bitcoin when
it's basically free.
Also: be nice to the
weird kid — he's
about to invent
something you'll use
daily.
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Network by
helping, not asking.
'How can I be useful
to you?' beats 'Can I pick
your brain?' every
single time.
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Learn to cook
five meals well. It
saves money,
impresses people, and
is cheaper than
therapy-adjacent
takeout.
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Start a YouTube
channel about
literally anything.
In 15 years, 'I was
there first' is
worth money.
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Choose a partner
who is kind to waiters
and patient when
lost. Everything
else is decoration.
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Buy the
cheap version first.
You'll learn what
you actually need,
and the expensive
version will still
be there.
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Friendships don't
end with a fight —
they end with 'we
should catch up
soon.' Send the
text. Book the
thing.
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Don't get that
haircut. You know
the one. The photo
exists forever now.For the archive.Absolutely not.
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Be the friend
who shows up to
the boring events —
the move, the hospital
visit, the 7 a.m.
airport run. That's
where loyalty is
built.
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Read your lease,
your insurance, and
your employment
contract. Ignorance
is expensive and
legally binding.No. Reading.
Not
eating.
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Invest in sunscreen.
Not the company —
the product. You'll
understand at 35.
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Forgive your
parents for
not being the parents
you scripted. They were
winging it with
worse instructions.
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Build the habit of
exercise now,
while your body still
forgives you. It
gets much harder to
start later.
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Buy the domain
name for every dumb
idea you have. Worst
case, you own
'PotatoInfluencer.com'
and a story.I had ALL that time.
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Your parents
are winging it too.
The 'adult in the room'
is a costume you'll
also learn to wear.Mama. Play?One moment, my
little pharaoh.
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Start a band.
Even if it fails, 'I was
in a band' is a
personality for the
next 30 years.It's certainly
a personality.
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Your family's
quirks are a language.
Learn it while the
native speakers are
still around.And record the
recipe. 'Until it
looks right' is
not a
measurement.
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40+
