Life zooms by faster than a toddler who’s spotted an open cookie jar. Before you know it, you’re looking back wondering where all those years went.
While there’s no time machine to redo your youth, there’s plenty to learn from those who’ve already walked the path. Here are ten things many folks wish they’d done during their younger days.
1. Saying ‘No’ to That Awful Haircut
Remember that time you walked into the salon with a magazine photo and walked out looking like your head had a fight with a lawnmower? Youth is the perfect time for hair disasters because, miraculously, hair grows back!
Future you will cherish those cringeworthy photos of your mullet, bowl cut, or that time you tried to bleach your own hair and ended up with orange patches. These hair catastrophes become legendary stories at family gatherings.
Plus, there’s something liberating about making terrible style choices when the stakes are low. No corporate job to lose, no professional image to maintain—just pure, unadulterated hair rebellion.
2. Learning to Cook More Than Just Ramen
The culinary skills of most young adults typically peak at microwaving pizza rolls or boiling noodles. Mastering actual cooking while young gives you a superpower few of your peers possess.
Imagine the glory of hosting dinner parties where nobody gets food poisoning! The dating advantage alone is worth it—nothing says “I’m a functional adult” like making a meal that doesn’t come from a box with cartoon characters on it.
Beyond impressing others, cooking saves ridiculous amounts of money. Those daily takeout habits add up faster than calories in a milkshake. Your future bank account will thank you for learning that vegetables don’t naturally come pre-cut in plastic containers.
3. Taking More Ridiculous Road Trips
Nothing beats piling into a questionably reliable car with friends and a vague destination in mind. These unplanned adventures create the stories you’ll still be telling at retirement parties.
The magic happens in those unscripted moments—discovering the world’s largest ball of twine, sleeping in the car because you forgot to book hotels, or finding that perfect diner at 3 AM. Youth gives you the remarkable ability to sleep anywhere and find humor in disasters.
Later in life, trips require spreadsheets, reservations, and consideration of back pain. Young road trips are beautiful chaos—running on beef jerky and energy drinks, singing off-key with the windows down, and making detours just because a sign looked interesting.
4. Starting That Embarrassing YouTube Channel
The thought of your awkward younger self being immortalized online might make you cringe. But those who braved the camera in 2010 with terrible lighting and zero editing skills? Many are now digital content veterans with impressive followings.
Your first videos would have been awful—that’s the universal rule. Everyone starts somewhere, usually with poor audio quality and saying “um” every third word. The beauty is that youth gives you the perfect excuse for mediocre content while you improve.
Besides the potential career path, documenting your younger days creates a time capsule you’ll treasure later. Future you would love to see present you in all your unfiltered glory, passionate about whatever weird hobby currently consumes your time.
5. Asking Out Your Crush in That Spectacularly Awkward Way
The butterflies, the sweaty palms, the carefully rehearsed speech that turns into incomprehensible mumbling—asking someone out in your youth is a special kind of terror. Yet those who took the leap rarely regret it, regardless of the outcome.
Success stories become treasured memories. Rejection stories transform into hilarious anecdotes. “Remember when I asked Sarah to prom by hiring the school marching band and she said no?” Even the most cringeworthy attempts make excellent stories years later.
The courage muscle strengthens with each use. Those early, clumsy attempts at romance build the confidence needed for adult relationships. Plus, youth offers a magical buffer where social missteps are quickly forgotten—unlike adult workplace crushes where HR might get involved.
6. Documenting Your Grandparents’ Stories
Most young people see grandparents as ancient beings who dispense cookies and cash. Few realize these elders were once wild youngsters with adventures that would make your jaw drop. The window to capture their stories closes faster than we expect.
Imagine discovering your quiet grandmother once snuck out to attend underground jazz clubs or that your grandfather has a secret recipe he’s never shared. These treasures vanish when they do. No Google search can recover your family’s unrecorded history.
Technology makes this easier than ever—just hit record on your phone during your next visit. Future you will be grateful for these digital time capsules when memories fade. The stories that seem boring now become priceless when their tellers are gone.
7. Saving Just a Tiny Bit of Money
Compound interest is basically financial wizardry that turns small, consistent savings into shocking amounts of money. The math seems impossible—how does $50 a month in your twenties become a small fortune?
Young people have the most powerful advantage in investing: time. That morning coffee habit? If redirected into investments, it could fund a significant portion of retirement. The magic happens not through massive deposits but through consistent tiny ones that have decades to grow.
Future you would love to have a mysterious pile of money appear just when life gets expensive. Past you had the power to conjure this financial magic with minimal sacrifice. Even small amounts—the cost of one concert ticket a month—can grow to life-changing sums.
8. Writing Down the Ridiculous Things Your Friends Say
Friend groups generate comedy gold that professional writers couldn’t script. Those late-night conversations, inside jokes, and bizarre adventures fade from memory faster than you’d expect. The quote that had you laughing until you cried will be forgotten without documentation.
Starting a simple note on your phone to record these gems creates a treasure trove of memories. “Remember when Mike tried to explain quantum physics after four beers?” or “That time Sarah described her first date as ‘like watching a giraffe try to use chopsticks’?”
These collections become precious as friend groups evolve and scatter geographically. Years later, scrolling through these archives provides both laughs and a powerful reminder of the people who shaped you. The quotes that seem unforgettable now will blur with time.
9. Taking More Photos Where You Actually Appear
Young people take thousands of photos—of food, sunsets, concerts, and friends. Mysteriously absent from most of these images? Themselves. The designated photographer rarely appears in the visual record of their own life.
Future you will care less about that perfect sunset shot and more about seeing your younger face. How you styled your hair, what clothes you wore, who your friends were—these details fade first from memory. Pictures of scenery are everywhere online, but images of young you are irreplaceable.
Hand the camera to someone else occasionally. Get comfortable being in frame rather than always capturing others. Those slightly awkward, imperfect photos where you’re genuinely enjoying life become treasures later. Your older self will thank you for proof that you were there too.
10. Wearing the Outrageous Outfit
That wild jacket covered in flames? Those platform boots that add six inches to your height? The hat that makes you look like you’re auditioning for a music video? Wear them now, when your knees still work and your back doesn’t have opinions about your fashion choices.
Youth offers a magical window where society largely excuses fashion experimentation. The outfits that seem too bold, too bright, or too bizarre become harder to pull off with each passing year. Not because they look worse, but because our courage to stand out diminishes.
Photos of yourself in these statement pieces become cherished evidence of your bravery. Even if you cringe initially, they eventually transform into proud reminders of a time when you expressed yourself without filters. Your future conservative wardrobe will thank you for these colorful memories.
